are BCC and Whitman going to get less crowded?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

From Section 2.8.4 of the approved Bethesda Downtown Plan, which was approved by County Council on May 26th, 2017:

"In addition, the Sector Plan provides for a net total
of up to 8,456 new multi-family high-rise housing
units. Based on student generation for this area
of the county, Montgomery County Public Schools
(MCPS) estimates at full build-out, the new housing
would result in approximately 355 elementary school
students, 145 middle school students and 195 high
school students. Build-out of the Plan requires
redevelopment of many properties and is estimated
to take 20 to 30 years. Some properties identified for
more housing units may not redevelop at all during the
life of the Plan."

This would assume that the average condo / apt unit has .08 students. That means, if you walk down a hall with a dozen apartments, you'd find one kid between 5 and 18. Does this seem reasonable, on its face? Oh by the way, the Board of Education basically told the PB / CC that its numbers were too low (they estimated 405 / 170 / 220), and they didn't change them, because... hey whatever, we'll take the tax $$$. But even assuming those numbers are correct, BCC will already be over capacity in 2021/2022 with the new addition and without the building spree even beginning to "generate" new students--and the PB / CC and B of E admit they have nowhere to put a new high school. And oh yes, I agree--the tear downs are also generating new students at very high rates. There's literally nowhere to go.

Furthermore, when the Planning Board drones on about these multifamily buildings not being attractive to families, they are directly contradicting their own mission statement: "Concentrate most new housing near public transportation and provide easy, multi-modal connections to jobs, schools, shopping, recreation, and other leisure activities."

The point is, this whole thing is a slow-motion trainwreck that CC / PB have known about for years and have been utterly negligent in planning for. They are critical partners for the B of E... at least they should be... and they've been negligent.

Yes.

Also, when has the Planning Board said that multi-family buildings are not attractive to families? There's a meaningful difference between "Most people who live in these multi-family buildings don't have children in school" and "People with children in school don't like multi-family buildings".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BCC will definitely be less crowded since many of the students on its northern boundary will end up at Woodward.

count on it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BCC will definitely be less crowded since many of the students on its northern boundary will end up at Woodward.

count on it

Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary, an overcrowded feeder school for BCC, is adding yet another portable for the 2019-2020 school year. They're installing it today along Wilson Lane. This is after a major addition in 2015 that the school immediately outgrew. There are now three portables plus the addition. The kids now eat lunch in 20 minute shifts starting at 10:45 am (roughly). Whatever happens with a new high school, the rate of additions at feeder schools that will absolutely end up at BCC and Whitman--regardless of boundary studies--will mean continued overcrowding. No matter what County Council tells you, this is due to their rubber stamp approach to new multifamily construction in and around downtown Bethesda without a realistic corresponding building strategy for new schools. They equivocated their way around this by claiming that new apartments and condos wouldn't generate new kids--they'd be bought / rented by "young millennials and seniors who wanted to downsize." The County knew it couldn't afford to build the school infrastructure required for the buildings going in, so they just kicked the can down the road. This will (and already is) leading parents to realize that down-County public schools are in big trouble, and aren't worth the home prices or the tax bills.

You are lucky you are just getting portables now and had a major addition/renovation. We have falling apart portables and a falling apart building that doesn't get repaired. I'd be thrilled with three portables and a renovation. Isn't it normal kids eat that early? Mine did last year and was allowed a PM snack. The down county schools have had these issues for years and nothing in the county justifies the high prices or tax bills but people are willing to pay so it is what it is.

The county is very unrealistic in its planning. They are the same folks who tell everyone to take public transportation while they ride around in their county cars and have never taken it except for a photo opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not when the base structure cannot support building up. And, as mentioned previously, capacity always takes priority over modernization, because of safety. Just ask the Fire Marshall. And, it is not an either or proposition! Schools should be safe (not overcrowded) and modern. MC is supposedly one of the wealthiest in the country - why can't we all advocate for both?

We are no longer one of the wealthiest. We have huge poverty issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bethesda Elementary, an overcrowded feeder school for BCC, is adding yet another portable for the 2019-2020 school year. They're installing it today along Wilson Lane. This is after a major addition in 2015 that the school immediately outgrew. There are now three portables plus the addition. The kids now eat lunch in 20 minute shifts starting at 10:45 am (roughly). Whatever happens with a new high school, the rate of additions at feeder schools that will absolutely end up at BCC and Whitman--regardless of boundary studies--will mean continued overcrowding. No matter what County Council tells you, this is due to their rubber stamp approach to new multifamily construction in and around downtown Bethesda without a realistic corresponding building strategy for new schools. They equivocated their way around this by claiming that new apartments and condos wouldn't generate new kids--they'd be bought / rented by "young millennials and seniors who wanted to downsize." The County knew it couldn't afford to build the school infrastructure required for the buildings going in, so they just kicked the can down the road. This will (and already is) leading parents to realize that down-County public schools are in big trouble, and aren't worth the home prices or the tax bills.

