timeline for Woodward/WJ decision?

Anonymous
We are looking to move to MoCo for schools as are kids get older, but having trouble finding any concrete information about when decisions will be made.Love kensington area but concerned about this rejiggering of boundaries. Will be moving in the next year or so, as oldest finishes elementary school. Is there any chance that decisions or at least a process will be set by fall 2019 or spring 2020?
TIA!
Anonymous
Highly unlikely. Earliest Woodward could open is Fall of 2022. Boundary study 12-18 mos before opening. That puts the boundary study in Spring- Fall of 2021. And that’s if they stay on pace for earliest possible opening.
Anonymous
Woodward HS opening will impact 8 high schools according to current McPS study. With a new BOE, anything is possible after November. MCPS needs disversity in each school so additional HS may be pulled into Woodward redistricting in future. You can move to a house next to an ES to secure a seat in a desirable ES but no one can predict which MS or HS this ES will feed to. The only sure thing is to move to a house near Potomac ES so other HS would be too far for its students. Kensington is not too far from 2-4 HSs so a signle family home community could be easily moved to another MS or HS to balance the FARM rate or racial diversity in amother HS.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Woodward HS opening will impact 8 high schools according to current McPS study. With a new BOE, anything is possible after November. MCPS needs disversity in each school so additional HS may be pulled into Woodward redistricting in future. You can move to a house next to an ES to secure a seat in a desirable ES but no one can predict which MS or HS this ES will feed to. The only sure thing is to move to a house near Potomac ES so other HS would be too far for its students. Kensington is not too far from 2-4 HSs so a signle family home community could be easily moved to another MS or HS to balance the FARM rate or racial diversity in amother HS.


6 high schools: Walter Johnson and the Downcounty Consortium (Blair, Einstein, Kennedy, Northwood, Wheaton).

Woodward High School
Capital Project: To address the urgent space needs in the
Downcounty Consortium high schools, expenditures were
approved to construct additional capacity and provide the
instructional support spaces needed for 2,700 students at
Northwood High School. Therefore, an FY 2019 appropriation
was approved to begin this project. Additionally, expenditures
were approved to reopen Woodward High School to address
the remaining space deficits in the Downcounty Consortium
high schools and Walter Johnson High School. An FY 2019
appropriation was approved for planning funds to reopen
Woodward High School. Given that the current Woodward
High School facility is significantly smaller than the proposed,
2,700 student capacity, an addition was approved to provide
some of the needed capacity and for flexibility during construction
as the first phase of the project. An FY 2019 appropriation
was approved for planning and construction funds for the first
phase. Once planning is complete, recommendations will
be included in the next full CIP regarding the phasing and
completion dates for both high school projects.


http://gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/MP19_Chap4_WJ.pdf

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Woodward HS opening will impact 8 high schools according to current McPS study. With a new BOE, anything is possible after November. MCPS needs disversity in each school so additional HS may be pulled into Woodward redistricting in future. You can move to a house next to an ES to secure a seat in a desirable ES but no one can predict which MS or HS this ES will feed to. The only sure thing is to move to a house near Potomac ES so other HS would be too far for its students. Kensington is not too far from 2-4 HSs so a signle family home community could be easily moved to another MS or HS to balance the FARM rate or racial diversity in amother HS.


Eh. Send them to Wootton HS, or Quince Orchard HS.

Plus Potomac ES is currently at the Radnor holding facility, much to the chagrin of certain Potomac ES parents.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/school-systems-working-plan-is-to-move-potomac-elementary-students-to-radnor/

The moral is: you never know. OP, my advice is: find a residence you like and can afford, in a neighborhood you like, with a commute that works for your household.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Woodward HS opening will impact 8 high schools according to current McPS study. With a new BOE, anything is possible after November. MCPS needs disversity in each school so additional HS may be pulled into Woodward redistricting in future. You can move to a house next to an ES to secure a seat in a desirable ES but no one can predict which MS or HS this ES will feed to. The only sure thing is to move to a house near Potomac ES so other HS would be too far for its students. Kensington is not too far from 2-4 HSs so a signle family home community could be easily moved to another MS or HS to balance the FARM rate or racial diversity in amother HS.


