Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I personally am fine with low income housing in my neighborhood and am even fine with voluntary busing of low income kids to low FARMS schools *if that’s what those kids/families want.*

Most won't be able to do it. Some families will and many adults I've spoken with whose parents did this when they were in school wish their parents hadn't pushed them to do it. And the impact on their zoned schools will be negative.

I agree that busing kids has negative consequences for all kids that are bused. But clearly it is something BOE is contemplating in order to (I guess?) help the low income kids. Idk if BOE cares about what kids and families actually want (including the low income ones).

BOE cares about the ability of MCPS to effectively educate kids and not create impossible environments for staff. Concentrating all the low income kids in certain schools typically means those schools have a large percentage of high needs kids and they don't really get much extra staff to address that (zero high schools are Title 1 or Focus schools). Of course parents of all backgrounds don't want long bus rides, why would they, especially if their older kids provide sibling care or extra income from an after school job.

They don’t care about effectively educating kids. They’ve proved that over and over again. The best way is to provide more higher level classes and make schools have equal offerings and provide additional classes virtually during the school day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is Option 5? I only see 4 on the MCPS site

Option 5 is just a suggestion on DCUM.

I'm not sure if it is referring to the suggested changes to Option 3 or Option 4 (from the RM parent).

[Anonymous]

this is the change to Option 4 proposed:


"A RM parent suggested modification of option 4 by putting Garret Park into Woodward and Viers Mill into WJ. All schools will be below 100% capacity with good diversity in WJ and Woodward both. Distance wise WJ and Woodward are right next to each other so not much time in travel no matter who kids go."

[Anonymous]

a blending of the two 'refinements' would be the change to Option 4 that RM parent proposed, and then creating a lottery for FARMS kids to voluntarily bus to Whitman (to raise the FARMS rate there from 6% to 20%). Central bus locations to be provided for that purpose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:a blending of the two 'refinements' would be the change to Option 4 that RM parent proposed, and then creating a lottery for FARMS kids to voluntarily bus to Whitman (to raise the FARMS rate there from 6% to 20%). Central bus locations to be provided for that purpose.

I don't know whether that type of option would fall within the scope of the boundary study. Seems like an additional initiative would be needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:a blending of the two 'refinements' would be the change to Option 4 that RM parent proposed, and then creating a lottery for FARMS kids to voluntarily bus to Whitman (to raise the FARMS rate there from 6% to 20%). Central bus locations to be provided for that purpose.

I don't know whether that type of option would fall within the scope of the boundary study. Seems like an additional initiative would be needed.

since the boundary study also wants to equalize FARMS rates (option 3), it would seem to fall within it at least somewhat. I agree that it would require something else from MCPS and is unlikely to happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is Option 5? I only see 4 on the MCPS site

It's the one where the rich families generously allow low income kids to choose to attend their schools if they first travel to central bus stops in the East county and then travel 30+ minutes on the bus to get to school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is Option 5? I only see 4 on the MCPS site

It's the one where the rich families generously allow low income kids to choose to attend their schools if they first travel to central bus stops in the East county and then travel 30+ minutes on the bus to get to school.

Versus just not doing anything at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just a reminder that "Option 5" involves the longest travel times for kids and apparently for exclusively FARMS kids.

No it doesn't. It's shorter travel for many. Including the FARMS kids currently in Garrett Park.

Where would their "central bus stop" be?

Rosemary Hills? DTSS?

It will take kids about 35 minutes to get from Garrett Park to Rosemary Hills on public transit (assuming bus is on time) in addition to the 30 minute ride from Rosemary Hills to Whitman. So over an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just a reminder that "Option 5" involves the longest travel times for kids and apparently for exclusively FARMS kids.

No it doesn't. It's shorter travel for many. Including the FARMS kids currently in Garrett Park.

Where would their "central bus stop" be?

Rosemary Hills? DTSS?

It will take kids about 35 minutes to get from Garrett Park to Rosemary Hills on public transit (assuming bus is on time) in addition to the 30 minute ride from Rosemary Hills to Whitman. So over an hour.

ok what is a better solution?

Hour-long bus rides already seem contemplated in Option 3, for purposes of equalizing FARMS rates.

[Anonymous]

and it isn't like FARMS rates are even equalized in Option 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:a blending of the two 'refinements' would be the change to Option 4 that RM parent proposed, and then creating a lottery for FARMS kids to voluntarily bus to Whitman (to raise the FARMS rate there from 6% to 20%). Central bus locations to be provided for that purpose.

Bussing to Whitman is noise. Keep it simple.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just a reminder that "Option 5" involves the longest travel times for kids and apparently for exclusively FARMS kids.

No it doesn't. It's shorter travel for many. Including the FARMS kids currently in Garrett Park.

Where would their "central bus stop" be?

Rosemary Hills? DTSS?

It will take kids about 35 minutes to get from Garrett Park to Rosemary Hills on public transit (assuming bus is on time) in addition to the 30 minute ride from Rosemary Hills to Whitman. So over an hour.

ok what is a better solution?

Hour-long bus rides already seem contemplated in Option 3, for purposes of equalizing FARMS rates.

Which ones in Option 3 would be 1 hour?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just a reminder that "Option 5" involves the longest travel times for kids and apparently for exclusively FARMS kids.

No it doesn't. It's shorter travel for many. Including the FARMS kids currently in Garrett Park.

Where would their "central bus stop" be?

Rosemary Hills? DTSS?

It will take kids about 35 minutes to get from Garrett Park to Rosemary Hills on public transit (assuming bus is on time) in addition to the 30 minute ride from Rosemary Hills to Whitman. So over an hour.

ok what is a better solution?

Hour-long bus rides already seem contemplated in Option 3, for purposes of equalizing FARMS rates.

Which ones in Option 3 would be 1 hour?

Oh that's right, none of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And just a reminder that "Option 5" involves the longest travel times for kids and apparently for exclusively FARMS kids.

No it doesn't. It's shorter travel for many. Including the FARMS kids currently in Garrett Park.

Where would their "central bus stop" be?

Rosemary Hills? DTSS?

It will take kids about 35 minutes to get from Garrett Park to Rosemary Hills on public transit (assuming bus is on time) in addition to the 30 minute ride from Rosemary Hills to Whitman. So over an hour.

ok what is a better solution?

Hour-long bus rides already seem contemplated in Option 3, for purposes of equalizing FARMS rates.

Which ones in Option 3 would be 1 hour?

CC to Blair could easily be an hour in a bus during rush hour. I have had that drive take me 45 min in a car during rush hour. East west highway sucks in the morning.

I don’t know about Farmland to Kennedy but that’s like 6.7 miles.

Then there’s busing the Rosemary Hills kids to Whitman.

There’s other islands that I’d be concerned with but I’m not familiar enough with the routes.

Also important to remember that the public transit times will be the applicable ones for kids who miss the bus and for parents without cars.