Redistrict Montgomery County

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

Not this poster but we choose it due to easy access to the beltway for both MD and VA. The Chevy Chase exit can get backed up so we wanted other options. I would rather spend that 200k and send my kids to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

Not this poster but we choose it due to easy access to the beltway for both MD and VA. The Chevy Chase exit can get backed up so we wanted other options. I would rather spend that 200k and send my kids to college.

And that's a valid choice. But so was ours to pick the highest performing schools we could afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

Not this poster but we choose it due to easy access to the beltway for both MD and VA. The Chevy Chase exit can get backed up so we wanted other options. I would rather spend that 200k and send my kids to college.

And that's a valid choice. But so was ours to pick the highest performing schools we could afford.

I don't see a choice as I don't want to rely on hoping my kids will get a scholarship when we could have lived more modestly and were too selfish not to like many. Highest preforming may also not be the best fit for your child.

[Anonymous]

Selfish is buying a house for the schools but freeway access isn't? And modestly? Those of who had to stretch to get into the school bounds we wanted are living much more modestly than those who didn't prioritize it because they wanted a master bath or central ac.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A massive redistricting is definitely needed. My kid drives by a middle school on the way to his middle school. And the kids at that middle school drive by his middle school. Makes no sense.

Redistricting can't just be about going to the closest neighborhood school. If we do that, it will result in more resegregation. There has to be busing and magnets and the various ways we get the haves to school with the have-nots and give both good opportunities.

This is why redistricting won't work -- everyone has their own idea about what constitutes "good" redistricting. There will be gridlock once it comes time to work out the details.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

I'm the one you're responding to. I see your point. But not everyone buys houses that way, looking for the highest rated schools at their price point. And many, many people like us could afford to live in wealthier areas but don't. When your income goes up, should you move to Whitman? We bought a house in an area we liked with a good commute, ignoring the ratings, figuring it was MCPS and it would all be okay. We also were very aware that "good" scores correlate with income and race, not school quality. It turns out that we really like our school and our neighbors who moved here with a similar attitude. We also regularly encounter disparaging remarks from strangers about our school (example: meet a guy walking his dog who says hey this is a really nice street. It's such a shame it goes to Einstein). Maybe I've gotten a little cynical from all these encounters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

I'm the one you're responding to. I see your point. But not everyone buys houses that way, looking for the highest rated schools at their price point. And many, many people like us could afford to live in wealthier areas but don't. When your income goes up, should you move to Whitman? We bought a house in an area we liked with a good commute, ignoring the ratings, figuring it was MCPS and it would all be okay. We also were very aware that "good" scores correlate with income and race, not school quality. It turns out that we really like our school and our neighbors who moved here with a similar attitude. We also regularly encounter disparaging remarks from strangers about our school (example: meet a guy walking his dog who says hey this is a really nice street. It's such a shame it goes to Einstein). Maybe I've gotten a little cynical from all these encounters.

It sounds like you made the right choice for your family. We moved out of the Einstein cluster when our kids were young because we were apprehensive about the school's ratings. I just checked them again after reading this thread and I was reminded of what I discovered back then that although white and asian children at einstein do much better than AA and HI children (I believe this differential is due to socioeconomic status not race), all groups (including white and asian kids) achieve lower SAT scores than the MCPS average. For us this was an important data point. We believed our children would be better off if they went to a school with lots of high performing kids. What we found was that it has been a mixed bag. It is a larger peer group but it is still pretty much the same curriculum. I am for the most part happy with our high school and it sounds like you are happy with Einstein. You don't like people assuming your school is crappy and I don't like people assuming we moved so our kids could go to school with white kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

I'm the one you're responding to. I see your point. But not everyone buys houses that way, looking for the highest rated schools at their price point. And many, many people like us could afford to live in wealthier areas but don't. When your income goes up, should you move to Whitman? We bought a house in an area we liked with a good commute, ignoring the ratings, figuring it was MCPS and it would all be okay. We also were very aware that "good" scores correlate with income and race, not school quality. It turns out that we really like our school and our neighbors who moved here with a similar attitude. We also regularly encounter disparaging remarks from strangers about our school (example: meet a guy walking his dog who says hey this is a really nice street. It's such a shame it goes to Einstein). Maybe I've gotten a little cynical from all these encounters.