Eh. Send them to Wootton HS, or Quince Orchard HS.

Plus Potomac ES is currently at the Radnor holding facility, much to the chagrin of certain Potomac ES parents.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/schools/school-systems-working-plan-is-to-move-potomac-elementary-students-to-radnor/

The moral is: you never know. OP, my advice is: find a residence you like and can afford, in a neighborhood you like, with a commute that works for your household.


True. And proximity is sometimes no safety net. My friends live near Wootton HS, and could walk there, but their neighborhood was redistricted to Richard Montgomery HS a number of years ago, requiring a bus ride.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:

True. And proximity is sometimes no safety net. My friends live near Wootton HS, and could walk there, but their neighborhood was redistricted to Richard Montgomery HS a number of years ago, requiring a bus ride.


Specifically, 31 years ago. In 1987. But I guess this grave injustice still rankles some.
Anonymous

Pull a map from the internet that outlines MCPS boundaries. Woodward HS is on Old Georgetown Rd. Imagine pulling from surrounding areas to create a whole new cluster.

MCPS just got the go ahead to weigh geographic diversity a little more than other criteria when determining a school's make-up, which means that some wealthy fringes might find themselves in the downcounty consortium with the less wealthy areas in Silver Spring and Wheaton. MCPS has said, however, that they will not return to lengthy bus rides. So to be completely safe, buy a little west of Old Georgetown Rd / Wisconsin Ave.

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Pull a map from the internet that outlines MCPS boundaries. Woodward HS is on Old Georgetown Rd. Imagine pulling from surrounding areas to create a whole new cluster.

MCPS just got the go ahead to weigh geographic diversity a little more than other criteria when determining a school's make-up, which means that some wealthy fringes might find themselves in the downcounty consortium with the less wealthy areas in Silver Spring and Wheaton. MCPS has said, however, that they will not return to lengthy bus rides. So to be completely safe, buy a little west of Old Georgetown Rd / Wisconsin Ave.



Safe from what? Going to Woodward HS instead of Walter Johnson HS?
Anonymous
DCC parent chiming in: sorry you stand to lose money on your house because my kids might have to go to school with your kids. Life is full of risks. Just buy a house where you want to live and have a little faith that your children will be fine.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Pull a map from the internet that outlines MCPS boundaries. Woodward HS is on Old Georgetown Rd. Imagine pulling from surrounding areas to create a whole new cluster.

MCPS just got the go ahead to weigh geographic diversity a little more than other criteria when determining a school's make-up, which means that some wealthy fringes might find themselves in the downcounty consortium with the less wealthy areas in Silver Spring and Wheaton. MCPS has said, however, that they will not return to lengthy bus rides. So to be completely safe, buy a little west of Old Georgetown Rd / Wisconsin Ave.



Safe from what? Going to Woodward HS instead of Walter Johnson HS?


No. The assumption is that all Bethesda high schools will be way better than elsewhere (controversial, I know). So you want Woodward, or WJ, or WW, or BCC. I am not familiar with Churchill so cannot comment. I've heard Rockville is not as good. So if your priority is to hit any of these clusters and avoid the others, you need to be at the geographic epicenter, because they won't bus your kid that far as to cross half them to another high school. That's all.

Naturally, we all have other considerations, such as commute, walkability, feel of the neighborhood, availability of homes you like and that you can afford (!), preference of X, Y, Z elementaries and middle schools... so all this needs to be integrated into your reasoning.

We ended up close to downtown Bethesda (west side), because of commute, walkability and we wanted to be in-bounds for the Bethesda Elementary School, as it has a focus on special needs and one of our children has special needs. So our cluster is BCC, and will likely stay that way. East Bethesda might be moved to another cluster.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:

No. The assumption is that all Bethesda high schools will be way better than elsewhere (controversial, I know). So you want Woodward, or WJ, or WW, or BCC. I am not familiar with Churchill so cannot comment. I've heard Rockville is not as good. So if your priority is to hit any of these clusters and avoid the others, you need to be at the geographic epicenter, because they won't bus your kid that far as to cross half them to another high school. That's all.

