Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will happen to property values of those in WJ rezoned to Woodward?

I think these are largely baked in at this point. Everyone who has bought in the last ten years has known that WJ was overcrowded, Woodward was opening to relieve that overcrowding, that the two schools are very close to each other, and anything in the general area would be fair game to go to the new school instead of the old overcrowded one. And if you bought more than ten years ago I’m not listening to your complaints about property values.
- agent

I don’t think that’s right. You’d have to be paying a ton of attention to things to know about that anywhere near 10 years ago. Most people know the zoned school and not a ton more.

Plus, even people aware of Woodward wouldn’t know what being in Woodward would mean, and we still don’t. If Woodward is districted in a way to make it a “good school,” there probably won’t be a big impact. But if the ultimate zoning makes it a meaningful “worse” school than current WJ, it will definitely impact property values.

Option 3 would be devasting for those in the Farmland district. Who would buy a house there knowing that your kid is going to be bused across the county to a school with just 13% white students and close to 50% FARMs.

Especially since they said time and time again that they would not bus kids across county for diversity purposes. This is exactly that. We have plenty of diversity in Farmland already - FARMS and ESOL. Lots of MC people, single moms in apartments and rentals. They will struggle with the long distance to Kennedy. When they could simply walk to Woodward. Never more disappointed in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was posted on our neighborhood listserve by someone who attended the in-person meeting.

Needless to say, I heard a lot of complaints about option 3; someone from the company contracted to do the study said that they needed to at least present option three because it addresses one of the four criteria — demographics. But she acknowledged it would require extensive busing and crazy “islands” of students who would be sent far from their original middle and high schools. Unfortunately there’s no quick fix to our school system’s demographic issues.

Thanks for sharing- my kids would be in one of those islands and I'm not thrilled about that idea. AGreed that there is no quick fix and perhaps it's good that the option was presented to illustrate that.

There will be board members very much in support of those islands and trying for a quick fix by bussing from west to east. The survey takes some work and thought. However, if people don’t object to option 3, they will do it.

It seems to me that their goal is to break up the so-called problem areas. Kind of like how they will move seats for kids who get it into trouble. They don’t deal with the underlying issues, just move the chairs around and separate kids. That is option 3 and that is what they did with Neelesville MS in the Clarksburg boundary study. Here, that is Kennedy and Wheaton. They don’t seem to really care about the overcrowding or the bus budget. You can expect this in the final version, no matter what the nice consultant acknowledged.

Wheaton is already overcrowded. I think they put it in there for a reaction and attention. We need to out all the BOE members. They created this and the new ones are doing nothing to fix the mess.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will happen to property values of those in WJ rezoned to Woodward?

I think these are largely baked in at this point. Everyone who has bought in the last ten years has known that WJ was overcrowded, Woodward was opening to relieve that overcrowding, that the two schools are very close to each other, and anything in the general area would be fair game to go to the new school instead of the old overcrowded one. And if you bought more than ten years ago I’m not listening to your complaints about property values.
- agent

I don’t think that’s right. You’d have to be paying a ton of attention to things to know about that anywhere near 10 years ago. Most people know the zoned school and not a ton more.

Plus, even people aware of Woodward wouldn’t know what being in Woodward would mean, and we still don’t. If Woodward is districted in a way to make it a “good school,” there probably won’t be a big impact. But if the ultimate zoning makes it a meaningful “worse” school than current WJ, it will definitely impact property values.

Option 3 would be devasting for those in the Farmland district. Who would buy a house there knowing that your kid is going to be bused across the county to a school with just 13% white students and close to 50% FARMs.

Especially since they said time and time again that they would not bus kids across county for diversity purposes. This is exactly that. We have plenty of diversity in Farmland already - FARMS and ESOL. Lots of MC people, single moms in apartments and rentals. They will struggle with the long distance to Kennedy. When they could simply walk to Woodward. Never more disappointed in MCPS.

I don’t think the boundary people are local or get it. It makes no sense.

[Anonymous]

You really have to do the homework and fill out the survey. Is the survey offered in other languages? We will need that for many of our families.

[Anonymous]

We will likely need help from the county council as well. They approved funding for Woodward. They would need to approve budget for all the bussing.

I would imagine there are sustainability/environmental issues as well.

They probably will say they will use electric buses, but you will still have thousands of kids and parents driving over there and back.

