Woodward and Crown boundary timeline talk at BOE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't the thing about Woodward reducing overcrowding in the DCC reduced to just whatever magnet program (arts?) that Woodward would have would draw from DCC as well as from other nearby areas? A hundred students, maybe? Some study that showed Northwood expansion would be enough? No shift of DCC general catchments to Woodward?

The county really needs better growth policies and regular boundary studies with well-reasoned changes. I'm not advocating gerrymandered, far-from-home school assignments, but the assumption of a particular home's/neighborhood's invariate school assignment has got to stop. What terrible inefficiency it causes!

Not sure where you heard that, but no, the projected numbers do not show that at all. After Northwood's expansion, it will end up with ~400 available seats. But Blair will already be overcapacity by 600+, Einstein by 500+, and Wheaton by 400+. Kennedy will have filled up its recent addition and will be slightly overcapacity too. That is why Woodward is needed for the DCC schools as well as WJ.

They should have made Wheaton bigger.

Wheaton already has 2200 seats. Northwood only has 1500. Post reno, they'll be at 2260. Einstein would be the likely next up for adding seats - they're at 1600.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wasn't the thing about Woodward reducing overcrowding in the DCC reduced to just whatever magnet program (arts?) that Woodward would have would draw from DCC as well as from other nearby areas? A hundred students, maybe? Some study that showed Northwood expansion would be enough? No shift of DCC general catchments to Woodward?

The county really needs better growth policies and regular boundary studies with well-reasoned changes. I'm not advocating gerrymandered, far-from-home school assignments, but the assumption of a particular home's/neighborhood's invariate school assignment has got to stop. What terrible inefficiency it causes!

Not sure where you heard that, but no, the projected numbers do not show that at all. After Northwood's expansion, it will end up with ~400 available seats. But Blair will already be overcapacity by 600+, Einstein by 500+, and Wheaton by 400+. Kennedy will have filled up its recent addition and will be slightly overcapacity too. That is why Woodward is needed for the DCC schools as well as WJ.

They should have made Wheaton bigger.

They did make Wheaton bigger. There is room to expand at Einstein, but for some reason they did not go forward with a plan for an addition there. I think it will be necessary eventually.

[Anonymous]

The reason why the poster is fighting that part of BCC is closer to Woodward is probably because they're in that zone.

As far as Crown goes, the CIP Appendix I lists Crown HS as "MASTER PLANNED SCHOOL SITES TITLED TO OTHERS" to Rosemont ES within the Gaithersburg cluster. Could that be an indication of who they're already intending to re-zone?

Others listed are:

Fallsgrove ES Fallsgrove Road (Ritchie Park ES Richard Montgomery TBD)
Great Seneca Science Corridor ES Great Seneca Highway and Key West Avenue (Stone Mill ES Thomas S. Wootton)
Jeremiah Park ES Shady Grove Road and Crabbs Branch Way (Washington Grove ES Gaithersburg)
King Farm ES Watkins Pond Boulevard (College Gardens ES Richard Montgomery)
King Farm MS Piccard Drive (Rosemont ES Gaithersburg)
West Old Baltimore Road ES 21830 Seneca Ayr Drive (William B. Gibbs, Jr. ES Clarksburg)
White Flint ES South side of current White Flint Mall property (Garrett Park ES Walter Johnson)
White Oak Science Gateway ES FDA Boulevard (Roscoe R. Nix ES/Cresthaven ES Northeast Consortium)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason why the poster is fighting that part of BCC is closer to Woodward is probably because they're in that zone.

As far as Crown goes, the CIP Appendix I lists Crown HS as "MASTER PLANNED SCHOOL SITES TITLED TO OTHERS" to Rosemont ES within the Gaithersburg cluster. Could that be an indication of who they're already intending to re-zone?

