COSA required starting in fall 2027

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, I am confused - are you saying my current 7th grader at Argyle will need a Cosa if we want our kid to continue there next year and we will have to provide transportation? We are now getting transportation from Clarksburg.

I don't think this would apply to the MSMC because unlike the DCC and the NEC, it is not ending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone else heard about this? MSMC and DCC students will need a COSA to stay at their current school (if it isn’t their home school) when the new boundaries take effect in 2027? And this likely means no transportation will be provided.

Fortunately, we planned for our rising 6th grader to attend their home MSMC school because we don’t trust MCPS. However, I warned anyone who would listen about things like this being a possibility, especially during the budget crunch.

Where did you see this? MCPS said many times that all students in consortia starting next year or earlier will be grandfathered in and allowed to stay until they finish, and that transportation will be provided. That's why they keep talking about how expensive transportation will be for the next 4 years while the grandfathered students are getting the transportation.

I never hard the word “consortia”. I heard Taylor say “regional programs” which I interpreted to mean Eastern and TP magnets

No, they have pretty consistently mentioned the consortia alongside the existing programs together when it comes to grandfathering. For example, on the current FAQ, "3. Will my student be able to continue with their program if we have already started a centrally managed or consortia program?
Yes. Students entering grades 8 in 2025-2026, who have been accepted into a centrally managed application program or assigned to a consortium, may remain in their current program/school." https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/faqs/

[Anonymous]

So either these are false rumors, or MCPS is going back on what they have publicly promised. See for example here (you might want to screenshot it in case they take it down):

"Regional/Countywide Programs & Consortia: Students in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC), Northeast Consortium (NEC), or other regional/countywide programs (like MC2 at Northwood, Regional IB at John F. Kennedy, Science, Math and Computer Science at Blair HS and etc.) can continue in their program until graduation. DCC and NEC bus transportation and central stop bus transportation continues to be available. This does not include local high school pathways or programs."

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/middle-school-students/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wait, I am confused - are you saying my current 7th grader at Argyle will need a Cosa if we want our kid to continue there next year and we will have to provide transportation? We are now getting transportation from Clarksburg.

I don't think this would apply to the MSMC because unlike the DCC and the NEC, it is not ending.

Applies to current 5th and 6th graders. Heard this from an AP at an ES in the MSMC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where are we hearing this? Rhetorical - but why would they let rising 6th graders apply for the MSMC if WOULDNT be an option during their tenure?

There are 3 MSMC schools, one of which is a child’s assigned home school.

And then there are those of us who are out of consortium and who got in through the lottery. We get transportation now to the middle school except for after school activities

Starting in fall 2027, you will need to apply for a COSA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So either these are false rumors, or MCPS is going back on what they have publicly promised. See for example here (you might want to screenshot it in case they take it down):

"Regional/Countywide Programs & Consortia: Students in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC), Northeast Consortium (NEC), or other regional/countywide programs (like MC2 at Northwood, Regional IB at John F. Kennedy, Science, Math and Computer Science at Blair HS and etc.) can continue in their program until graduation. DCC and NEC bus transportation and central stop bus transportation continues to be available. This does not include local high school pathways or programs."

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/middle-school-students/

That’s under “current 8th graders” I think, but this language on that link in the FAQ makes it seem like anyone in to the program as of next year can finish it:

Are some programs being dismantled?
No. Current regional/countywide programs will remain for the next four years as students finish their programs. Many of the centrally managed existing programs will evolve into the new regional model as “regional program options” students may apply to; and some will become local pathways.

[Anonymous]

I have a DCC 8th grader and I have a couple different emails back from MCPS staff in response to earlier confusing notices stating that my child will remain at his chosen school which happens to be our current home school for 9th, but not for 10-12th. We received the jump start letter and weren’t interested, though even if we were getting to Northwood with no transportation options while Northwood is in a holding school nowhere near its home campus would be a nightmare. (The jump start program specified no transportation would be provided). It’s ridiculous that MCPS is jerking families around so much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a DCC 8th grader and I have a couple different emails back from MCPS staff in response to earlier confusing notices stating that my child will remain at his chosen school which happens to be our current home school for 9th, but not for 10-12th. We received the jump start letter and weren’t interested, though even if we were getting to Northwood with no transportation options while Northwood is in a holding school nowhere near its home campus would be a nightmare. (The jump start program specified no transportation would be provided). It’s ridiculous that MCPS is jerking families around so much.

Forgot to say, none of the confirmations that my child would stay at our current home school say anything about transportation, other than the jump start offer which states there will be no transportation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where are we hearing this? Rhetorical - but why would they let rising 6th graders apply for the MSMC if WOULDNT be an option during their tenure?

There are 3 MSMC schools, one of which is a child’s assigned home school.