[Anonymous]

When will decisions about this be made?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will happen to property values of those in WJ rezoned to Woodward?

I think these are largely baked in at this point. Everyone who has bought in the last ten years has known that WJ was overcrowded, Woodward was opening to relieve that overcrowding, that the two schools are very close to each other, and anything in the general area would be fair game to go to the new school instead of the old overcrowded one. And if you bought more than ten years ago I’m not listening to your complaints about property values.
- agent

I don’t think that’s right. You’d have to be paying a ton of attention to things to know about that anywhere near 10 years ago. Most people know the zoned school and not a ton more.

Plus, even people aware of Woodward wouldn’t know what being in Woodward would mean, and we still don’t. If Woodward is districted in a way to make it a “good school,” there probably won’t be a big impact. But if the ultimate zoning makes it a meaningful “worse” school than current WJ, it will definitely impact property values.

Option 3 would be devasting for those in the Farmland district. Who would buy a house there knowing that your kid is going to be bused across the county to a school with just 13% white students and close to 50% FARMs.

Especially since they said time and time again that they would not bus kids across county for diversity purposes. This is exactly that. We have plenty of diversity in Farmland already - FARMS and ESOL. Lots of MC people, single moms in apartments and rentals. They will struggle with the long distance to Kennedy. When they could simply walk to Woodward. Never more disappointed in MCPS.

+1,000,000,000

The Farmland community is the rare spot in the county where you can actually find affordable housing AND go to highly ranked, diverse schools. Why wouldn’t you want to preserve that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Option 3 has got to be the throw away option.

It has united DCUM in opposition to it.

Do you think those lower income clusters are going to benefit from being shipped across town? Do you think their parents want the extra commuting time and costs, much less to be surrounded by a bunch of affluent families who most definitely don't want it? I think the universal feedback is people want to attend local schools in their neighborhoods that aren't overcrowded. If they can enhance diversity and minimize overcrowding around the edges, then great! Anything else is an exercise in social engineering and will make just about everyone unhappy.

This! Even many students in lower socio economic schools don’t want to be bussed away, they want equality in resources. This should be the focus!

This. I don’t want my kids bused and I am fine with a lower income school. I do care w don’t have the same classes and opportunities.

You gotta make your voice heard. The BOE apparently doesn’t get this idea and thinks bussing is fine it seems. It’s one thing to shift the edge of a boundary over to another school if not in the walk zone. Say moving the edge of Wheaton to Woodward or the edge of Gaithersburg HS to Crown. Especially when the old school isn’t significantly closer than the new school. But don’t go sending kids to a further school!

I’d be thrilled if we were switched to Wheaton as our DCC does not have the classes my kids need. I cannot imagine we’ll move and I don’t fully care as my youngest is in hs so it will not impact us. You want it, you fight. BOE does not care.

It’s unclear from these boundary options what will happen to the DCC. The program survey also went out recently so I worry there won’t be any more consortiums and lottery options. Don’t assume anything Will stay the same with MCPS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You really have to do the homework and fill out the survey. Is the survey offered in other languages? We will need that for many of our families.

Yes, but they are slicing survey is too long. They should have made it simpler, like the draft calendar surveys. Rank the options and give one free response question.

[Anonymous]

But they didn’t. They turned it into a series of FRQs, as the kids would say. But you have to do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will happen to property values of those in WJ rezoned to Woodward?

I think these are largely baked in at this point. Everyone who has bought in the last ten years has known that WJ was overcrowded, Woodward was opening to relieve that overcrowding, that the two schools are very close to each other, and anything in the general area would be fair game to go to the new school instead of the old overcrowded one. And if you bought more than ten years ago I’m not listening to your complaints about property values.
- agent

I don’t think that’s right. You’d have to be paying a ton of attention to things to know about that anywhere near 10 years ago. Most people know the zoned school and not a ton more.

Plus, even people aware of Woodward wouldn’t know what being in Woodward would mean, and we still don’t. If Woodward is districted in a way to make it a “good school,” there probably won’t be a big impact. But if the ultimate zoning makes it a meaningful “worse” school than current WJ, it will definitely impact property values.

Option 3 would be devasting for those in the Farmland district. Who would buy a house there knowing that your kid is going to be bused across the county to a school with just 13% white students and close to 50% FARMs.