It sounds like you made the right choice for your family. We moved out of the Einstein cluster when our kids were young because we were apprehensive about the school's ratings. I just checked them again after reading this thread and I was reminded of what I discovered back then that although white and asian children at einstein do much better than AA and HI children (I believe this differential is due to socioeconomic status not race), all groups (including white and asian kids) achieve lower SAT scores than the MCPS average. For us this was an important data point. We believed our children would be better off if they went to a school with lots of high performing kids. What we found was that it has been a mixed bag. It is a larger peer group but it is still pretty much the same curriculum. I am for the most part happy with our high school and it sounds like you are happy with Einstein. You don't like people assuming your school is crappy and I don't like people assuming we moved so our kids could go to school with white kids.

But you did move for basically all white kids given the curriculum is the same. Let me guess you also expect your kids to take loans and scholarships for college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Selfish is buying a house for the schools but freeway access isn't? And modestly? Those of who had to stretch to get into the school bounds we wanted are living much more modestly than those who didn't prioritize it because they wanted a master bath or central ac.

No it is survival so if my husband loses his job he has more options. Otherwise we'd move to another county with better schools and bigger houses for the same cost. Most homes after 1950 have central ac or can be easily retrofitted.

[Anonymous]

Redistricting and/or reallocation of magnet and special/application only program resources. The NEC faces similar achievement difficulties (and are arguably even in worse shape) HS-wise than the DCC, and the only non-countywide program NEC kids are eligible for is the Blair magnet. There are no application-only programs in the NEC cluster, and no magnets (countywide, regional, or otherwise). Meanwhile, DCC has 4 additional application-only programs, and even the northwest county schools have the humanities house in addition to the math and science magnet. Talk about inequitable distribution of resources...

[Anonymous]

I bought in an area with a school that some people consider sketchy (Gaithersburg). We bought the house and neighborhood we liked, and we are happy with our choice. We have been giving the public schools a try and so far we've been happy and our children have thrived. If we stop being happy, we will just send the kids to private schools. Buying houses entirely due to the public school reputation is a gamble given that redistricting could change the calculation at any time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

I'm the one you're responding to. I see your point. But not everyone buys houses that way, looking for the highest rated schools at their price point. And many, many people like us could afford to live in wealthier areas but don't. When your income goes up, should you move to Whitman? We bought a house in an area we liked with a good commute, ignoring the ratings, figuring it was MCPS and it would all be okay. We also were very aware that "good" scores correlate with income and race, not school quality. It turns out that we really like our school and our neighbors who moved here with a similar attitude. We also regularly encounter disparaging remarks from strangers about our school (example: meet a guy walking his dog who says hey this is a really nice street. It's such a shame it goes to Einstein). Maybe I've gotten a little cynical from all these encounters.

It sounds like you made the right choice for your family. We moved out of the Einstein cluster when our kids were young because we were apprehensive about the school's ratings. I just checked them again after reading this thread and I was reminded of what I discovered back then that although white and asian children at einstein do much better than AA and HI children (I believe this differential is due to socioeconomic status not race), all groups (including white and asian kids) achieve lower SAT scores than the MCPS average. For us this was an important data point. We believed our children would be better off if they went to a school with lots of high performing kids. What we found was that it has been a mixed bag. It is a larger peer group but it is still pretty much the same curriculum. I am for the most part happy with our high school and it sounds like you are happy with Einstein. You don't like people assuming your school is crappy and I don't like people assuming we moved so our kids could go to school with white kids.

Ok, agreed. Everyone should make their own choice about how much local test scores influence their housing choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

I'm the one you're responding to. I see your point. But not everyone buys houses that way, looking for the highest rated schools at their price point. And many, many people like us could afford to live in wealthier areas but don't. When your income goes up, should you move to Whitman? We bought a house in an area we liked with a good commute, ignoring the ratings, figuring it was MCPS and it would all be okay. We also were very aware that "good" scores correlate with income and race, not school quality. It turns out that we really like our school and our neighbors who moved here with a similar attitude. We also regularly encounter disparaging remarks from strangers about our school (example: meet a guy walking his dog who says hey this is a really nice street. It's such a shame it goes to Einstein). Maybe I've gotten a little cynical from all these encounters.