Others listed are:

Fallsgrove ES Fallsgrove Road (Ritchie Park ES Richard Montgomery TBD)
Great Seneca Science Corridor ES Great Seneca Highway and Key West Avenue (Stone Mill ES Thomas S. Wootton)
Jeremiah Park ES Shady Grove Road and Crabbs Branch Way (Washington Grove ES Gaithersburg)
King Farm ES Watkins Pond Boulevard (College Gardens ES Richard Montgomery)
King Farm MS Piccard Drive (Rosemont ES Gaithersburg)
West Old Baltimore Road ES 21830 Seneca Ayr Drive (William B. Gibbs, Jr. ES Clarksburg)
White Flint ES South side of current White Flint Mall property (Garrett Park ES Walter Johnson)
White Oak Science Gateway ES FDA Boulevard (Roscoe R. Nix ES/Cresthaven ES Northeast Consortium)

They're saying that the Crown site is currently located within the Rosemont ES zone, which is part of the Gaithersburg cluster. It seems clear that that particular part of Rosemont would be rezoned to Crown when it opens. What is not known is whether the rest of Rosemont (across 270) would be rezoned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

The closest homes are about half a mile. But I think they would all still be bussed because there is no safe pedestrian crossing across University Blvd.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

The closest homes are about half a mile. But I think they would all still be bussed because there is no safe pedestrian crossing across University Blvd.

DP - kids in-bounds for Einstein and who live in N. Kensington get no bus service, so they have to walk across University Blvd. That’s not the reason ToK kids are zoned for WJ (which, agreed, is ridiculous).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

The closest homes are about half a mile. But I think they would all still be bussed because there is no safe pedestrian crossing across University Blvd.

DP - kids in-bounds for Einstein and who live in N. Kensington get no bus service, so they have to walk across University Blvd. That’s not the reason ToK kids are zoned for WJ (which, agreed, is ridiculous).

Really? Where do they cross? As an adult, I don’t like to cross University at Newport Mill. People are flying down that hill and run the light. I guess it’s just middle school and below that busses for major roads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

The closest homes are about half a mile. But I think they would all still be bussed because there is no safe pedestrian crossing across University Blvd.

DP - kids in-bounds for Einstein and who live in N. Kensington get no bus service, so they have to walk across University Blvd. That’s not the reason ToK kids are zoned for WJ (which, agreed, is ridiculous).

Really? Where do they cross? As an adult, I don’t like to cross University at Newport Mill. People are flying down that hill and run the light. I guess it’s just middle school and below that busses for major roads.

MCPS busing policy states “the number of students who must cross a main artery is kept to an absolute minimum.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

The closest homes are about half a mile. But I think they would all still be bussed because there is no safe pedestrian crossing across University Blvd.

DP - kids in-bounds for Einstein and who live in N. Kensington get no bus service, so they have to walk across University Blvd. That’s not the reason ToK kids are zoned for WJ (which, agreed, is ridiculous).

Really? Where do they cross? As an adult, I don’t like to cross University at Newport Mill. People are flying down that hill and run the light. I guess it’s just middle school and below that busses for major roads.

I don’t know where they cross - we don’t live in that part of the neighborhood and my kids are younger. Some of them, I think, walk up to the intersection near the Wheaton Mall. Others cross at Connecticut and University (I think).

I only know this because some of my oldest’s friends have older siblings at Einstein; their parents were pissed to learn there was no bus service. Some of the parents drive their kids each morning, but not everyone can do that, of course.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

The closest homes are about half a mile. But I think they would all still be bussed because there is no safe pedestrian crossing across University Blvd.

DP - kids in-bounds for Einstein and who live in N. Kensington get no bus service, so they have to walk across University Blvd. That’s not the reason ToK kids are zoned for WJ (which, agreed, is ridiculous).

Really? Where do they cross? As an adult, I don’t like to cross University at Newport Mill. People are flying down that hill and run the light. I guess it’s just middle school and below that busses for major roads.

Yes, some do cross at Newport Mill. I drive my kid occasionally in the mornings and see lots of kids walking there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason why the poster is fighting that part of BCC is closer to Woodward is probably because they're in that zone.

As far as Crown goes, the CIP Appendix I lists Crown HS as "MASTER PLANNED SCHOOL SITES TITLED TO OTHERS" to Rosemont ES within the Gaithersburg cluster. Could that be an indication of who they're already intending to re-zone?

