Initial boundary options for Woodward study area are up

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:To have the luxury to not worry about 100s of thousands of dollars…..lol. Love it.

Omg, so dramatic.

You don't lose 100s of thousands in cash when your property value goes down. Your mortgage stays the same. You have food and shelter and so much more. Good lord.

Oof. The lack of economic sense is a sight to behold, as is the twisting of words. Of course you have less money if your property value declines. It happens when you sell your house.

Yes, when you sell your house and your property value has gone down, you won't make as much money. That is the reality of property ownership. No property carries with it a guarantee of maintaining its value. You'll learn when you are all grown up and have a mortgage yourself.

And some of us need that money to send kids to college. We aren’t like you, who can afford otherwise.

How quickly y'all pivot from "you don't own a house" to "you're actually super rich"

DP.

+1 lol

[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.

Apparently, the residents of Pakrwood/TOK were promised that they would always attend WJ when they closed Kensington Elementary (the current site of the Housing Opportunities Commission(

If I promise you verbally that I will give you $1 million, can you sue me for that money?

Yes, what harm could it do for elected officials and school personnel to lie to the people they serve?

. You are right, they shouldn't have made promises that they had no legal authority to make.

And now they’ll just suffer the consequences.

Who? What consequences?

Elected officials and school personnel that lie. Consequences would be getting voted out, lack of trust, less parental involvement, less community engagement, etc etc etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To have the luxury to not worry about 100s of thousands of dollars…..lol. Love it.

Omg, so dramatic.

You don't lose 100s of thousands in cash when your property value goes down. Your mortgage stays the same. You have food and shelter and so much more. Good lord.

Oof. The lack of economic sense is a sight to behold, as is the twisting of words. Of course you have less money if your property value declines. It happens when you sell your house.

Yes, when you sell your house and your property value has gone down, you won't make as much money. That is the reality of property ownership. No property carries with it a guarantee of maintaining its value. You'll learn when you are all grown up and have a mortgage yourself.

And some of us need that money to send kids to college. We aren’t like you, who can afford otherwise.

How quickly y'all pivot from "you don't own a house" to "you're actually super rich"

DP.

+1 lol

There are multiple posters

[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.

Apparently, the residents of Pakrwood/TOK were promised that they would always attend WJ when they closed Kensington Elementary (the current site of the Housing Opportunities Commission(

If I promise you verbally that I will give you $1 million, can you sue me for that money?

Yes, what harm could it do for elected officials and school personnel to lie to the people they serve?

. You are right, they shouldn't have made promises that they had no legal authority to make.

And now they’ll just suffer the consequences.

Who? What consequences?

Elected officials and school personnel that lie. Consequences would be getting voted out, lack of trust, less parental involvement, less community engagement, etc etc etc.

I don't think the elected officials that made those promises are still in office? Or was it Elrich?

[Anonymous]

People who don’t worry about finances shouldn’t be lecturing people who do worry about finances.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To have the luxury to not worry about 100s of thousands of dollars…..lol. Love it.

Omg, so dramatic.

You don't lose 100s of thousands in cash when your property value goes down. Your mortgage stays the same. You have food and shelter and so much more. Good lord.

Oof. The lack of economic sense is a sight to behold, as is the twisting of words. Of course you have less money if your property value declines. It happens when you sell your house.

Yes, when you sell your house and your property value has gone down, you won't make as much money. That is the reality of property ownership. No property carries with it a guarantee of maintaining its value. You'll learn when you are all grown up and have a mortgage yourself.

And some of us need that money to send kids to college. We aren’t like you, who can afford otherwise.

How quickly y'all pivot from "you don't own a house" to "you're actually super rich"

DP.

+1 lol

There are multiple posters

Which makes the absurdity above okay?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who don’t worry about finances shouldn’t be lecturing people who do worry about finances.

I don't worry about finances because I live below my means. I didn't worry about finances when I made $30k either.

[Anonymous]

And please if you are worried about losing "100s of thousands" then you own a very valuable asset and have all of your basic needs met and more.

[Anonymous]

I am not terribly worried about my property values. I do care about County taxes and if one of these options means the county doesnt need to rent $100,000/year portables, or build a new school in 10 years because of overcrowding, that seems like a good option the BOE should pursue.

