Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

[Anonymous]

It’s just not the same world where if your student is top 5-10% at a W, they are getting into an Ivy or Ivy equivalent. Those days are long over.

Lots of college counselors will tell you the best way into an Ivy is to move.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I’ve read all 43 pages of this thread and am pretty disheartened. I have not seen one comment in favor of the more disruptive (to the current status quo) options say a single thing about the prospective quality of education improvement that the potential new Whitman and BCC students would receive. Instead, it’s all about sending Whitman and BCC bus loads of poor kids to somehow stick it to them? If those poor kids have to spend 45 minutes on a bus to (somehow?) upset the rich kids, great!

The kids being bussed from poor communities? Those are kids, not props in your vendetta fantasies. The rich kids you’re sticking it to? Also, just kids. The “foolish” communities that want to stay together? Communities of people (that just want to stay together).

Let’s make every school better and every kid’s life better. Let’s not use them as props against each other.

As a poor family. I sorry you don’t want our kids. Actually some of us aren’t that poor, we make different life choices. The best solution would be to open up another hs lower dcc.

Want to give you a big hug. Your kids are wanted. All kids are wanted. To be fair, from what I have read, I think everyone here welcomes diversity of income, culture and race. The problem is that no one of any income level wants to be bused away from their neighborhoods and rightfully so. Every school needs to be stronger and some underperforming schools need more money, support and staff. Whatever it takes, they should get it.

We are wanted as long as we are not in your schools or competition for your kids. No one wants their kids bussed but maybe this will give those kids opportunities they don’t have to get ahead. Our kids don’t have the same opportunities.

Unfortunately it’s a zero sum game and we don’t get do overs with our kids’ education. I’d support funding more opportunities for your kids through modestly higher property taxes but not at the expense of my own kids’ opportunities or busing them across town. Everyone wants the best opportunities for their children (which is why most of us moved to the best place we could afford) and are looking to preserve that as much as possible in an increasingly uncertain world.

Wow we are all on the same team PP. it’s not a zero sum game.

Are we? There's only one (or few) valedictorians and there's an implicit quota in how many kids from each school matriculate to a particular university. We're not in this together and that's been apparent since I set foot in this county or on DCUM and seen others asking questions about the "preferred preschool to get into the Ivy League" or "my DD has the following stats but they don't have a hook and therefore, didn't get into [insert highly selective university]", especially as our kids get closer and closer to high school. We're more like participants running the gauntlet in The Hunger Games where "may the odds ever be in your favor". This is the meritocracy that we find ourselves in and the system that each of us has to face (or ignore). So forgive me if I don't want my kids being bussed across town to a different school and not the neighborhood school I've already paid a high cost entry fee to get into.

You did not pay a "fee" to "get into" your neighborhood. You purchased an asset, which you can sell or rent out if you want.

I purchased an asset at a several hundred thousand dollar premium to comparable assets because of its access to a desirable public school cluster.

Hard eye roll. You never signed a contract with MCPS to guarantee you that school. That’s a you problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want rich disruptive kids with behavioral issues either. The difference is their parents usually find a solution to mitigate it.

Here is another example of people being prejudiced against low income kids and their families.

Many low income parents move mountains to help their kids with special needs. You should be ashamed of yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve read all 43 pages of this thread and am pretty disheartened. I have not seen one comment in favor of the more disruptive (to the current status quo) options say a single thing about the prospective quality of education improvement that the potential new Whitman and BCC students would receive. Instead, it’s all about sending Whitman and BCC bus loads of poor kids to somehow stick it to them? If those poor kids have to spend 45 minutes on a bus to (somehow?) upset the rich kids, great!

The kids being bussed from poor communities? Those are kids, not props in your vendetta fantasies. The rich kids you’re sticking it to? Also, just kids. The “foolish” communities that want to stay together? Communities of people (that just want to stay together).

Let’s make every school better and every kid’s life better. Let’s not use them as props against each other.

As a poor family. I sorry you don’t want our kids. Actually some of us aren’t that poor, we make different life choices. The best solution would be to open up another hs lower dcc.

