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:I agree that the DCC schools are getting screwed in all this. We had all these options and because other schools did not, they changed things up totally and now... we have fewer options, but more students at other schools have better/more options.

It sucks. And of course they listened to the powerful/rich voices at BCC and Whitman more than us DCC parents. If you know how Central office works, they definitely responded to the west/white/rich pressure.

+1 they said they were going to offer "refined" options but it doesn't look like they refined the initial options. They are totally different. It looks like they will choose something from these new options which are so limited and don't really address the priorities the BOE is supposed to address. They even changed the capacity of Wheaton HS which is total BS. WTAF.

they also said that the original four options would be possibilities.

The original 4 were never real options, and if you had listened to your PTA/MCCPTA members, you would have known this. The first 4 were what would happen if they ONLY paid attention to each one of the 4 parts of policy FAA in each one of the options. They were never going to do that. These 4 are a mash up, trying to balance each of the 4 parts of the FAA policy in each of the 4 options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the DCC schools are getting screwed in all this. We had all these options and because other schools did not, they changed things up totally and now... we have fewer options, but more students at other schools have better/more options.

It sucks. And of course they listened to the powerful/rich voices at BCC and Whitman more than us DCC parents. If you know how Central office works, they definitely responded to the west/white/rich pressure.

+1 they said they were going to offer "refined" options but it doesn't look like they refined the initial options. They are totally different. It looks like they will choose something from these new options which are so limited and don't really address the priorities the BOE is supposed to address. They even changed the capacity of Wheaton HS which is total BS. WTAF.

they also said that the original four options would be possibilities.

The original 4 were never real options, and if you had listened to your PTA/MCCPTA members, you would have known this. The first 4 were what would happen if they ONLY paid attention to each one of the 4 parts of policy FAA in each one of the options. They were never going to do that. These 4 are a mash up, trying to balance each of the 4 parts of the FAA policy in each of the 4 options

Seems like they could have tried a lot harder to balance the utilization and demographics factors.

[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.

Hardly. It's more that they're arrogant enough to bully pulpit their way or the high way through. They don't actually organize particularly well, organizing requires collective action.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the DCC schools are getting screwed in all this. We had all these options and because other schools did not, they changed things up totally and now... we have fewer options, but more students at other schools have better/more options.

It sucks. And of course they listened to the powerful/rich voices at BCC and Whitman more than us DCC parents. If you know how Central office works, they definitely responded to the west/white/rich pressure.

+1 they said they were going to offer "refined" options but it doesn't look like they refined the initial options. They are totally different. It looks like they will choose something from these new options which are so limited and don't really address the priorities the BOE is supposed to address. They even changed the capacity of Wheaton HS which is total BS. WTAF.

they also said that the original four options would be possibilities.

The original 4 were never real options, and if you had listened to your PTA/MCCPTA members, you would have known this. The first 4 were what would happen if they ONLY paid attention to each one of the 4 parts of policy FAA in each one of the options. They were never going to do that. These 4 are a mash up, trying to balance each of the 4 parts of the FAA policy in each of the 4 options

Do you talk to everyone with condescension? Is that just your terrible personality?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the DCC schools are getting screwed in all this. We had all these options and because other schools did not, they changed things up totally and now... we have fewer options, but more students at other schools have better/more options.

It sucks. And of course they listened to the powerful/rich voices at BCC and Whitman more than us DCC parents. If you know how Central office works, they definitely responded to the west/white/rich pressure.

+1 they said they were going to offer "refined" options but it doesn't look like they refined the initial options. They are totally different. It looks like they will choose something from these new options which are so limited and don't really address the priorities the BOE is supposed to address. They even changed the capacity of Wheaton HS which is total BS. WTAF.

they also said that the original four options would be possibilities.

The original 4 were never real options, and if you had listened to your PTA/MCCPTA members, you would have known this. The first 4 were what would happen if they ONLY paid attention to each one of the 4 parts of policy FAA in each one of the options. They were never going to do that. These 4 are a mash up, trying to balance each of the 4 parts of the FAA policy in each of the 4 options

Our neighborhood did not see any changes in the first 4 options but will now get a different MS or HS in option B or C. Doesn’t seem like a mash up over here.

[Anonymous]

We are in Blair and I’m pretty happy with this round of options. They reduce the overcrowding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree that the DCC schools are getting screwed in all this. We had all these options and because other schools did not, they changed things up totally and now... we have fewer options, but more students at other schools have better/more options.

It sucks. And of course they listened to the powerful/rich voices at BCC and Whitman more than us DCC parents. If you know how Central office works, they definitely responded to the west/white/rich pressure.

+1 they said they were going to offer "refined" options but it doesn't look like they refined the initial options. They are totally different. It looks like they will choose something from these new options which are so limited and don't really address the priorities the BOE is supposed to address. They even changed the capacity of Wheaton HS which is total BS. WTAF.

they also said that the original four options would be possibilities.

The original 4 were never real options, and if you had listened to your PTA/MCCPTA members, you would have known this. The first 4 were what would happen if they ONLY paid attention to each one of the 4 parts of policy FAA in each one of the options. They were never going to do that. These 4 are a mash up, trying to balance each of the 4 parts of the FAA policy in each of the 4 options

Right- the first round was like an academic exercise, and frankly a waste of time. There should have been real options put forward the first time. And honestly I'm hearing that many of the PTA board members at our school were also unaware that the original 4 were just sham proposals and are taken back on how different the new options look, so apparently word didn't filter down well enough.

[Anonymous]

Yeah the message I got from the PTA and from the various parties that motivated against Option 3 was that it was serious. That’s why there was such extensive push back.

[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.

Hardly. It's more that they're arrogant enough to bully pulpit their way or the high way through. They don't actually organize particularly well, organizing requires collective action.

There was actually a lot of collective action - letter writing, calls, organizing attendance at various meetings, etc. which is what worked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah the message I got from the PTA and from the various parties that motivated against Option 3 was that it was serious. That’s why there was such extensive push back.

This.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

I'll say I don't have to live in Silver Spring, as so many west county people like to assume. I choose to. I just renovated my home, rather than move, because I prefer it here. This neighborhood isn't my second choice. I know that's hard for some to believe.

BOE is going to do what they're going to do. Our home will be stay zoned for Northwood or get rezoned to Blair. Frankly, the University Blvd. Corridor Plan is a bigger threat to much of the DCC area than anything the boundary study could ever do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yeah the message I got from the PTA and from the various parties that motivated against Option 3 was that it was serious. That’s why there was such extensive push back.

That is so nice your PTA is keeping you informed. There is no communication from our DCC PTA.