latest on MCPS plans to deal with Rachel Carson overcrowding?

[Anonymous]

We will be sending our child to Rachel Carson in a few years, and were wondering if anyone knows the latest on the various plans for dealing with the overcrowding issue. Ideas we had heard about included building a new elementary school or redrawing boundaries so that some kids now districted for Rachel Carson would go to DuFief.

Does anyone know whether plans have been solidified at all?

[Anonymous]

No plan solidified. Latest MCPS recommendation was to add more capacity to Dufief and then do boundary study when complete.

Personal speculation: if you are currently a walker to RCES you are probably staying. If on bus (and not Governors square) then could be in the area to go to dufief.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No plan solidified. Latest MCPS recommendation was to add more capacity to Dufief and then do boundary study when complete.

Personal speculation: if you are currently a walker to RCES you are probably staying. If on bus (and not Governors square) then could be in the area to go to dufief.

IDK. My kids can walk to a HS closer to us that we are NOT zoned for and have to take the bus to a HS we are zoned for (over a mile away). Same for a friend and their zoned ES. So, I'm not so sure walking distance is a safe bet. If it's a block away from the school, then maybe yes. Otherwise, all bets are off.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info. We're in Lakelands, so not sure what that might mean. We are a little bit concerned about our child being swept up into a transition period. Do you know if kids who are already at RC would be grandfathered in, or would they move kids in the middle of their elementary school lives (something that would seem potentially pretty disruptive)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No plan solidified. Latest MCPS recommendation was to add more capacity to Dufief and then do boundary study when complete.

Personal speculation: if you are currently a walker to RCES you are probably staying. If on bus (and not Governors square) then could be in the area to go to dufief.

IDK. My kids can walk to a HS closer to us that we are NOT zoned for and have to take the bus to a HS we are zoned for (over a mile away). Same for a friend and their zoned ES. So, I'm not so sure walking distance is a safe bet. If it's a block away from the school, then maybe yes. Otherwise, all bets are off.

Even across the street from isn't necessarily a sure thing, at least not for high schools:

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/ServiceAreaMaps/SenecaValleyHS.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the info. We're in Lakelands, so not sure what that might mean. We are a little bit concerned about our child being swept up into a transition period. Do you know if kids who are already at RC would be grandfathered in, or would they move kids in the middle of their elementary school lives (something that would seem potentially pretty disruptive)?

Unless you have a kid with anxiety issues, I really don't think that the disruption would be that big a deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the info. We're in Lakelands, so not sure what that might mean. We are a little bit concerned about our child being swept up into a transition period. Do you know if kids who are already at RC would be grandfathered in, or would they move kids in the middle of their elementary school lives (something that would seem potentially pretty disruptive)?

They haven't said. Not sure how MCPS usually handles these things.

If you are in the part of Lakelands furthest from RCES you are definitely in the zone they are looking to move.

[Anonymous]

Also the more concerning part is the potential for the Lakelands kids to be at Dufief and then sent to Frost when we can walk to Lakelands Park Middle School. Now that I find crazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also the more concerning part is the potential for the Lakelands kids to be at Dufief and then sent to Frost when we can walk to Lakelands Park Middle School. Now that I find crazy.

If this happened, you would not be the only ones in that situation. My kids aren't in the geographically-closest schools either. It is not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the info. We're in Lakelands, so not sure what that might mean. We are a little bit concerned about our child being swept up into a transition period. Do you know if kids who are already at RC would be grandfathered in, or would they move kids in the middle of their elementary school lives (something that would seem potentially pretty disruptive)?

They haven't said. Not sure how MCPS usually handles these things.

If you are in the part of Lakelands furthest from RCES you are definitely in the zone they are looking to move.

Ugh. We are right near the shopping area (Whole Foods, etc.). Hopefully that's within boundary, but sounds like it very well might not be.

As for going to Frost, I totally see the annoyance over distance, but at least it's a strong school. I do worry a little about the quality of DuFief (especially towards the beginning of this transition period).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No plan solidified. Latest MCPS recommendation was to add more capacity to Dufief and then do boundary study when complete.

Personal speculation: if you are currently a walker to RCES you are probably staying. If on bus (and not Governors square) then could be in the area to go to dufief.

any idea when they might decide?

[Anonymous]

Dufief to Frost to Wootton? Or more split articulation out of MS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dufief to Frost to Wootton? Or more split articulation out of MS?

this is what I'm guessing but who knows. We have zero interest in Wootton

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dufief to Frost to Wootton? Or more split articulation out of MS?

Hmm, I wasn't aware that high schools might change. Not going to complain about Frost or Wootton ... the concern for me would be Dufief. My question about sending the kids to Wootton would be how to deal with capacity there, though I know there are boundary discussions happening across the County, so maybe the idea would be to deal with it by rejiggering elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dufief to Frost to Wootton? Or more split articulation out of MS?

Hmm, I wasn't aware that high schools might change. Not going to complain about Frost or Wootton ... the concern for me would be Dufief. My question about sending the kids to Wootton would be how to deal with capacity there, though I know there are boundary discussions happening across the County, so maybe the idea would be to deal with it by rejiggering elsewhere.

Projected future capacity at Wootton is under capacity. That's one of the reasons they are looking rezoning the QO cluster to Wootton.