Split articulation (bussing) for the new BCC Middle School?

[Anonymous]

How long does it take, in traffic, to drive from Chevy Chase Circle to the site of the new MS?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:There is pretty much no one going to RHPS now for whom it would be a burden to go to the new MS. For most people it would be closer, for some it might be halfway and for a few it might be slightly closer to Westland, but I don't see how going to the new school would be a burden.

Totally disagree. I live in Chevy Chase and the new MS site is really far away from my house and in a direction I would never drive otherwise.

Exactly, we really need to unlink NCC and CC ideally which is why there are options like #3.

I actually think 5 is the best.

If you think that MCPS is going to put all of the poor kids in the cluster in the same middle school, you haven't been paying attention.

I don't have any delusions that they will choose 5. Just stating what I think seems the most logical.

I'm another 5 supporter. It's efficient. Yes, you end up with different demographics at the two schools, but that's just a natural by-product of geography. There are different demos in Maine and Florida, but the US doesn't try to merge them together (only a half serious comment to illustrate the point).

Demographics in the US are never just a product of geography. They are the product of decades of racial covenants, redlining of mortgage loans and similar forms of discrimination.

+100. Thank you!!! This is true of parts of the BCC cluster - which had racially and religiously restrictive property covenants and of the greater DC area. Many places have become segregated due tk redlining and due to the effect of programs like the FHA and other government programs. It's not "natural geography"

[Anonymous]

Option 5 is outrageous. To split one school into two with such divergent demographics is like a throwback to the 50s. Westland would go from 64 to 74% white while the new middle school would be 50% white. It is the worst of all possible options; and it depresses me that there are people here who advocate for it.

And btw to the CCES PP who wants to "unlink NCC and CC" - why? Your demographics aren't all that different from NCC. Same FARMS rate (14%), slightly less diversity (67% white vs 57% for NCC.) What exactly are you afraid of??

[Anonymous]

What are the relative class sizes coming from each elementary, i.e., is Westbrook a lot smaller than CCES for example? and is the capacity the same at each MS, and what is that? Would Westland potentially take more kids than the new MS because the site is larger? What about the fact that half of the kids at RCFES is in an all county immersion? That may be a place that split articulation makes sense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are the relative class sizes coming from each elementary, i.e., is Westbrook a lot smaller than CCES for example? and is the capacity the same at each MS, and what is that? Would Westland potentially take more kids than the new MS because the site is larger? What about the fact that half of the kids at RCFES is in an all county immersion? That may be a place that split articulation makes sense.

The MCPS handouts have all of this information in the data tables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Option 5 is outrageous. To split one school into two with such divergent demographics is like a throwback to the 50s. Westland would go from 64 to 74% white while the new middle school would be 50% white. It is the worst of all possible options; and it depresses me that there are people here who advocate for it.

And btw to the CCES PP who wants to "unlink NCC and CC" - why? Your demographics aren't all that different from NCC. Same FARMS rate (14%), slightly less diversity (67% white vs 57% for NCC.) What exactly are you afraid of??

I'm not the CCES parent but I'm pp who originally proposed "unlinking" here. I'm not sure why you think demographics the reason one would suggest this. My only reason for bringing it up is because it makes in boundary process more difficult when schools are linked in this way regardless of demographics. If they were not linked we could simply send CC to Westland and NCC to BCC 2. since they are we have to have a whole separate debate over splitting kids up or having half RHPS going one place and the rest another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the relative class sizes coming from each elementary, i.e., is Westbrook a lot smaller than CCES for example? and is the capacity the same at each MS, and what is that? Would Westland potentially take more kids than the new MS because the site is larger? What about the fact that half of the kids at RCFES is in an all county immersion? That may be a place that split articulation makes sense.

The MCPS handouts have all of this information in the data tables.

I haven't located this information online, so that's why I'm asking. I obviously don't have the handouts. Is there a link where those of us without handouts could view the data?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are the relative class sizes coming from each elementary, i.e., is Westbrook a lot smaller than CCES for example? and is the capacity the same at each MS, and what is that? Would Westland potentially take more kids than the new MS because the site is larger? What about the fact that half of the kids at RCFES is in an all county immersion? That may be a place that split articulation makes sense.

The MCPS handouts have all of this information in the data tables.

I haven't located this information online, so that's why I'm asking. I obviously don't have the handouts. Is there a link where those of us without handouts could view the data?

It's in the options paper, a link to which can be found back on page 16 or by googling "MCPS boundary study" (and clicking through to the active study on the BCC middle school where all the info is posted).

[Anonymous]

Here is a link to the options paper...

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/BCCMS2_OptionsPacketEnglish021816.pdf

[Anonymous]

What happens to the kids to start six grade(class of 2016)at Westland and then their school placement changes in seventh grade do they have to switch then or can they finish out at westland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: What happens to the kids to start six grade(class of 2016)at Westland and then their school placement changes in seventh grade do they have to switch then or can they finish out at westland?

