MCPS Redisricting - offshoot from open enrollment/busing thread

[Anonymous]

I think some good points have been raised here. Like other posters have said, I'm not convinced a conspiracy is at play, and I think there may be reasons for not changing boundaries/districts that are not apparent to us. But if you feel really strongly about these imbalances and think there are good solutions, raising them with MCPS, BOE, or your local rep would be a good start -- especially if you actually live in one of the affected neighborhoods. I don't know to what extent people from long range planning are visiting DCUM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think some good points have been raised here. Like other posters have said, I'm not convinced a conspiracy is at play, and I think there may be reasons for not changing boundaries/districts that are not apparent to us. But if you feel really strongly about these imbalances and think there are good solutions, raising them with MCPS, BOE, or your local rep would be a good start -- especially if you actually live in one of the affected neighborhoods. I don't know to what extent people from long range planning are visiting DCUM.

Good lord, no, I hope they are using their time more wisely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think some good points have been raised here. Like other posters have said, I'm not convinced a conspiracy is at play, and I think there may be reasons for not changing boundaries/districts that are not apparent to us. But if you feel really strongly about these imbalances and think there are good solutions, raising them with MCPS, BOE, or your local rep would be a good start -- especially if you actually live in one of the affected neighborhoods. I don't know to what extent people from long range planning are visiting DCUM.

Excellent point. The old adage is true: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I also would add the County Council since they control the money. Case in point. The BOE recommended that a 5th elementary school be built by 2015 in the Richard Montgomery cluster to relieve overcrowding at the other schools. The Council decided that it would be more cost effective to delay it for two years (ignoring the rising cost of labor, materials and interest rates, but I digress). And yes, they decided to do this while giving the green light to fund new construction at under enrolled schools. Not a conspiracy. Just irresponsible IMHO.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some good points have been raised here. Like other posters have said, I'm not convinced a conspiracy is at play, and I think there may be reasons for not changing boundaries/districts that are not apparent to us. But if you feel really strongly about these imbalances and think there are good solutions, raising them with MCPS, BOE, or your local rep would be a good start -- especially if you actually live in one of the affected neighborhoods. I don't know to what extent people from long range planning are visiting DCUM.

Excellent point. The old adage is true: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I also would add the County Council since they control the money. Case in point. The BOE recommended that a 5th elementary school be built by 2015 in the Richard Montgomery cluster to relieve overcrowding at the other schools. The Council decided that it would be more cost effective to delay it for two years (ignoring the rising cost of labor, materials and interest rates, but I digress). And yes, they decided to do this while giving the green light to fund new construction at under enrolled schools. Not a conspiracy. Just irresponsible IMHO.

What? This isn't just irresponsible, it's plain stupid. And when they continue to make decisions like this, that's when people start thinking conspiracy theory. What was the justification?

If you have an ES that is over crowded by 160 kids, that has to be a safety issue, as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some good points have been raised here. Like other posters have said, I'm not convinced a conspiracy is at play, and I think there may be reasons for not changing boundaries/districts that are not apparent to us. But if you feel really strongly about these imbalances and think there are good solutions, raising them with MCPS, BOE, or your local rep would be a good start -- especially if you actually live in one of the affected neighborhoods. I don't know to what extent people from long range planning are visiting DCUM.

Excellent point. The old adage is true: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I also would add the County Council since they control the money. Case in point. The BOE recommended that a 5th elementary school be built by 2015 in the Richard Montgomery cluster to relieve overcrowding at the other schools. The Council decided that it would be more cost effective to delay it for two years (ignoring the rising cost of labor, materials and interest rates, but I digress). And yes, they decided to do this while giving the green light to fund new construction at under enrolled schools. Not a conspiracy. Just irresponsible IMHO.

What? This isn't just irresponsible, it's plain stupid. And when they continue to make decisions like this, that's when people start thinking conspiracy theory. What was the justification?

If you have an ES that is over crowded by 160 kids, that has to be a safety issue, as well.

Seneca Valley High School is under capacity (capacity 1,374, enrollment 1,275). Seneca Valley High School was built in 1974 and has never been renovated. Seneca Valley High School is falling apart. Are you saying that it/s stupid/irresponsible to renovate Seneca Valley High School?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think some good points have been raised here. Like other posters have said, I'm not convinced a conspiracy is at play, and I think there may be reasons for not changing boundaries/districts that are not apparent to us. But if you feel really strongly about these imbalances and think there are good solutions, raising them with MCPS, BOE, or your local rep would be a good start -- especially if you actually live in one of the affected neighborhoods. I don't know to what extent people from long range planning are visiting DCUM.

Excellent point. The old adage is true: The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I also would add the County Council since they control the money. Case in point. The BOE recommended that a 5th elementary school be built by 2015 in the Richard Montgomery cluster to relieve overcrowding at the other schools. The Council decided that it would be more cost effective to delay it for two years (ignoring the rising cost of labor, materials and interest rates, but I digress). And yes, they decided to do this while giving the green light to fund new construction at under enrolled schools. Not a conspiracy. Just irresponsible IMHO.

What? This isn't just irresponsible, it's plain stupid. And when they continue to make decisions like this, that's when people start thinking conspiracy theory. What was the justification?

If you have an ES that is over crowded by 160 kids, that has to be a safety issue, as well.

Seneca Valley High School is under capacity (capacity 1,374, enrollment 1,275). Seneca Valley High School was built in 1974 and has never been renovated. Seneca Valley High School is falling apart. Are you saying that it/s stupid/irresponsible to renovate Seneca Valley High School?