Want to give you a big hug. Your kids are wanted. All kids are wanted. To be fair, from what I have read, I think everyone here welcomes diversity of income, culture and race. The problem is that no one of any income level wants to be bused away from their neighborhoods and rightfully so. Every school needs to be stronger and some underperforming schools need more money, support and staff. Whatever it takes, they should get it.

We are wanted as long as we are not in your schools or competition for your kids. No one wants their kids bussed but maybe this will give those kids opportunities they don’t have to get ahead. Our kids don’t have the same opportunities.

Unfortunately it’s a zero sum game and we don’t get do overs with our kids’ education. I’d support funding more opportunities for your kids through modestly higher property taxes but not at the expense of my own kids’ opportunities or busing them across town. Everyone wants the best opportunities for their children (which is why most of us moved to the best place we could afford) and are looking to preserve that as much as possible in an increasingly uncertain world.

Wow we are all on the same team PP. it’s not a zero sum game.

Are we? There's only one (or few) valedictorians and there's an implicit quota in how many kids from each school matriculate to a particular university. We're not in this together and that's been apparent since I set foot in this county or on DCUM and seen others asking questions about the "preferred preschool to get into the Ivy League" or "my DD has the following stats but they don't have a hook and therefore, didn't get into [insert highly selective university]", especially as our kids get closer and closer to high school. We're more like participants running the gauntlet in The Hunger Games where "may the odds ever be in your favor". This is the meritocracy that we find ourselves in and the system that each of us has to face (or ignore). So forgive me if I don't want my kids being bussed across town to a different school and not the neighborhood school I've already paid a high cost entry fee to get into.

You did not pay a "fee" to "get into" your neighborhood. You purchased an asset, which you can sell or rent out if you want.

I purchased an asset at a several hundred thousand dollar premium to comparable assets because of its access to a desirable public school cluster.

School zoning is not in your deed

Good luck fighting the rich.

[Anonymous]

Positively wild that some of the options don’t maintain the walk zones.

[Anonymous]

One issue I don't see much discussion on are the number of students out of boundary attending certain schools either through an approved exemption or some other method. I won't speculate on the number of students but I've been shocked the last couple of years witnessing how many of my daughter's classmates actually don't live in the school boundary. So when MCPS is looking to address overcrowding schools I would hope they would at least address the lower hanging fruit before disrupting several communities.

I will also admit I find MCPS engaging in a contentious boundary study very disappointing and tone deaf. My daughter attends BCC and there were several school lockdowns this year due to guns. There's absenteeism, lower test scores, and learning loss due to COVID. And I'm sure there are other pressing issues that are putting a strain on the county. And I'm even more frustrated because I fully support addressing the inequities within the MCPS system but redrawing boundaries would be a very poor attempt to address a complicated issue that quite honestly I believe is outside the scope of MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Positively wild that some of the options don’t maintain the walk zones.

+1. Quite an unforced error

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve read all 43 pages of this thread and am pretty disheartened. I have not seen one comment in favor of the more disruptive (to the current status quo) options say a single thing about the prospective quality of education improvement that the potential new Whitman and BCC students would receive. Instead, it’s all about sending Whitman and BCC bus loads of poor kids to somehow stick it to them? If those poor kids have to spend 45 minutes on a bus to (somehow?) upset the rich kids, great!

The kids being bussed from poor communities? Those are kids, not props in your vendetta fantasies. The rich kids you’re sticking it to? Also, just kids. The “foolish” communities that want to stay together? Communities of people (that just want to stay together).

Let’s make every school better and every kid’s life better. Let’s not use them as props against each other.

As a poor family. I sorry you don’t want our kids. Actually some of us aren’t that poor, we make different life choices. The best solution would be to open up another hs lower dcc.

Want to give you a big hug. Your kids are wanted. All kids are wanted. To be fair, from what I have read, I think everyone here welcomes diversity of income, culture and race. The problem is that no one of any income level wants to be bused away from their neighborhoods and rightfully so. Every school needs to be stronger and some underperforming schools need more money, support and staff. Whatever it takes, they should get it.

