All the boundary options are bad for the DCC-- how do we organize against that? (Any ideas for alternative options?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sargent Shriver from Wheaton to Woodward, Farmland from Woodward to WJ. Move some Kensington kids from WJ into Einstein (if that makes Einstein too overcrowded, make small tweaks like maybe keeping the Flora Singer kids together and sending them to Northwood.) Move some kids from Kennedy into Wheaton to address overcrowding if needed. Done.

I don’t disagree with any of this but good lord, the ToK families who live thisclose to Einstein would throw a fit. Why the BOE won’t stand up to them is beyond me.

All that said, thank you, OP, for starting this thread. I’ve already submitted feedback to the survey a few times and have emailed Councilmembers. I know other parents at our schools are doing the same. I’m all for a larger organizing effort - it’s infuriating that yet again, the wealthiest communities are appeased.

Those wealthy communities organized, responded, and used the forms available to advocate for what they wanted. Unlike the person above said they didn’t think it would make a difference so they didn’t bother responding. Organize and get people engaged!

I live in Bethesda and did not respond because my last kid will soon be out of MCPS. But in all my years of volunteering, and attending the general County-wide assemblies of school PTAs, I've noticed that parents are so much better organized in well-to-do districts. I think it's because those groups have more people who know how the world works, and which leverage has a chance to work. They know how to organize people, how to communicate, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s sad that so many people are so late to understanding that the DCC is done.

The original options screwed some portions of the SCC. Where were all the Sligo/Takoma Park parents then? You ignored us because you thought you would stay at Einstein and/or continue to have choice in secondary schools.

Who are the “you” and “us” you’re talking about? Condescension isn’t helpful.

Also: we all knew the boundary study and subsequent changes were coming. What we did NOT know is that Taylor and co would spring this “regional program” BS on us at about the same time. We’re in-bounds for Einstein and if it were only the boundary changes, I could probably live with those. But those changes *and* the new regions? No. Too much. Of course we assumed we’d have choice in secondary schools - that’s been the DCC for years now. If you’re not going to be helpful, please don’t post here.

Sign up testimony for Oct 16 BOE meeting. It opens tomorrow at 6 pm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sargent Shriver from Wheaton to Woodward, Farmland from Woodward to WJ. Move some Kensington kids from WJ into Einstein (if that makes Einstein too overcrowded, make small tweaks like maybe keeping the Flora Singer kids together and sending them to Northwood.) Move some kids from Kennedy into Wheaton to address overcrowding if needed. Done.

I don’t disagree with any of this but good lord, the ToK families who live thisclose to Einstein would throw a fit. Why the BOE won’t stand up to them is beyond me.

All that said, thank you, OP, for starting this thread. I’ve already submitted feedback to the survey a few times and have emailed Councilmembers. I know other parents at our schools are doing the same. I’m all for a larger organizing effort - it’s infuriating that yet again, the wealthiest communities are appeased.

Those wealthy communities organized, responded, and used the forms available to advocate for what they wanted. Unlike the person above said they didn’t think it would make a difference so they didn’t bother responding. Organize and get people engaged!

I live in Bethesda and did not respond because my last kid will soon be out of MCPS. But in all my years of volunteering, and attending the general County-wide assemblies of school PTAs, I've noticed that parents are so much better organized in well-to-do districts. I think it's because those groups have more people who know how the world works, and which leverage has a chance to work. They know how to organize people, how to communicate, etc.

They know people who know people. They are connected with the money. Nothing talks more than money when it comes to elected officials.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sargent Shriver from Wheaton to Woodward, Farmland from Woodward to WJ. Move some Kensington kids from WJ into Einstein (if that makes Einstein too overcrowded, make small tweaks like maybe keeping the Flora Singer kids together and sending them to Northwood.) Move some kids from Kennedy into Wheaton to address overcrowding if needed. Done.

I don’t disagree with any of this but good lord, the ToK families who live thisclose to Einstein would throw a fit. Why the BOE won’t stand up to them is beyond me.

All that said, thank you, OP, for starting this thread. I’ve already submitted feedback to the survey a few times and have emailed Councilmembers. I know other parents at our schools are doing the same. I’m all for a larger organizing effort - it’s infuriating that yet again, the wealthiest communities are appeased.

