Rock Terrace / Tilden

[Anonymous]

I received information on another List that the Interim Superintendent has announced at the Rock Terrace Learning Center should be Co-located with the new Tilden Middle School (in around 2019). The message urged me to contact the Board of Ed and the County Council. This isn't my Middle School, so I am not aware of the issues. Can anyone explain the pros and cons?

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=3730&type=&startYear=&pageNumber=&mode=

[Anonymous]

Rock Terrace is a Learning Center for students with special needs/disabilities. It needs new space, and in the re-building of Tilden Middle (slated for 2017-18, I believe), they are talking about making a 2nd building on the property with its own entrance & courtyard for this program. I don't think it should in any way impact Tilden.

[Anonymous]

More information here:

http://www.bethesdanow.com/2015/03/24/parents-unhappy-about-possible-tilden-middle-school-collocation/

[Anonymous]

Pros - exposes students 11-21 with special needs to general population students and allows those general population students to come into contact with those with special needs (note: this already happens at Tilden and it's feeder schools through the LFI program). In theory, allows shared facilities, such as gym and cafeteria, although if you read the report, these will be duplicated because of the needs of the RT students. Allows RT students that are capable to participate in Tilden classrooms, though the extent of that participation is unknown at this time. Allows RT students to go to Walter Johnson for classes as well. In theory, allows Tilden students to have access to facilities unique to RT, like a catering kitchen.

Cons-does not really achieve the goal, as all but a few areas will be "shared" and those will be time shared, causing both populations to have fewer resources than they have independently now. Appears to in the whole cause each of the student populations to have "less" than they would have in independent facilities or facilities placed on a larger location, such as the location of the current Tilden Middle School on Old Georgetown Road as the planned site is only slightly larger than the minimum build area for middle schools according to MCPS guidelines. Allows for no growth plan, which has been an issue with at least one prior collocation build. MCPS has provided no study on how the collocation will impact student populations of this age, as all experience thus far has been with elementary school collocations. Will stress the infrastructure at the location on Tilden Lane and surrounding neighborhood without regard to impact on the other three schools in the area. Undermines recent money spent on RT to improve one of the major underperforming systems - the HVAC.