I understand "new construction" as "add more classrooms", and "renovation" as "fix building falling apart". Maybe it's just symantecs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Seneca Valley High School is under capacity (capacity 1,374, enrollment 1,275). Seneca Valley High School was built in 1974 and has never been renovated. Seneca Valley High School is falling apart. Are you saying that it/s stupid/irresponsible to renovate Seneca Valley High School?

I understand "new construction" as "add more classrooms", and "renovation" as "fix building falling apart". Maybe it's just symantecs.

It is just semantics -- the Seneca Valley High School renovation/modernization/whatever is also going to add capacity. The plan is that if Northwest ever becomes too overcrowded in the future, MCPS will redistrict to move some people from Northwest to Seneca Valley.

[Anonymous]

You should look at mcps projections for each school : www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/planning/cipmaster.aspx

[Anonymous]

According to some well-connected Churchill parents, rumor has it that Starr does not want to help the overcrowded schools outside of the Churchill/Wootton/Whitman clusters. That is why CSES, BFES and the other schools noted here will remain underutilized, and the schools in certain clusters will suffer the indignity of portables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to some well-connected Churchill parents, rumor has it that Starr does not want to help the overcrowded schools outside of the Churchill/Wootton/Whitman clusters. That is why CSES, BFES and the other schools noted here will remain underutilized, and the schools in certain clusters will suffer the indignity of portables.

Why would Starr not want to help the overcrowded schools outside of the Churchill/Wootton/Whitman clusters? What is a plausible reason for this, that does not involve Starr being stupid, evil, or both?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:According to some well-connected Churchill parents, rumor has it that Starr does not want to help the overcrowded schools outside of the Churchill/Wootton/Whitman clusters. That is why CSES, BFES and the other schools noted here will remain underutilized, and the schools in certain clusters will suffer the indignity of portables.

This is just rumor. And why wouldn't he want to help other clusters? Need facts. Yes, the numbers do seem to speak for themselves, but that alone won't help. Need to substantiate rumors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Seneca Valley High School is under capacity (capacity 1,374, enrollment 1,275). Seneca Valley High School was built in 1974 and has never been renovated. Seneca Valley High School is falling apart. Are you saying that it/s stupid/irresponsible to renovate Seneca Valley High School?

I understand "new construction" as "add more classrooms", and "renovation" as "fix building falling apart". Maybe it's just symantecs.

It is just semantics -- the Seneca Valley High School renovation/modernization/whatever is also going to add capacity. The plan is that if Northwest ever becomes too overcrowded in the future, MCPS will redistrict to move some people from Northwest to Seneca Valley.

This is what I am saying about BFES. When they increased the capacity, did they not have this same plan to redistrict if the other schools became over-crowded? In this case, a nearby school is already overcrowded. Is it because RP is in a different cluster? Again, why not just take a neighborhood and redistrict that area to BFES or somewhere else? They did years ago, and seems that they are willing to do it for Seneca Valley. RP was renovated in 1997. It probably won't get renovated/added new classrooms for a while. CS ES will probably be renovated soon (since it never has been), and if the renovation includes increased capacity without redistricting, I think I will have to agree with the poster about the conspiracy theory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This is what I am saying about BFES. When they increased the capacity, did they not have this same plan to redistrict if the other schools became over-crowded? In this case, a nearby school is already overcrowded. Is it because RP is in a different cluster? Again, why not just take a neighborhood and redistrict that area to BFES or somewhere else? They did years ago, and seems that they are willing to do it for Seneca Valley. RP was renovated in 1997. It probably won't get renovated/added new classrooms for a while. CS ES will probably be renovated soon (since it never has been), and if the renovation includes increased capacity without redistricting, I think I will have to agree with the poster about the conspiracy theory.

Maybe because there's no "just" about it.

Keep in mind that there are people in the Northwest zone who are already panicking about possibly someday maybe being moved to Seneca Valley.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is what I am saying about BFES. When they increased the capacity, did they not have this same plan to redistrict if the other schools became over-crowded? In this case, a nearby school is already overcrowded. Is it because RP is in a different cluster? Again, why not just take a neighborhood and redistrict that area to BFES or somewhere else? They did years ago, and seems that they are willing to do it for Seneca Valley. RP was renovated in 1997. It probably won't get renovated/added new classrooms for a while. CS ES will probably be renovated soon (since it never has been), and if the renovation includes increased capacity without redistricting, I think I will have to agree with the poster about the conspiracy theory.

Maybe because there's no "just" about it.

Keep in mind that there are people in the Northwest zone who are already panicking about possibly someday maybe being moved to Seneca Valley.

I don't think many parents would complain about being redistricted from the RM to either the Churchill or Wootton cluster, though. Personally, I would be thrilled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is what I am saying about BFES. When they increased the capacity, did they not have this same plan to redistrict if the other schools became over-crowded? In this case, a nearby school is already overcrowded. Is it because RP is in a different cluster? Again, why not just take a neighborhood and redistrict that area to BFES or somewhere else? They did years ago, and seems that they are willing to do it for Seneca Valley. RP was renovated in 1997. It probably won't get renovated/added new classrooms for a while. CS ES will probably be renovated soon (since it never has been), and if the renovation includes increased capacity without redistricting, I think I will have to agree with the poster about the conspiracy theory.

Maybe because there's no "just" about it.

Keep in mind that there are people in the Northwest zone who are already panicking about possibly someday maybe being moved to Seneca Valley.

I don't think many parents would complain about being redistricted from the RM to either the Churchill or Wootton cluster, though. Personally, I would be thrilled.

People in the Churchill or Wootton clusters might complain, though.

When Clarksburg High School was going to open, there were arguments about how geographic proximity and compactness were important for communities. Translation: we don't want people from Germantown at our high school.