Those wealthy communities organized, responded, and used the forms available to advocate for what they wanted. Unlike the person above said they didn’t think it would make a difference so they didn’t bother responding. Organize and get people engaged!

I live in Bethesda and did not respond because my last kid will soon be out of MCPS. But in all my years of volunteering, and attending the general County-wide assemblies of school PTAs, I've noticed that parents are so much better organized in well-to-do districts. I think it's because those groups have more people who know how the world works, and which leverage has a chance to work. They know how to organize people, how to communicate, etc.

They know people who know people. They are connected with the money. Nothing talks more than money when it comes to elected officials.

They aren’t connected to the consultants or to Taylor or the central office. They have the same number of reps on the BOE as someone in the dcc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sargent Shriver from Wheaton to Woodward, Farmland from Woodward to WJ. Move some Kensington kids from WJ into Einstein (if that makes Einstein too overcrowded, make small tweaks like maybe keeping the Flora Singer kids together and sending them to Northwood.) Move some kids from Kennedy into Wheaton to address overcrowding if needed. Done.

I don’t disagree with any of this but good lord, the ToK families who live thisclose to Einstein would throw a fit. Why the BOE won’t stand up to them is beyond me.

All that said, thank you, OP, for starting this thread. I’ve already submitted feedback to the survey a few times and have emailed Councilmembers. I know other parents at our schools are doing the same. I’m all for a larger organizing effort - it’s infuriating that yet again, the wealthiest communities are appeased.

Those wealthy communities organized, responded, and used the forms available to advocate for what they wanted. Unlike the person above said they didn’t think it would make a difference so they didn’t bother responding. Organize and get people engaged!

I live in Bethesda and did not respond because my last kid will soon be out of MCPS. But in all my years of volunteering, and attending the general County-wide assemblies of school PTAs, I've noticed that parents are so much better organized in well-to-do districts. I think it's because those groups have more people who know how the world works, and which leverage has a chance to work. They know how to organize people, how to communicate, etc.

They know people who know people. They are connected with the money. Nothing talks more than money when it comes to elected officials.

They aren’t connected to the consultants or to Taylor or the central office. They have the same number of reps on the BOE as someone in the dcc.

As you know, BOE members are all elected at large. Yes, money talks. Are you really this deluded?

Also making decisions based on which monster screams the loudest is abhorrent policy but that's politics I guess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to summarize simply, but basically you need to move everyone a little counter-clockwise.

Move some of Wheaton to Woodward (and maybe some Kennedy to Wheaton if needed to relieve overcrowding at Kennedy), some of Woodward to WJ, and Kensington from WJ to Einstein.

Some portion of kennedy to Woodward.
All GP to Woodward.
Viers Mill ES to WJ
Kensington from WJ to Einstein.

it will allow Kensington to atten closer school and less bussing.
It will create WJ and Woodward at roughly equal FARMS rate.
It will also keep Enstein FARMS to go very high.

I like the Idea. It will also avoid split articualtion for GP ES.

People need to get over split articulation at the elementary level. This already happens with immersion and CES programs.

Those are optional and people don't choose them if they have kids for whom maintaining consistency of social/friendship dynamics is really important. With boundary changes they are forced on us (on DCC families, anyway. The rich schools have almost none.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the boundary options, it's pretty clear that all 4 of them benefit BCC, WJ, and Whitman at the expense of DCC schools. Their boundaries barely change (except WJ which gets Woodward as basically a WJ overflow school) whereas DCC boundaries change a lot. They have almost no split articulation (just Garrett Park and Kensington-Parkwood) while DCC schools have tons. Some DCC schools will remain overcrowded in some of these options, but their schools will not. It seems like they basically decided to give those schools everything they want and then let DCC families argue amongst ourselves for or against certain options that benefit some DCC neighborhoods and schools more than others.

How do we push back against this?

1) Process-wise: are there any efforts to bring DCC families together around our shared interests on this boundary study, rather than just focusing within our neighborhoods and schools on which of the options we prefer (which we will inevitably disagree on because different options are better for different schools)? I would love to find somewhere to plug in on this.
2) Substance-wise: are there some specific changes we can come together to argue for? Do folks see any obvious changes we can push for (i.e. "Option X amended by moving A elementary to B high school and Y elementary to Z high school")? It is frustrating that we have to do this ourselves since this set of options should have included at least some that were fairer to DCC schools and then we could have argued things out from there-- but we are where we are, so practically speaking, I think we need to come up with our own amended version of one of these proposals (or one of the earlier round of proposals) if we want to have any hope of changing anything. Do folks have suggestions?