If another option means the bus budget triples, that's a bad option. Even if I pull my kid out of MCPS, all county residents will bear the brunt of a bad decision made on boundaries.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And please if you are worried about losing "100s of thousands" then you own a very valuable asset and have all of your basic needs met and more.

Maybe you shouldn't be poor and move to our county, generating a net drain on county resources, or maybe pull yourself up by your bootstraps and move to a better cluster if you want your kid to have better opportunities. See how that works? Why is it the county's job to arbitrarily create affordable housing? Relax zoning restrictions and let the free market work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think what people are mostly upset over is the option 3 long bus rides when they are in walk zones. Plus frustration at the deep pockets of poverty that exist and the failure of housing and zoning policy to address that.

People are also frustrated that better opportunities aren’t available at all schools (like all APs - it’s not that hard just make it available online or bus to another high school for first period!). Plus the reality is that some (maybe all) schools have some pretty serious security issues (again that should be fixable).

Of course we need to fill the new schools and everyone understands they could have to move schools. But why should kids have to take long bus rides cross county (East and West) to make up for failed policies? You’re putting it all on them to shoulder, and they’re just kids. Plus their parents who may or may not have reliable transportation. You could be taking away the ability for a kid and their parents to fully participate in all that a school has to offer, just because of transportation. I know I love going to concerts and home games and I just couldn’t do that if the school was a half hour away (and I have a car).

But yes, you are right, some are upset about property values. Just try to have some empathy on that. You’re probably talking $100,000 to $200,000 cut in property value for some areas and that’s going to hurt some families. Maybe affect retirements and sending kids to college etc. so it is a real issue for most families. Be kind on that issue.

We can pretend that we are above that, or it shouldn’t matter, but it does. That doesn’t make it predatory capitalism. You will understand one day when you have a mortgage. (Don’t worry, I fully understand that MCPS is not responsible for my property values and I understand the history.)

Finally, you have to recognize that the playing field is not the same, the Supreme Court has changed, and things sadly just are not the same as they were even 5 or 7 years ago. Recognizing that reality is being a reasonable adult and is not the same as acquiescing.

These issues are hard ones and so glad I don’t have to make these decisions myself. I do think we can all be kind though, not extremist, and empathetic.

Some of us don't have mortgages as we were financially responsible, bought what we could afford at a lower income and never moved. So, we put that extra money into paying off our houses so come college time no mortgage (or better high school when activitiy expenses are high). I'd be thrilled if my property went down $100-200K or more. Less taxes. Think logically.

Look, we get you don't want our kids. We are ok with it. We may have just as much money as you or more but you look down on us because of where or how we live nor do you want your housekeeper or gardener's kids with your kids. Many of us choose not to live in your school district to avoid our kids growing up in that world of entitlement and want them to be down to earth.

The big issue of busing the not so wealthy kids is if they are sick/parents don't have cars, they cannot pick them up easily. Or, get back and forth easily for activities and sports.

The easy solution is to make the less wealthy schools more appealing by providing them with the classes and activities/sports/clubs so people will stay. But, wait, that takes away from the wealthy schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And please if you are worried about losing "100s of thousands" then you own a very valuable asset and have all of your basic needs met and more.

Maybe you shouldn't be poor and move to our county, generating a net drain on county resources, or maybe pull yourself up by your bootstraps and move to a better cluster if you want your kid to have better opportunities. See how that works? Why is it the county's job to arbitrarily create affordable housing? Relax zoning restrictions and let the free market work.

If they don't create affordable housing, who will teach your kids, provide day care, work in the stores/restaurants/delivery, or, your social workers, teachers, paraprofessionals, school security, bus drivers and more....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not terribly worried about my property values. I do care about County taxes and if one of these options means the county doesnt need to rent $100,000/year portables, or build a new school in 10 years because of overcrowding, that seems like a good option the BOE should pursue.

If another option means the bus budget triples, that's a bad option. Even if I pull my kid out of MCPS, all county residents will bear the brunt of a bad decision made on boundaries.

They could buy a portable for that much money a year. All it is, is a fancy shed with ac and some with bathrooms.

[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.

You don’t need to be unkind. Even buyers without school age children can and should take school assignments into consideration because it directly impacts home value. While boundaries can and do change, it’s not an unreasonable position to feel you’re not getting what you felt you planned for or a reasonably comparable alternative. MCPS should not be in the position of making numerous families feel bait-and-switched.