And then there are those of us who are out of consortium and who got in through the lottery. We get transportation now to the middle school except for after school activities

Starting in fall 2027, you will need to apply for a COSA

A rising 8th grader will need a COSA to their middle school or are you saying a rising 9th grader will need a COSA to their high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a DCC 8th grader and I have a couple different emails back from MCPS staff in response to earlier confusing notices stating that my child will remain at his chosen school which happens to be our current home school for 9th, but not for 10-12th. We received the jump start letter and weren’t interested, though even if we were getting to Northwood with no transportation options while Northwood is in a holding school nowhere near its home campus would be a nightmare. (The jump start program specified no transportation would be provided). It’s ridiculous that MCPS is jerking families around so much.

The website linked above clearly states that this year's 8th graders should have transportation to their DCC or NEC school for all 4 years. In the section for parents of current 8th graders it says that things should not change for those kids, including specifically that DCC and NEC bus transportation (i.e. neighborhood-based bus stops) will not change:

"Students in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC), Northeast Consortium (NEC), or other regional/countywide programs (like MC2 at Northwood, Regional IB at John F. Kennedy, Science, Math and Computer Science at Blair HS and etc.) can continue in their program until graduation. DCC and NEC bus transportation and central stop bus transportation continues to be available."

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/middle-school-students/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Where are we hearing this? Rhetorical - but why would they let rising 6th graders apply for the MSMC if WOULDNT be an option during their tenure?

There are 3 MSMC schools, one of which is a child’s assigned home school.

We’re out of bounds - I’m saying why would they advertise and let my child apply if she might not be able to compete all 3 years at a msmc school.

If you’re out of bounds you’re already not getting transportation to the MSMC. MCPS can say those kids need a COSA and then grant them COSAs to finish their programs. It’s the kids who are in-bounds for the MSMC and for the DCC/NEC for whom there’s supposed to be transportation included. COSA, even if basically guaranteed to be granted, would not usually include transportation.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I’m the immediate PP and I thought out of bounds lottery applications to the MSMC did not receive transportation. That was my impression when my kid was of-age to apply and for one of her friends who chose to go to Loiderman. It seems like other PPs are saying they do get transportation

[Anonymous]

I think some of this might be MCPS making an “opt-in” v “opt-out” decision for class of 2030 kids in consortia whose home address has been re-assigned.

There has to be some way for families that have both options - stay in current 9th grade school/program v move to newly assigned school - to elect which they want. And there has to be a default for families who don’t do anything to affirmatively elect. One way would be to say that families who want to stay have to request a COSA to indicate their desire to stay (but then automatically approve the COSAs in accordance with the promises made). But that doesn’t answer the transportation question because COSAs usually don’t come with transportation.

MCPS could also create a separate election process more on the model of the consortia choice process, which these families have been through and managed to make elections between HS/MS options. But they do need to come up with some way for individual students/families to indicate if they want to stay or move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry, I’m the immediate PP and I thought out of bounds lottery applications to the MSMC did not receive transportation. That was my impression when my kid was of-age to apply and for one of her friends who chose to go to Loiderman. It seems like other PPs are saying they do get transportation

I’m the pp and wasn’t considering the transportation issue bc we’re pretty close to the boundary geographically and could probably make it work. I’m just more pissed they advertise this to my child then possibly take the experience away from her after we’ve been admitted, gone to open house, registered, etc. We wouldn’t have considered it if it was only available for a year. Hopefully they’d accept kids COSA who wanted to stay but why require the COSA in the first place.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a DCC 8th grader and I have a couple different emails back from MCPS staff in response to earlier confusing notices stating that my child will remain at his chosen school which happens to be our current home school for 9th, but not for 10-12th. We received the jump start letter and weren’t interested, though even if we were getting to Northwood with no transportation options while Northwood is in a holding school nowhere near its home campus would be a nightmare. (The jump start program specified no transportation would be provided). It’s ridiculous that MCPS is jerking families around so much.

The website linked above clearly states that this year's 8th graders should have transportation to their DCC or NEC school for all 4 years. In the section for parents of current 8th graders it says that things should not change for those kids, including specifically that DCC and NEC bus transportation (i.e. neighborhood-based bus stops) will not change:

"Students in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC), Northeast Consortium (NEC), or other regional/countywide programs (like MC2 at Northwood, Regional IB at John F. Kennedy, Science, Math and Computer Science at Blair HS and etc.) can continue in their program until graduation. DCC and NEC bus transportation and central stop bus transportation continues to be available."

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/academic-programs-analysis/middle-school-students/

This is where you are interpreting something they did not explicitly say. You read that as guaranteeing transportation all 4 years. I read that as transportation is “available” in some form for the time being (next year), until they decide otherwise. The truth is that they actually have not designed routes or planned transportation for 2027 when the system swells to accommodate grandfathered kids in sun setting programs/consortia as well as kids in new and old boundaries from different grade levels, as well as students opting into new regional programs. This is why people said slow down and think through specifics. This is the argument for why the regional programs should not be “inextricably linked” with the boundary study because the transportation is going to be a definite problem both from a cost standpoint and from a practical issue for families needing transportation MCPS suddenly thinks is optional.