If you can get them, get parents who are lawyers to advocate. The clusters that you wrote that are benefitting have robust ptsa and or committees dedicated to studying the study and advocating.

[Anonymous]

What are you all talking about?

DCC has Takoma Park. They know a lot more about how things work in this county than W parents. How’d Blair make out? Does part of Takoma Park feed to new Northwood?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looking at the boundary options, it's pretty clear that all 4 of them benefit BCC, WJ, and Whitman at the expense of DCC schools. Their boundaries barely change (except WJ which gets Woodward as basically a WJ overflow school) whereas DCC boundaries change a lot. They have almost no split articulation (just Garrett Park and Kensington-Parkwood) while DCC schools have tons. Some DCC schools will remain overcrowded in some of these options, but their schools will not. It seems like they basically decided to give those schools everything they want and then let DCC families argue amongst ourselves for or against certain options that benefit some DCC neighborhoods and schools more than others.

How do we push back against this?

1) Process-wise: are there any efforts to bring DCC families together around our shared interests on this boundary study, rather than just focusing within our neighborhoods and schools on which of the options we prefer (which we will inevitably disagree on because different options are better for different schools)? I would love to find somewhere to plug in on this.
2) Substance-wise: are there some specific changes we can come together to argue for? Do folks see any obvious changes we can push for (i.e. "Option X amended by moving A elementary to B high school and Y elementary to Z high school")? It is frustrating that we have to do this ourselves since this set of options should have included at least some that were fairer to DCC schools and then we could have argued things out from there-- but we are where we are, so practically speaking, I think we need to come up with our own amended version of one of these proposals (or one of the earlier round of proposals) if we want to have any hope of changing anything. Do folks have suggestions?

Doesn't the population of the DCC area fluctuate more than the other neighborhoods/clusters, such as WJ? Or is that a myth?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The DCC response rate was very low in the last survey. I hope that will change. But to me it seems like the loudest voices got their way.

Have you seen the other HS? They got em attorneys among their parent population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are you all talking about?

DCC has Takoma Park. They know a lot more about how things work in this county than W parents. How’d Blair make out? Does part of Takoma Park feed to new Northwood?

program analysis which is also going on along with boundary studies. Will Blair-like magnet programs be available in each cluster?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are you all talking about?

DCC has Takoma Park. They know a lot more about how things work in this county than W parents. How’d Blair make out? Does part of Takoma Park feed to new Northwood?

The initial set of options and particularly Option 3 were specifically designed to rile up west county parents. Of course they responded in greater numbers. I saw the options and certainly had a preference but didn't feel the existential threat about my wealth (barf) that the west county folks did.

[Anonymous]

Instead of screaming on DCUM threads, some of the posters here would be better served using their energy to actually advocate for their communities. MCPS and Flo refined the options based on the community feedback (which you would know if you participated in the community engagement events, survey, BOE meetings, and feedback sessions) and against the new constraints of the Region 6 model. If you didn’t open your mouth in round 1, don’t expect them to have taken your preferences into account. Everyone had the chance to give feedback and advocate, and they continue to have the opportunity to do so now. Put your energy where it belongs - it’s not here on DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Guessing the school boundary changes paled in comparison to the stress and worries a lot of families in the DCC felt with the dangers of ICE and the administration. Families not affected by the risk of deportation likely had a lot more energy to put into analyzing the boundary options and organizing school-wide and community-wide responses and to be loud about what they wanted.

Helpful to write to BOE members (and tell neighbors to do the same) to shine a light on the inequity of a few schools having 100%+ while others have 80%.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/about/redistricting/

[Anonymous]

Are there any DCC people/orgs starting to pull things together? People we should contact if we want to get involved? Facebook groups or listservs where we can communicate about this? (If folks are creating new ones, probably makes sense for it to be focused on looking out for the DCC's interests both around the boundary study and program analysis/proposed DCC abolishment? Or just a broader DCC-families-united type group that can include but not be limited to advocacy for those goals?) Sign-on letters being drafted and circulated?

I don't have the capacity to start any of them myself but would love to plug in if they're moving elsewhere. And I think if we don't start organizing and coordinating ourselves in those ways we're not going to succeed.