Don't buy in MoCo until the school redistricting is setled?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
You should wait. Some home prices in certain school clusters will drop by a lot of they are rezoned to other schools. Or, if you plan on buying in a disputed zone you may want to buy now before home values go up.


Agree that you should wait but in this situation no area is going to go up. MCPS is not going to move UMC/MC neighborhoods currently zoned for lower performing /higher FARMS schools into higher performing/ lower FARMS schools. There just are not enough UMC/MC students to do this type of shuffling. You won't see the big score jumps in the lower performing schools that would receive more high income kids because enough there are still too many low income kids for the UMC ones to make enough of a dent, plus most UMC parents will not send their kids there/will opt out for private.


You have a skewed perception of what most UMC families can afford. If you can afford property in MoCo and private school for your kids, then you are probably kidding yourself if you think you are still UMC.

?? Most UMC families can afford private if they choose to go down that path. Every private school is not 40K a year. There are many private schools in Silver Spring and none of the kids are from the uber rich brackets.

[Anonymous]

One question and one FYI:
Question: is the whole rezoning issue because Mcps wants more diversity? Or “smarter” kids to mix with more challenges kids? Or do they think some of their own schools provide inferior education such that they need to send these kids elsewhere? If it’s just overcrowding, why not build out the current schools?
Secondly, I know the Mt Prospect area going up near QO is being delayed because of the school issues. One of the folks implied they can’t come in with 1.5M+price tags if the school zone changes out of Wootton. If the change happens after they open, they would have to reduce price drastically which would hurt the buyers who bought early. He even implied that it was better to wait as price may drop unlike traditional new developments

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One question and one FYI:
Question: is the whole rezoning issue because Mcps wants more diversity? Or “smarter” kids to mix with more challenges kids? Or do they think some of their own schools provide inferior education such that they need to send these kids elsewhere? If it’s just overcrowding, why not build out the current schools?
Secondly, I know the Mt Prospect area going up near QO is being delayed because of the school issues. One of the folks implied they can’t come in with 1.5M+price tags if the school zone changes out of Wootton. If the change happens after they open, they would have to reduce price drastically which would hurt the buyers who bought early. He even implied that it was better to wait as price may drop unlike traditional new developments

Not sure if I buy the fact that Hanson development is waiting to see what MCPS says. The development has 3 models about to go up in a month or so. I’m sure they’ll begin the sales process soon after. MCPS rezoning decision is not for some time and implementing the change will take even longer. I doubt they can afford to wait that long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One question and one FYI:
Question: is the whole rezoning issue because Mcps wants more diversity? Or “smarter” kids to mix with more challenges kids? Or do they think some of their own schools provide inferior education such that they need to send these kids elsewhere? If it’s just overcrowding, why not build out the current schools?

Please watch at least the brief Project Overview video here. The other videos are very informative as well:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/boundary-analysis/study-videos.aspx

[Anonymous]

If you are on the vip list, we were told models info will be available online in Dec, then in Jan we got email saying almost ready. I called last week on Jan and was told they are redoing the models and waiting for architect to redesign. When asked why, she was vague but mentioned the schooling issues and needing to be able to build homes that were more flexible for various price points in case they had unexpected developments

[Anonymous]

Nearby Falls Grove saw unprecedented amount of homes being sold last summer, and the prices
were lower by a whole lot . I saw homes that used to come up very rarely and
priced at 1.2 plus selling fast before. Lately those homes were sitting for months price were dropping and some sold some went off the market
at price point around 85ish. Very surprising.

[Anonymous]

One question and one FYI:
Question: is the whole rezoning issue because Mcps wants more diversity? Or “smarter” kids to mix with more challenges kids? Or do they think some of their own schools provide inferior education such that they need to send these kids elsewhere? If it’s just overcrowding, why not build out the current schools?