For Clarksburg-Damascus MS #2, which is supposed to open next fall, this year's sixth-graders at Rocky Hill MS will go to the new middle school for seventh grade next year, but this year's seventh-graders at Rocky Hill MS will finish eighth grade at Rocky Hill MS.

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/BOE22AdoptedClarksburgDamascusMSBoundaries.pdf

[Anonymous]

I could not find the information I wanted in the options paper, so calculated the following breakdown for the 2018-19 school year. I could not separate the Westbrook/ Somerset population because they are always both assigned to Westland.

Somerset/Westbrook: 542
Bethesda: 290
CC: 275
North CC: 270
Rock Creek Forest: 235
Rosemary Hills/ assigned to CC: 100
Rosemary Hills/ assigned to NCC: 70

Signed, former algebra teacher / current parent

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think:

Westland - Westbrook, Somerset, RCF
New - NCC, Bethesda ES, CCES

This
-balances FARMS, ESOL
-balances school population
-keeps walkers within walking distance (somerset kids in Kenwood are within walking distance to Westland)
-keeps the rosemary hills kids together

NP here -- in fairness, I should probably note that my youngest is now in HS, so we won't be directly effected by the new articulation pattern. That said, however, can anyone address why the split proposed above wouldn't work? Is the PP incorrect in his/her assumptions about the numbers of students or any other factors that would balance out?

The problem with the suggestion above is that the school populations are not balanced -- many fewer students at Westland, which has the higher capacity.

In 2018-19, Westland would have 777, BCC MS#2 1005, the schools have capacity of 1100 at Westland, 940 at BCC MS#2

There would be many more options to consider if the bigger school were the new school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: What happens to the kids to start six grade(class of 2016)at Westland and then their school placement changes in seventh grade do they have to switch then or can they finish out at westland?

Interesting outcome of selecting Option #1, is that there would be no students in this position. Option 1 populates BCC MS #2 only with students coming from NCC & CC (which include the RH students). Right now, NCC & CC have 6th grade. So, when BCC MS #2 opens in 2017-18 with 6th and 7th grade only, the students headed to BCC MS#1 would be both the 5th and 6th grade coming from NCC & CC. Starting 6th & 7th grade.

Under option #1, the NCC / CC / RH students that had been at Westland for 7th in 2016-17 would finish 8th at Westland in 2017-18.

The 6th graders that started at Westland from WB, Somerset, RCF, Bethesda would be assigned to Westland going forward for 7th grade.

The only problem that I see with Option #1 is that the BCC MS #2 has a lower utilization rate than Westland.

An Option #1A might be to send the Spanish Immersion from RCF to BCC MS#2, and the English classes from RCF to Westland. But I don't think the capacity difference is that dramatic. . . . so would think this adjustment would not be needed. it could be considered as a future option if the schools for whatever population growth reason, become very unbalanced with utilization (for example, many CC students go private rather than ride a bus to someplace outside the beltway!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: What happens to the kids to start six grade(class of 2016)at Westland and then their school placement changes in seventh grade do they have to switch then or can they finish out at westland?

Interesting outcome of selecting Option #1, is that there would be no students in this position. Option 1 populates BCC MS #2 only with students coming from NCC & CC (which include the RH students). Right now, NCC & CC have 6th grade. So, when BCC MS #2 opens in 2017-18 with 6th and 7th grade only, the students headed to BCC MS#1 would be both the 5th and 6th grade coming from NCC & CC. Starting 6th & 7th grade.

Under option #1, the NCC / CC / RH students that had been at Westland for 7th in 2016-17 would finish 8th at Westland in 2017-18.

The 6th graders that started at Westland from WB, Somerset, RCF, Bethesda would be assigned to Westland going forward for 7th grade.

The only problem that I see with Option #1 is that the BCC MS #2 has a lower utilization rate than Westland.

An Option #1A might be to send the Spanish Immersion from RCF to BCC MS#2, and the English classes from RCF to Westland. But I don't think the capacity difference is that dramatic. . . . so would think this adjustment would not be needed. it could be considered as a future option if the schools for whatever population growth reason, become very unbalanced with utilization (for example, many CC students go private rather than ride a bus to someplace outside the beltway!)

Unfortunately, the new middle will not stay under compacity for long. All of the purple line multi family unit development will feed into the new middle. It needs to be at 82% capacity to just allow for all the new growth happening soon. Westland has no new development of the same magnitude any time in the near future and it a much larger capacity school. At the meeting, it was stated that the proposed Westbard development will feed into Pyle and will not effect Westland numbers.

Also, thank you for your level headed analysis of what is the obvious and most equitable choice in every way. Option one has all the equitable and fair numbers incl. school capacity and socioeconomic diversity with adding benefit of not fracuring the RHPS community including NCC and CCES.