We are wanted as long as we are not in your schools or competition for your kids. No one wants their kids bussed but maybe this will give those kids opportunities they don’t have to get ahead. Our kids don’t have the same opportunities.

Unfortunately it’s a zero sum game and we don’t get do overs with our kids’ education. I’d support funding more opportunities for your kids through modestly higher property taxes but not at the expense of my own kids’ opportunities or busing them across town. Everyone wants the best opportunities for their children (which is why most of us moved to the best place we could afford) and are looking to preserve that as much as possible in an increasingly uncertain world.

Wow we are all on the same team PP. it’s not a zero sum game.

Are we? There's only one (or few) valedictorians and there's an implicit quota in how many kids from each school matriculate to a particular university. We're not in this together and that's been apparent since I set foot in this county or on DCUM and seen others asking questions about the "preferred preschool to get into the Ivy League" or "my DD has the following stats but they don't have a hook and therefore, didn't get into [insert highly selective university]", especially as our kids get closer and closer to high school. We're more like participants running the gauntlet in The Hunger Games where "may the odds ever be in your favor". This is the meritocracy that we find ourselves in and the system that each of us has to face (or ignore). So forgive me if I don't want my kids being bussed across town to a different school and not the neighborhood school I've already paid a high cost entry fee to get into.

You did not pay a "fee" to "get into" your neighborhood. You purchased an asset, which you can sell or rent out if you want.

I purchased an asset at a several hundred thousand dollar premium to comparable assets because of its access to a desirable public school cluster.

Hard eye roll. You never signed a contract with MCPS to guarantee you that school. That’s a you problem.

This is a politically losing message. “We don’t care about your kids.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Positively wild that some of the options don’t maintain the walk zones.

+1. Quite an unforced error

With a change to the county that is potentially this big, they really need to keep this simple or they will end up with a million issues all over the place. Keep the walk zones. Keep it as simple as you can or this will flop in a multitude of very horrible ways.

Man I would not want to be responsible for this!!!! The unintended effects are endless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Positively wild that some of the options don’t maintain the walk zones.

+1. Quite an unforced error

With a change to the county that is potentially this big, they really need to keep this simple or they will end up with a million issues all over the place. Keep the walk zones. Keep it as simple as you can or this will flop in a multitude of very horrible ways.

Man I would not want to be responsible for this!!!! The unintended effects are endless.

Not only keep the walk zones, but expand them. There are areas all over the county that could be walking but currently aren't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Really curious if anyone thinks it is plausible that there will be an option keeping south kensington in play for BCC. Kids in this cluster already attend RH and then are split from their friends in 3rd to split btw NCC and CCES but come back together at SCMS and BCC-- it seems really unfair and silly to have kids together in elementary then not have them meet back up. MCPS should either redraw the lines for elementary or make this change. Also why are we not considering just taking kids from wheaton/ WJ etc and pushing those kids into the new school which makes more sense than bussing CCES kids to Blair, or removing South Kensington families from their assigned schools, friends, and schools in an easy distance.

Kids from south Kensington can easily ride a bike to BCC. I would much prefer they stay at BCC than shift to WJ. I am surprised none of the options keep those neighborhood kids at BCC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Positively wild that some of the options don’t maintain the walk zones.

+1. Quite an unforced error

With a change to the county that is potentially this big, they really need to keep this simple or they will end up with a million issues all over the place. Keep the walk zones. Keep it as simple as you can or this will flop in a multitude of very horrible ways.

Man I would not want to be responsible for this!!!! The unintended effects are endless.

It appears to be a flop from the beginning. The lack of foresight is stunning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One issue I don't see much discussion on are the number of students out of boundary attending certain schools either through an approved exemption or some other method. I won't speculate on the number of students but I've been shocked the last couple of years witnessing how many of my daughter's classmates actually don't live in the school boundary. So when MCPS is looking to address overcrowding schools I would hope they would at least address the lower hanging fruit before disrupting several communities.