Especially since they said time and time again that they would not bus kids across county for diversity purposes. This is exactly that. We have plenty of diversity in Farmland already - FARMS and ESOL. Lots of MC people, single moms in apartments and rentals. They will struggle with the long distance to Kennedy. When they could simply walk to Woodward. Never more disappointed in MCPS.

I don’t think the boundary people are local or get it. It makes no sense.

Either Option 3 is a poison pill for any effort to address segregation, or these 4 options are just a complete waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many students are on FARMS in MCPS? In looking at these charts, I had no idea it was so high. They can’t seem to keep it below what is ideal (is it 20 or 30%) even in option 3 in any school (other than Whitman).

This is a huge wake up call for me about how the county is changing. I’m kind of thinking we are arguing/worrying over the wrong things.

+1

This is failure by leadership in county. County should never have such a high level of FARMS rate by encouraging more FARMS family to move in this area.

Sorry not all of us are as rich as you. Must be nice to have your privilege. You are right, the rest of us should leave. Will you do those jobs if low income workers if they all leave?

If DOGE keeps firing the entire Fed workforce they’ll have no choice TBH.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What will happen to property values of those in WJ rezoned to Woodward?

I think these are largely baked in at this point. Everyone who has bought in the last ten years has known that WJ was overcrowded, Woodward was opening to relieve that overcrowding, that the two schools are very close to each other, and anything in the general area would be fair game to go to the new school instead of the old overcrowded one. And if you bought more than ten years ago I’m not listening to your complaints about property values.
- agent

I don’t think that’s right. You’d have to be paying a ton of attention to things to know about that anywhere near 10 years ago. Most people know the zoned school and not a ton more.

Plus, even people aware of Woodward wouldn’t know what being in Woodward would mean, and we still don’t. If Woodward is districted in a way to make it a “good school,” there probably won’t be a big impact. But if the ultimate zoning makes it a meaningful “worse” school than current WJ, it will definitely impact property values.

Option 3 would be devasting for those in the Farmland district. Who would buy a house there knowing that your kid is going to be bused across the county to a school with just 13% white students and close to 50% FARMs.

Especially since they said time and time again that they would not bus kids across county for diversity purposes. This is exactly that. We have plenty of diversity in Farmland already - FARMS and ESOL. Lots of MC people, single moms in apartments and rentals. They will struggle with the long distance to Kennedy. When they could simply walk to Woodward. Never more disappointed in MCPS.

I don’t think the boundary people are local or get it. It makes no sense.

Either Option 3 is a poison pill for any effort to address segregation, or these 4 options are just a complete waste of time.

Or, with all due respect, you are in denial about MCPS and the Board and their intentions. There was a time when this was exactly what they wanted. We’ll see what the current board says/does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When will decisions about this be made?

There will be another round of options in the fall. Then possibly more options after that. The board will vote on new boundaries in March 2026.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Option 3 has got to be the throw away option.

It has united DCUM in opposition to it.

Do you think those lower income clusters are going to benefit from being shipped across town? Do you think their parents want the extra commuting time and costs, much less to be surrounded by a bunch of affluent families who most definitely don't want it? I think the universal feedback is people want to attend local schools in their neighborhoods that aren't overcrowded. If they can enhance diversity and minimize overcrowding around the edges, then great! Anything else is an exercise in social engineering and will make just about everyone unhappy.

This! Even many students in lower socio economic schools don’t want to be bussed away, they want equality in resources. This should be the focus!

This. I don’t want my kids bused and I am fine with a lower income school. I do care w don’t have the same classes and opportunities.

You gotta make your voice heard. The BOE apparently doesn’t get this idea and thinks bussing is fine it seems. It’s one thing to shift the edge of a boundary over to another school if not in the walk zone. Say moving the edge of Wheaton to Woodward or the edge of Gaithersburg HS to Crown. Especially when the old school isn’t significantly closer than the new school. But don’t go sending kids to a further school!

I’d be thrilled if we were switched to Wheaton as our DCC does not have the classes my kids need. I cannot imagine we’ll move and I don’t fully care as my youngest is in hs so it will not impact us. You want it, you fight. BOE does not care.

It’s unclear from these boundary options what will happen to the DCC. The program survey also went out recently so I worry there won’t be any more consortiums and lottery options. Don’t assume anything Will stay the same with MCPS!

The program analysis will determine the future of the consortia and other schools' special programs. We should get an update on their plans in June.