Others listed are:

Fallsgrove ES Fallsgrove Road (Ritchie Park ES Richard Montgomery TBD)
Great Seneca Science Corridor ES Great Seneca Highway and Key West Avenue (Stone Mill ES Thomas S. Wootton)
Jeremiah Park ES Shady Grove Road and Crabbs Branch Way (Washington Grove ES Gaithersburg)
King Farm ES Watkins Pond Boulevard (College Gardens ES Richard Montgomery)
King Farm MS Piccard Drive (Rosemont ES Gaithersburg)
West Old Baltimore Road ES 21830 Seneca Ayr Drive (William B. Gibbs, Jr. ES Clarksburg)
White Flint ES South side of current White Flint Mall property (Garrett Park ES Walter Johnson)
White Oak Science Gateway ES FDA Boulevard (Roscoe R. Nix ES/Cresthaven ES Northeast Consortium)

So you think a parnet is fighting to get the kids who live walking distance to Einstein rezoned from the north end of BCC's boundary?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

1 - Einstein is overcrowded too (not just WJ)
2 - they are not bussed halfway across the county
3 - the town of Kensington has an arrangement that the entire town will go to the same high school

Is this "arrangement" documented anywhere? What are the terms? How long has it been in effect? Are there other municipalities that have similar arrangements?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

1 - Einstein is overcrowded too (not just WJ)
2 - they are not bussed halfway across the county
3 - the town of Kensington has an arrangement that the entire town will go to the same high school

Is this "arrangement" documented anywhere? What are the terms? How long has it been in effect? Are there other municipalities that have similar arrangements?

Here’s the list of municipalities: https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdmanual/36loc/mo/html/momu.html
There aren’t many, and most are small. Whether or not there is an official document, the historical small towns have a pretty strong rationale to argue that they should be kept together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There was a preliminary discussion at the BOE meeting today about planning for the upcoming boundary studies relating to the opening of new Woodward and Crown high schools, and the significant expansions at Northwood and Damascus. They presented two possible timelines for when all three studies could happen.

The scope for the Woodward study could be determined soon, in February/March 2023, with the board's final boundary decisions coming in March 2025. Or, the scope could be determined later, in February/March 2024, with the final decision in November 2025. The school is set to open in August 2026. (The scope would include things like which schools/clusters would be looked at, whether only high schools or also middle schools, etc.)

The Crown study would be one year later in both scenarios, so Feb/Mar 2024 through March 2026, or Feb/Mar 2025 through November 2026, with an August 2027 opening.

The Damascus study would be February/March 2024 through November 2025, with an August 2026 opening.


They also showed a color-coded map of all the clusters currently connected to these projects, consistent with the CIP:
The Damascus project: the Damascus and Clarksburg clusters.
The Crown project: the Northwest, Quince Orchard, Wootton, Richard Montgomery, and Gaithersburg clusters.
The Woodward and Northwood projects: the Walter Johnson, Wheaton, Einstein, Northwood, Kennedy, and Blair clusters.

But they did make the point that in the process of determining the study scopes, they could end up different than the above. And board members also asked about the feasibility of combining all 13 clusters into one mammoth study. No real discussion of if or how that would work. They said they did not know yet how either of the new schools would be populated, with one, two, or three grades starting there the first year.

I'd heard Woodward mostly involved WJ, Einstein and BCC.

MCPS has said for several years now that Woodward was to help with overcrowding at WJ and the schools in the DCC. BCC has not been on the table - they just did an addition and aren't expected to be overcrowded for a long time.

Here come the protesting BCC parents again. Just like they did when BCC was first part of Woodward, in a Lyttonsville master plan. Then it came out. It might stay out, or might go back in. We won't know for a while yet, but you should keep on protesting, because, you know, it's a good look

This is an odd take. The PP you're responding to was accurate. (And no, I am not a BCC parent.)

No they really weren't but I can see how they'd like to spin things that way. In the end schools adjacent to Woodward's boundary, like BCC, will be affected.

BCC isn't adjacent to Woodward. WJ is between. But keep trying to drag BCC into it and maybe the BoE will listen. Might work even better if you testify and get the PTAs involved.

It sure is. Seriously, stop trying to pretend it isn't. Most of the people don't he north end of BCC's boundary are much closer to Woodward.

Are you also the person who keeps saying einstein to wj is half-way across the county?

Not the PP but I am curious why they bus kids who live a short walk from Einstein halfway across the county to an overcrowded W.

Ah, another geography-challenged DCUMer.

They're correct. Just look at the boundary map. Kids who live a few blocks from Einstein are bussed to Bethesda.

It's hardly "half-way across the county" though.

Until all the high schools are torn down and rebuilt at the geographic center of each cluster, there will always be some kids who live closer to a HS in an adjacent cluster.