I will also admit I find MCPS engaging in a contentious boundary study very disappointing and tone deaf. My daughter attends BCC and there were several school lockdowns this year due to guns. There's absenteeism, lower test scores, and learning loss due to COVID. And I'm sure there are other pressing issues that are putting a strain on the county. And I'm even more frustrated because I fully support addressing the inequities within the MCPS system but redrawing boundaries would be a very poor attempt to address a complicated issue that quite honestly I believe is outside the scope of MCPS.

How the heck are they supposed to fill new schools without changing boundaries, pray tell?

Two brand new high schools with capacity for close to 5000 kids plus Northwood adding capacity for about 500 more kids means you have to change boundaries. The other stuff is bad and needs to be dealt with but if they don't change boundaries we just spent hundreds of millions of dollars on school construction for nothing.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone tried the virtual office hours to ask them questions about some of these options?

https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/boundarystudyoptions/home/woodward-initial-options

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve read all 43 pages of this thread and am pretty disheartened. I have not seen one comment in favor of the more disruptive (to the current status quo) options say a single thing about the prospective quality of education improvement that the potential new Whitman and BCC students would receive. Instead, it’s all about sending Whitman and BCC bus loads of poor kids to somehow stick it to them? If those poor kids have to spend 45 minutes on a bus to (somehow?) upset the rich kids, great!

The kids being bussed from poor communities? Those are kids, not props in your vendetta fantasies. The rich kids you’re sticking it to? Also, just kids. The “foolish” communities that want to stay together? Communities of people (that just want to stay together).

Let’s make every school better and every kid’s life better. Let’s not use them as props against each other.

As a poor family. I sorry you don’t want our kids. Actually some of us aren’t that poor, we make different life choices. The best solution would be to open up another hs lower dcc.

Want to give you a big hug. Your kids are wanted. All kids are wanted. To be fair, from what I have read, I think everyone here welcomes diversity of income, culture and race. The problem is that no one of any income level wants to be bused away from their neighborhoods and rightfully so. Every school needs to be stronger and some underperforming schools need more money, support and staff. Whatever it takes, they should get it.

We are wanted as long as we are not in your schools or competition for your kids. No one wants their kids bussed but maybe this will give those kids opportunities they don’t have to get ahead. Our kids don’t have the same opportunities.

Unfortunately it’s a zero sum game and we don’t get do overs with our kids’ education. I’d support funding more opportunities for your kids through modestly higher property taxes but not at the expense of my own kids’ opportunities or busing them across town. Everyone wants the best opportunities for their children (which is why most of us moved to the best place we could afford) and are looking to preserve that as much as possible in an increasingly uncertain world.

Wow we are all on the same team PP. it’s not a zero sum game.

Are we? There's only one (or few) valedictorians and there's an implicit quota in how many kids from each school matriculate to a particular university. We're not in this together and that's been apparent since I set foot in this county or on DCUM and seen others asking questions about the "preferred preschool to get into the Ivy League" or "my DD has the following stats but they don't have a hook and therefore, didn't get into [insert highly selective university]", especially as our kids get closer and closer to high school. We're more like participants running the gauntlet in The Hunger Games where "may the odds ever be in your favor". This is the meritocracy that we find ourselves in and the system that each of us has to face (or ignore). So forgive me if I don't want my kids being bussed across town to a different school and not the neighborhood school I've already paid a high cost entry fee to get into.

You did not pay a "fee" to "get into" your neighborhood. You purchased an asset, which you can sell or rent out if you want.

I purchased an asset at a several hundred thousand dollar premium to comparable assets because of its access to a desirable public school cluster.

Hard eye roll. You never signed a contract with MCPS to guarantee you that school. That’s a you problem.

Similarly, if parents have issues with their current neighborhood school cluster, that's a "you problem". If you think families that purchased homes that are 2-3x the price of other comparable homes in the county based in large part because of school boundaries will sit idly by during this process, you are sadly mistaken.