Greetings from 2025. MCPS has several overcrowded high schools and has therefore worked to construct two new high schools to reduce or hopefully eliminate overcrowding. In order for that to happen, many students will need to be reassigned to different schools. There is simply no way around that.

Obviously some people will need to shift. But certain proposed options on the table create big changes that no one could have reasonably expected or anticipated. I’m not even personally in this position but it’s obviously upsetting for those who are and I don’t like all the anonymous victim blaming.

There are no victims right now. Nobody has been impacted by these decisions. Some may be worried that their home values are impacted by the simple consideration of them, but you have to understand how entitled and whiny that sounds. MCPS needs to manage its facilities effectively and efficiently. Having schools that are over capacity and others that are under capacity is not efficient. Concentrating poverty in certain schools undermines the kids' education, kids who by and large want to learn, despite some of the truly disgusting stereotypes articulated just in the last few pages of this thread.

I absolutely agree that long bus rides can be disruptive to families of all backgrounds and should be avoided. But this notion that MCPS should be held responsible for your property values is truly absurd and entitled. Learn a little something about how you have personally benefited from the history of oppression perpetrated by the government. Your home value would not be what it is today with is it redlining and racist exclusionary zoning. Jfc.

So let me make sure I understand this correctly... After calling families whiny and entitled and giving a short history lesson on how those families benefited from racist exclusionary zoning policies to get over their concerns... You want those same families to be open minded and embrace boundary changes that appear to have no meaningful benefit? Good luck with that.

Maybe try a different approach instead of being dismissive and condescending towards people that disagree while simultaneously looking for their support. Some of the people you are labeling as whiny and entitled that have unfairly benefited from exclusionary housing policies are the elected officials responsible for making the final decision on the boundary change.

There is no possibility of getting support from people who are so entitled that they think the government should not even DISCUSS options for improving MCPS's ability to effectively educate our kids, for fear of even temporarily impacting their property values. Gmafb. Some people are trash. They can stop being trash if they want but these folks sound way too far gone in their self-centeredness.

This is why progressives lose.

I'm not that progressive actually. But should Democrats appease people who tried to overturn the 2020 election? No, those people should be in prison.

People who can't handle a discussion about boundaries and argue that even just the discussion should not happen, should be laughed out of the room. It really is that extreme.

No one is actually telling you or anyone to stop talking. That’s a straw man you’ve invented. Based on your straw man you are calling people “trash” and likening them to the J6 traitors. You’re the one that is extreme.

I think that shutting down a discussion about public schools because it might harm your property values is very extreme. Sounds like you disagree.

I am very doubtful that making changes to school boundaries will have any meaningful change on the achievement gap or overcrowding. So its a really tough sell to ask households to support these changes and just have faith in MCPS.

You don't think having 2 new high schools will change overcrowding? Wow.

It will help but the county is building more high density housing all the time so its just going to get overcrowded again. They should leave space open at Woodward with all the new buildings in North Bethesda and Rockville and put another high school Down County, below Blair, more toward Takoma Park.

MCPS enrollment has declined for the last few years and I'd venture it will continue to go down, albeit slowly. People are having fewer kids.

They are pushing families out of MCPS. They got rid of a lot of programs and the quality of education is poor. Recently, they got rid of the MVA, an autism program and a trade program. All programs families desperately needed. A few hundred families left over the MVA alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To have the luxury to not worry about 100s of thousands of dollars…..lol. Love it.

Omg, so dramatic.

You don't lose 100s of thousands in cash when your property value goes down. Your mortgage stays the same. You have food and shelter and so much more. Good lord.

Oof. The lack of economic sense is a sight to behold, as is the twisting of words. Of course you have less money if your property value declines. It happens when you sell your house.

Yes, when you sell your house and your property value has gone down, you won't make as much money. That is the reality of property ownership. No property carries with it a guarantee of maintaining its value. You'll learn when you are all grown up and have a mortgage yourself.

And some of us need that money to send kids to college. We aren’t like you, who can afford otherwise.

Ok, I'm confused. So, you overspent on a house to get away from some of us, and then you cannot afford college. Sounds like a you problem. We bought a house we can afford and stayed so we can save and afford college, and have the house paid off before college. Would we like a big fancy house? Not sure, but I don't want the upkeep, maintenance, property taxes or stress. What you have. You cannot complain when you aren't willing to make the sacrifices.