It isn't "just" diversity. MCPS has not undergone a comprehensive boundary realigment in 40 years. In that time, schools have opened and closed, and boundaries have been drawn to minimize disruption. This has led to numerous noncontiguous boundaries, as well as "islands" where a single neighborhood attends a different school than every neighborhood around it. There are also overcrowded schools sitting next to underutlized ones. Basically, it is exactly what you would expect when decisions were being taken piecemeal rather than holistically.

As for why they don't just build out current schools, many schools are completely maxed out when it comes to space. They cannot build on the current footprint, and some elmentary schools have already lost half their playground space to portable classrooms, while middle and high schools are losing their athletic fields.

Yes, diversity is part of the equation, but only at the point that they are already redrawing boundaries because of overcrowding or lack of contiguous boundaries. But the redistricting endeavor isn't about demographics at its core - it is just trying to do a big realignment to make up for decades of boundaries being drawn a little haphazardly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One question and one FYI:
Question: is the whole rezoning issue because Mcps wants more diversity? Or “smarter” kids to mix with more challenges kids? Or do they think some of their own schools provide inferior education such that they need to send these kids elsewhere? If it’s just overcrowding, why not build out the current schools?
Secondly, I know the Mt Prospect area going up near QO is being delayed because of the school issues. One of the folks implied they can’t come in with 1.5M+price tags if the school zone changes out of Wootton. If the change happens after they open, they would have to reduce price drastically which would hurt the buyers who bought early. He even implied that it was better to wait as price may drop unlike traditional new developments

You missed the main reason they’re doing this. They have 10,000 seats available in undercapacity schools and too many kids in overcapacity schools. That’s the reason for this. Why build schools when you have open seats already. The diversity, walkzone, etc is just how to decide which kid goes where but thats not “why they’re doing this”.

[Anonymous]

I understand that there is overcrowding in some schools and under crowding in others...what doesn’t make sense is why they would take kids from under crowded schools and move them? Why not just take kids from overcrowded schools and add them to a school with room? Or just broaden the zone assigned to undercrowded schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that there is overcrowding in some schools and under crowding in others...what doesn’t make sense is why they would take kids from under crowded schools and move them? Why not just take kids from overcrowded schools and add them to a school with room? Or just broaden the zone assigned to undercrowded schools?

have they announced a plan that I'm unaware of? I didn't realize they were moving kids from under-enrolled schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that there is overcrowding in some schools and under crowding in others...what doesn’t make sense is why they would take kids from under crowded schools and move them? Why not just take kids from overcrowded schools and add them to a school with room? Or just broaden the zone assigned to undercrowded schools?

Who says they aren't doing that? They're analyzing the various possibilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I understand that there is overcrowding in some schools and under crowding in others...what doesn’t make sense is why they would take kids from under crowded schools and move them? Why not just take kids from overcrowded schools and add them to a school with room? Or just broaden the zone assigned to undercrowded schools?

I mean, it's complicated. You have to look at elementary level, then middle school, then high school. You also have issues of busing (are you moving kids closer? further away? across a big road?). Then of course you have issues of demographics. Are you reinforcing existing patterns of segregation?

It's a lot, and I am actually glad MCPS is doing it in a comprehensive and thoughtful manner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yeah, that's a very small boundary and they would have to create an island in order to bus kids from Churchill to RM. I say unlikely Potomac will be effected by boundary changes for the sake of diversity, because very little available in terms of adjacent clusters. You would be safe to invest in Potomac.

No way. The only way that Potomac will not be impacted by diversity bussing would be if all the incumbent BOE members up for re-election are voted out and the MCCPTA/MCPS/MOCO Council endorsed candidates do not win.

First - MCPS has not problem creating islands or gerrymandering boundaries to achieve whatever its current goal is and if diversity is it then RM or Rockville High School will get Potomac kids. Second - MCPS is vindictive. They hate that Potomac parents are objecting to the county wide diversity boundary study. They will get even. Third - there is no way if the Silver Spring crowd gets re-elected that Churchill and Whitman will stay as they are now. These two schools are THE target and the envy, hatred and obsession with these schools from the SS crowd is crazy.

