Overcrowding at Bethesda Elementary (BE)

[Anonymous]

So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

I hear you. Our elementary school upcounty has had to double up on gym classes, eliminate media center as one of the specials for older grades, start serving lunch at 10:30 in the morning because only one grade can fit in the cafeteria at a time, split Back to School Night into two nights (one for K-2 and one for 3-5) because we can’t fit everybody at the same time, and my child spent two school years outside the school building in portable classrooms. For Halloween, the school implemented two concurrent costume parades, with K-2 starting at one end of the parade route and 3-5 starting at the other end and walking the parade route in opposite directions at the same time. We were enrolled at 150% or more of core capacity every year that my now sixth grader attended the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

You all fund and support Pat O'Neill on the Board of Education for decades. You get what you pay for.

[Anonymous]

The “new” MCPS projection numbers do not account for construction projects within a school’s boundaries. They used 2016 housing data and added a 1% growth per year county-wide in last year’s projections. You should talk to your PTA cluster representative and/or B-CC cluster organizers. There have been B-CC parents working on trying to get MCPS to improve their forecasting and recognize the obvious fact that if the County has a stated plan to cluster development in certain areas and not others (near metro/270 corridor), then some school catchment areas are going to experience much more growth than others.

[Anonymous]

And also there is supposedly a joint B-CC/WJ elementary school capacity study going on right now. But the last meetings were in June and the promised August/September meeting has not materialized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

Our ES has PE outside almost all year due to lack of space..yours seems like a teacher shortage.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

Our ES has PE outside almost all year due to lack of space..yours seems like a teacher shortage.

They have 2 PE teachers per doubled up PE classes. This is common at many schools.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like our Focus school in Silver Spring. It’s terrible.

We also have ‘art on a cart’ which is nowhere near as engaging as when the kids get to do art in an actual Art classroom.

Our PE classes are also doubled up. Two classrooms in one PE class.

Indoor recess is also awful. Two classes smooshed together in one classroom because they have nowhere else to go. With one recess aide. Often ends up with the kids just watching something on the Promethean board.

I thought it was just an issue with our Focus school not having enough money, but sounds like it’s universal.

Montgomery County continues to add more and more and more people. Lots of those new arrivals have kids. Which means that already overcrowded schools just get more overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

There is no plan. The BOE cares about equity and transgender restrooms. Seriously. They do not care about overcrowded classrooms. A group of parents from our nonW cluster testified about this last year and we were completely shut down.

The schools Principals are left to piece together coverage and classrooms and hallways are filled to capacity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

Our ES has PE outside almost all year due to lack of space..yours seems like a teacher shortage.

They have 2 PE teachers per doubled up PE classes. This is common at many schools.

Suggest they go outside and break the classes in to two..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

Our ES has PE outside almost all year due to lack of space..yours seems like a teacher shortage.

They have 2 PE teachers per doubled up PE classes. This is common at many schools.

Suggest they go outside and break the classes in to two..

DP

How would this work? Then, they would need two PE teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

Our ES has PE outside almost all year due to lack of space..yours seems like a teacher shortage.

They have 2 PE teachers per doubled up PE classes. This is common at many schools.

Suggest they go outside and break the classes in to two..

DP

How would this work? Then, they would need two PE teachers.

Uh, it clearly says above that they have 2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, last night was back to school night at BE. I expected overcrowding, but this was a new low. Physical Education classes have been doubled up, with almost 60 kids in a period. This means that for half the time, half the kids sit while the other run around. Not kidding--this is really happening, have verified with a couple of parents. They can no longer fit all the kids into the art room, so they now wheel an "art cart" into some classrooms for the kids to do art. The school is now so overcrowded that it seems to me like an emergency. What is most frustrating is the total lack of concern by our elected officials and school administrators. We (parents) have been warning about this for years. We've all seen the construction. Whatever the cause--teardowns, condos, apartments--does it matter? What is the plan for next year? Three classes in one P.E. period? I know the boundary study is forthcoming, but this is an issue now.

There is no plan. The BOE cares about equity and transgender restrooms. Seriously. They do not care about overcrowded classrooms. A group of parents from our nonW cluster testified about this last year and we were completely shut down.

The schools Principals are left to piece together coverage and classrooms and hallways are filled to capacity.

There is a plan. What there isn't, is a simple answer.

And you seem to be more interested in transgender bathrooms than the BoE.

[Anonymous]

My youngest just graduated from Bethesda Elementary last year and I love that school.

Ms. Seymour has worked incredibly hard for years to bring awareness of downtown overcrowding, as have the Principals at the middle school and high school level for our cluster, as well as the surrounding clusters. I hope you're not blaming each school's administration, but rather the lack of funding and inertia at the County and State level. They hold the purse-strings.

There is a study being done right now to assess where to put in a new elementary in our area, and whether to share it with the Walter Johnson cluster, also overcrowded. Woodward high school will be opened in 2025 on Old Georgetown Rd, which will provide some relief at the high school level.

MCPS IS OVERCROWDED AND IT'S SHAMEFUL HOW LATE THE STATE AND COUNTY ARE RESPONDING. DEVELOPERS ARE FRIENDS WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT EVERY LEVEL. THEY ARE GIVEN PRIORITY OVER OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION.

I'll tell you what we need to do: something has to give. The public school budget is already weighing extremely heavily on the State's finances. We need to take a good hard look at what we can cut from MCPS, to preserve a decent teacher:student ratio in core classes, which is the backbone of a good education. It's sad to say, but as a parent who has lived through multiple private and public school systems, here and in different countries, we cannot have our cake and eat it too. We can enact laws to stave off development, which will impact our local economy but stabilize the school system so it doesn't traumatize a generation of kids, but we can't magic money that doesn't exist to build new schools. Cuts are in order, whether we like it or not.

The question is: where?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

MCPS IS OVERCROWDED AND IT'S SHAMEFUL HOW LATE THE STATE AND COUNTY ARE RESPONDING. DEVELOPERS ARE FRIENDS WITH OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AT EVERY LEVEL. THEY ARE GIVEN PRIORITY OVER OUR CHILDREN'S EDUCATION.

(Just pointing out that

1. there's a housing shortage
2. people need places to live
3. developers build housing (probably a developer built your housing)
4. at least since World War II, during times of growing enrollment, school construction has lagged behind enrollment in Montgomery County)