Naturally, we all have other considerations, such as commute, walkability, feel of the neighborhood, availability of homes you like and that you can afford (!), preference of X, Y, Z elementaries and middle schools... so all this needs to be integrated into your reasoning.

We ended up close to downtown Bethesda (west side), because of commute, walkability and we wanted to be in-bounds for the Bethesda Elementary School, as it has a focus on special needs and one of our children has special needs. So our cluster is BCC, and will likely stay that way. East Bethesda might be moved to another cluster.


The OP is thinking about Kensington. That's B-CC and the DCC (Einstein), no? Do you think that the OP is concerned about being rezoned from Einstein to Woodward?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

No. The assumption is that all Bethesda high schools will be way better than elsewhere (controversial, I know). So you want Woodward, or WJ, or WW, or BCC. I am not familiar with Churchill so cannot comment. I've heard Rockville is not as good. So if your priority is to hit any of these clusters and avoid the others, you need to be at the geographic epicenter, because they won't bus your kid that far as to cross half them to another high school. That's all.

Naturally, we all have other considerations, such as commute, walkability, feel of the neighborhood, availability of homes you like and that you can afford (!), preference of X, Y, Z elementaries and middle schools... so all this needs to be integrated into your reasoning.

We ended up close to downtown Bethesda (west side), because of commute, walkability and we wanted to be in-bounds for the Bethesda Elementary School, as it has a focus on special needs and one of our children has special needs. So our cluster is BCC, and will likely stay that way. East Bethesda might be moved to another cluster.


The OP is thinking about Kensington. That's B-CC and the DCC (Einstein), no? Do you think that the OP is concerned about being rezoned from Einstein to Woodward?


Some parts of Kensington feed into WJ.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

No. The assumption is that all Bethesda high schools will be way better than elsewhere (controversial, I know). So you want Woodward, or WJ, or WW, or BCC. I am not familiar with Churchill so cannot comment. I've heard Rockville is not as good. So if your priority is to hit any of these clusters and avoid the others, you need to be at the geographic epicenter, because they won't bus your kid that far as to cross half them to another high school. That's all.

Naturally, we all have other considerations, such as commute, walkability, feel of the neighborhood, availability of homes you like and that you can afford (!), preference of X, Y, Z elementaries and middle schools... so all this needs to be integrated into your reasoning.

We ended up close to downtown Bethesda (west side), because of commute, walkability and we wanted to be in-bounds for the Bethesda Elementary School, as it has a focus on special needs and one of our children has special needs. So our cluster is BCC, and will likely stay that way. East Bethesda might be moved to another cluster.


The OP is thinking about Kensington. That's B-CC and the DCC (Einstein), no? Do you think that the OP is concerned about being rezoned from Einstein to Woodward?


Some parts of Kensington feed into WJ.


09:39 here. When I was looking at houses 10 years ago, the WJ houses were priced 100K higher than comparable Einstein houses.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:

No. The assumption is that all Bethesda high schools will be way better than elsewhere (controversial, I know). So you want Woodward, or WJ, or WW, or BCC. I am not familiar with Churchill so cannot comment. I've heard Rockville is not as good. So if your priority is to hit any of these clusters and avoid the others, you need to be at the geographic epicenter, because they won't bus your kid that far as to cross half them to another high school. That's all.

Naturally, we all have other considerations, such as commute, walkability, feel of the neighborhood, availability of homes you like and that you can afford (!), preference of X, Y, Z elementaries and middle schools... so all this needs to be integrated into your reasoning.

We ended up close to downtown Bethesda (west side), because of commute, walkability and we wanted to be in-bounds for the Bethesda Elementary School, as it has a focus on special needs and one of our children has special needs. So our cluster is BCC, and will likely stay that way. East Bethesda might be moved to another cluster.


The OP is thinking about Kensington. That's B-CC and the DCC (Einstein), no? Do you think that the OP is concerned about being rezoned from Einstein to Woodward?


OP wouldn't be posting if you were right, PP.
We're talking about staying in Bethesda clusters.
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