There really is not any safe place in MOCO. Even the UMC neighborhoods in the DCC which for whatever reason thinks they are immune to getting rezoned to a lower performing school will be impacted -if the initiative does not get stopped. The only things likely to stop it are election consequences or a case getting up to the SC.

+1

It's funny how the wealthiest people feel the most victimized. You all really think you are the center of the universe. It's kind of hilarious. They are not going to send SS students to Whitman (by the way, I went to Whitman, and I would not pay an extra couple hundred thousand to send my child there, but do what you like). They are probably going to send some Walter Johnson students to Einstein. They are probably going to look at other opportunities to get some more balance in adjacent clusters (e.g Diamond ES and Brown Station ES are right next to each other but one has a 10% FARMS rate and the other has a 70% FARMS rate). They are not going to bus students to the other side of the county.

I don't feel victimized, but we bought our very modest house mainly because it's within walking distance of Hoover/Churchill. We aren't wealthy and our neighbors aren't either - houses in my neighborhood are 600-800K, most people have 2-3 kids, and I can't imagine they can afford dropping 6 figures on privates. The Potomac people you're thinking off - the ones living in million plus dollar homes - don't send their kids to public school.

If we are having to put the kids on the bus to go miles and miles away instead, we will simply move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I understand that there is overcrowding in some schools and under crowding in others...what doesn’t make sense is why they would take kids from under crowded schools and move them? Why not just take kids from overcrowded schools and add them to a school with room? Or just broaden the zone assigned to undercrowded schools?

Who says they aren't doing that? They're analyzing the various possibilities.

+1 I think that's part of the boundary analysis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yeah, that's a very small boundary and they would have to create an island in order to bus kids from Churchill to RM. I say unlikely Potomac will be effected by boundary changes for the sake of diversity, because very little available in terms of adjacent clusters. You would be safe to invest in Potomac.

No way. The only way that Potomac will not be impacted by diversity bussing would be if all the incumbent BOE members up for re-election are voted out and the MCCPTA/MCPS/MOCO Council endorsed candidates do not win.

First - MCPS has not problem creating islands or gerrymandering boundaries to achieve whatever its current goal is and if diversity is it then RM or Rockville High School will get Potomac kids. Second - MCPS is vindictive. They hate that Potomac parents are objecting to the county wide diversity boundary study. They will get even. Third - there is no way if the Silver Spring crowd gets re-elected that Churchill and Whitman will stay as they are now. These two schools are THE target and the envy, hatred and obsession with these schools from the SS crowd is crazy.

There really is not any safe place in MOCO. Even the UMC neighborhoods in the DCC which for whatever reason thinks they are immune to getting rezoned to a lower performing school will be impacted -if the initiative does not get stopped. The only things likely to stop it are election consequences or a case getting up to the SC.

+1

It's funny how the wealthiest people feel the most victimized. You all really think you are the center of the universe. It's kind of hilarious. They are not going to send SS students to Whitman (by the way, I went to Whitman, and I would not pay an extra couple hundred thousand to send my child there, but do what you like). They are probably going to send some Walter Johnson students to Einstein. They are probably going to look at other opportunities to get some more balance in adjacent clusters (e.g Diamond ES and Brown Station ES are right next to each other but one has a 10% FARMS rate and the other has a 70% FARMS rate). They are not going to bus students to the other side of the county.

I don't feel victimized, but we bought our very modest house mainly because it's within walking distance of Hoover/Churchill. We aren't wealthy and our neighbors aren't either - houses in my neighborhood are 600-800K, most people have 2-3 kids, and I can't imagine they can afford dropping 6 figures on privates. The Potomac people you're thinking off - the ones living in million plus dollar homes - don't send their kids to public school.

If we are having to put the kids on the bus to go miles and miles away instead, we will simply move.

Most people cannot afford a $600-800k home. Please get a reality check. If you are in walking distance of the school your home is not going to get rezoned.