How do we advocate for better middle school options

[Anonymous]

Given the amount of interest in the lottery (something like 4100 families applied) what, if anything, can PGCPS do to give families more options for middle school?

College Park Academy, TAG centers and Pullen/Foulois/Hyattsville Arts Program get many more applications than there are spaces. There are several well regarded high school options but if you don't go to a specialty elementary school there isn't a lot of options. The only neighborhood schools that have OK reputations are MLK, Greenbelt, Kenmoor, Hyattsville (??), Ogle and Tasker. All but MLK and Ogle have specialty programs along with the regular stream. What about the other 18 middle schools in the county? How is PGCPS going to attract and retain middle class families with the hole in the system?

Could PGCPS add a IB program for middle school? Maybe add another or expand the existing Arts programs? Maybe add a vocational specialty program? Something else? Ideally they would just strengthen neighborhood schools but it doesn't seem like that is a problem that has a short time solution.

Am I alone in thinking that this is a major issues in PGCPS?

And before someone calls me out for being a racist, the vast majority of the families who pull their kids into private or specialty programs are non-white as am I. We are zoned for a middle school that is plagued with violence and I know several substitute teachers that refuse to work there.

[Anonymous]

This issue has been discussed numerous times on this board. Some suggest implementing more K-8 style schools so the transition to middle school is easier. Deeper issue is unlike MOCO & N. VA we don’t have entire zip codes that are filled by a certain “demographic” so local elementary schools with those demographics are plentiful but when it’s time for middle school you are pulling kids from multiple areas and the demographics change.