The County Council is not responsible for a building strategy for new schools.

Also, nobody in Montgomery County, ever, has said that the new apartments and condos won't have children in them.

Also, at least since 1950, school-building in Montgomery County has lagged behind population growth.

BS. We had head of capacity planning make this claim. They absolutely refused to listen to residents. Planning Board culpable too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not when the base structure cannot support building up. And, as mentioned previously, capacity always takes priority over modernization, because of safety. Just ask the Fire Marshall. And, it is not an either or proposition! Schools should be safe (not overcrowded) and modern. MC is supposedly one of the wealthiest in the country - why can't we all advocate for both?

We are no longer one of the wealthiest. We have huge poverty issues.

If you are overcapacity then just bus some of the kids to other schools. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not when the base structure cannot support building up. And, as mentioned previously, capacity always takes priority over modernization, because of safety. Just ask the Fire Marshall. And, it is not an either or proposition! Schools should be safe (not overcrowded) and modern. MC is supposedly one of the wealthiest in the country - why can't we all advocate for both?

We are no longer one of the wealthiest. We have huge poverty issues.

Out of 3,144 countiesin the US, Montgomery County is ranked #17 in both median household income and per capita income.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-income_counties_in_the_United_States

[Anonymous]

And no one will know who is going to Woodward until they start the boundary process, 18 months before they open. Scheduled to open fall of 2025, so earliest to start learning about it will be Spring 2024. Until then, just speculation. So many people claim to know, or think the only reasonable solution is theirs. Clearly they haven't been around MCPs much. And that is IF everything happens on time!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And no one will know who is going to Woodward until they start the boundary process, 18 months before they open. Scheduled to open fall of 2025, so earliest to start learning about it will be Spring 2024. Until then, just speculation. So many people claim to know, or think the only reasonable solution is theirs. Clearly they haven't been around MCPs much. And that is IF everything happens on time!

RMs addition was cancelled for Crown which does not even have a timeline yet. I was very surprised that Whitman is getting one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BCC will definitely be less crowded since many of the students on its northern boundary will end up at Woodward.

count on it

Seems unlikely. Removing SCMS area would put Bethesda back into moratorium for lack of MS capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BCC keeps getting additions and add ons. Some of the DCC are horrible and badly in need or repairs.

Call MCPS and ask for numbers, and stop fueling hate for Bethesda.

No one is hating Bethesda. However, there are schools in really poor condition that need to be torn down and rehabbed like BCC and Whitman get. To demand that BCC gets another expansion when other kids are going to overcrowded school in poor conditions is far more a priority. We all pay taxes. Why should one area get their schools updated and remodeled and not others.

Our elementary school has things like gutters falling down, sheds that need to be replaced or at least repaired. You are been really selfish. If overcrowding is an issue for you, send your child to private or move.

You really think there's a bias in which schools they choose to renovate? There are plenty of schools in other parts of MoCo that are undergoing or slated for renovation. See starting on page 25 of this document: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/MP20_EntireBook.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And no one will know who is going to Woodward until they start the boundary process, 18 months before they open. Scheduled to open fall of 2025, so earliest to start learning about it will be Spring 2024. Until then, just speculation. So many people claim to know, or think the only reasonable solution is theirs. Clearly they haven't been around MCPs much. And that is IF everything happens on time!

RMs addition was cancelled for Crown which does not even have a timeline yet. I was very surprised that Whitman is getting one.

Crown does have a timeline.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And no one will know who is going to Woodward until they start the boundary process, 18 months before they open. Scheduled to open fall of 2025, so earliest to start learning about it will be Spring 2024. Until then, just speculation. So many people claim to know, or think the only reasonable solution is theirs. Clearly they haven't been around MCPs much. And that is IF everything happens on time!

RMs addition was cancelled for Crown which does not even have a timeline yet. I was very surprised that Whitman is getting one.

Crown does have a timeline.

Not exactly; it's in "programmed" status with a completion date of TBD.

[Anonymous]

I suspect they will get more crowded as people flee the rapidly expanding poverty in the east. There will be a round of SES flight in the not too distant future.