It sounds like you made the right choice for your family. We moved out of the Einstein cluster when our kids were young because we were apprehensive about the school's ratings. I just checked them again after reading this thread and I was reminded of what I discovered back then that although white and asian children at einstein do much better than AA and HI children (I believe this differential is due to socioeconomic status not race), all groups (including white and asian kids) achieve lower SAT scores than the MCPS average. For us this was an important data point. We believed our children would be better off if they went to a school with lots of high performing kids. What we found was that it has been a mixed bag. It is a larger peer group but it is still pretty much the same curriculum. I am for the most part happy with our high school and it sounds like you are happy with Einstein. You don't like people assuming your school is crappy and I don't like people assuming we moved so our kids could go to school with white kids.

But you did move for basically all white kids given the curriculum is the same. Let me guess you also expect your kids to take loans and scholarships for college.

Yes I was disappointed to find that the curriculum was the same. On the other hand there were fewer reading groups in each class and tons of kids in above grade level Math so that was good. I also volunteered in both schools and I got the impression that it was easier for the teachers when the kids are more or less at the same level and I am sure that impacts the learning experience for the students. Also, WJ is 55% white. As far as your last statement is concerned - why would you assume that? You sound very judgemental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't redistrict and bus people away from their communities you spread the housing out.
So, more low income housing spots in the upper income areas (spread out , not all in one spot otherwise you have a 'wrong side of the tracks' exclusion thing going on). Add some McMansion developments to lower income areas - they will come. There are plenty of liberal people who would move to such a neighborhood as long as it has what they need - easy access to public transportation, parks, shopping, community.

The only holdouts for this concept are the people of Potomac. They want no mixed housing, no ball fields, no schools, nothing. You have to wonder why the county is so afraid of them.

Potomac has Tobeytown. There is no real estate available for urban type housing available as all is privately owned. And they really aren't near public transportation. The buses have no where to go, move around and turn. I can barely drive down some roads. The bicyclists - ugh!

Tobytown? All 30 townhouses. You have to be kidding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring the redistricting on! I live just a few blocks from the divide between WJ and Einstein (and Einstein is MILES closer to the WJ students here). I'm now in the Einstein cluster and perfectly fine with that, but can't imagine that if things actually got redistricted that my home value would go anywhere but up -- but of course the property taxes would go up too.

I also live on the Einstein side. I don't care if they redistrict but I do care a lot that people are willing to spend $200k to keep their kids away from my kid and his friends over here on our side of the line. It's just so stark here with the line a few blocks away. People think it's a safer investment to live in a rich, mostly white cluster. That is very morally troubling to me. What if you could buy tickets to movies where only white people attended, and they cost more? What if you could pay more to join a swim club where only white people attended, and it cost more? That's how this feels to me.

Why did you pay more to live in Einstein boundaries than say rather than Northwood (or fill in the blank)? Did you totally ignore the schools? Did you not want your kids near the Northwood kids? I'm not going to presume that. I assume most of us bought a house we could afford with the best schools possible within that budget. Why cast such aspersions to your neighbors?

I'm the one you're responding to. I see your point. But not everyone buys houses that way, looking for the highest rated schools at their price point. And many, many people like us could afford to live in wealthier areas but don't. When your income goes up, should you move to Whitman? We bought a house in an area we liked with a good commute, ignoring the ratings, figuring it was MCPS and it would all be okay. We also were very aware that "good" scores correlate with income and race, not school quality. It turns out that we really like our school and our neighbors who moved here with a similar attitude. We also regularly encounter disparaging remarks from strangers about our school (example: meet a guy walking his dog who says hey this is a really nice street. It's such a shame it goes to Einstein). Maybe I've gotten a little cynical from all these encounters.

It sounds like you made the right choice for your family. We moved out of the Einstein cluster when our kids were young because we were apprehensive about the school's ratings. I just checked them again after reading this thread and I was reminded of what I discovered back then that although white and asian children at einstein do much better than AA and HI children (I believe this differential is due to socioeconomic status not race), all groups (including white and asian kids) achieve lower SAT scores than the MCPS average. For us this was an important data point. We believed our children would be better off if they went to a school with lots of high performing kids. What we found was that it has been a mixed bag. It is a larger peer group but it is still pretty much the same curriculum. I am for the most part happy with our high school and it sounds like you are happy with Einstein. You don't like people assuming your school is crappy and I don't like people assuming we moved so our kids could go to school with white kids.

My kids aren't in the Einstein cluster so I have no dog in this fight, but according to the 2016 results white and African American kids at Einstein scored higher than the MCPS SAT average.