6/24/2025 BOE Meeting Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

And rising 5th graders for MS programs between their 6th and 7th year. These are the same kids that had kindergarten online.

MCPs really screwed up by not concurrently surveying people for programs and boundaries. They were a bit deceptive in the vagueness of the program survey and the short timeline.

I thought that the program analysis wasn't including middle school programs until later on.

It’s all being implemented at the same time. They showed that they are now moving on to phase 2 which includes middle school programs

It’s printed on and was discussed on the slide titled “Phase 2 Outreach and Engagement”. It’s the last bullet point

[Anonymous]

The slide that showed the programs combined as 4-5 rather than the original 8 themes went by fast. Does anyone have it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

These are the students who missed magnet opportunities due to the lottery for elementary and middle school programs. And now going to miss high school magnet again due to brand new regional programs. MCPS is giving them no chance!

please stop repeating the same tired misinformation over and over again. Magnet opportunities are not open lotteries. Yes they have less restrictive eligibility criteria than in the past, but they are still for very smart kids. Stop trying to pretend they McPS’s selection process for these programs (primarily MAP scores) has been so accurate in identifying kids that it was a point of pride for the district It never was.

Then you explain why my 99+% kids never got chance to attend magnet? Even once?

Would you be satisfied with a watered down "baseline" magnet program at more high schools with fewer well-prepared teachers? I wonder if that is where we are headed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

These are the students who missed magnet opportunities due to the lottery for elementary and middle school programs. And now going to miss high school magnet again due to brand new regional programs. MCPS is giving them no chance!

please stop repeating the same tired misinformation over and over again. Magnet opportunities are not open lotteries. Yes they have less restrictive eligibility criteria than in the past, but they are still for very smart kids. Stop trying to pretend they McPS’s selection process for these programs (primarily MAP scores) has been so accurate in identifying kids that it was a point of pride for the district It never was.

Then you explain why my 99+% kids never got chance to attend magnet? Even once?

Because it’s a limited number of spots for kids who meet the eligibility criteria. That’s not the same as saying it’s an open lottery for all kids in McPS. But you probably know that already and just like to complain.

They would have the opportunities to attend magnet before the lottery was implemented. You should know 85% and 99% are not the same. But instead you just play dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They shared program themes and proposed regions. Not a lot of specifics, but a start of a plan.

+1. The regions matched what was pictured here:

https://montgomeryperspective.com/2025/06/24/will-there-be-regions-in-mcps/

This makes zero sense and all over the place.

It's hard to know whether or not it makes sense until we know the new cluster boundaries themselves.

I disagree. They need to figure out how the programs will work so we can have better informed opinions surrounding the boundary changes. Right now most people are having a gut reaction to the changes because they think they’ll be stuck in a school that doesn’t provide them the same opportunities. But with this regional model, you actually have a better chance of getting to pick the school you’d rather be at. The boundary options actually make better sense now. But if they could clean up all the really weird splits, that’d be great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

These are the students who missed magnet opportunities due to the lottery for elementary and middle school programs. And now going to miss high school magnet again due to brand new regional programs. MCPS is giving them no chance!

It sounds like each region will still have a criteria based program for G&T learners. They haven’t fully flushed it out, but they did elude to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

So rising 8th graders apply for the existing programs and get to stay in them through the end of high school? I assume they won’t just get kicked out mid way through high school when everything changes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

These are the students who missed magnet opportunities due to the lottery for elementary and middle school programs. And now going to miss high school magnet again due to brand new regional programs. MCPS is giving them no chance!

please stop repeating the same tired misinformation over and over again. Magnet opportunities are not open lotteries. Yes they have less restrictive eligibility criteria than in the past, but they are still for very smart kids. Stop trying to pretend they McPS’s selection process for these programs (primarily MAP scores) has been so accurate in identifying kids that it was a point of pride for the district It never was.

Then you explain why my 99+% kids never got chance to attend magnet? Even once?

Would you be satisfied with a watered down "baseline" magnet program at more high schools with fewer well-prepared teachers? I wonder if that is where we are headed.

Not the PP, but my kids did not win lottery anytime as well. For thousands of kids who are not winning lottery , mini magnet is far better than nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

These are the students who missed magnet opportunities due to the lottery for elementary and middle school programs. And now going to miss high school magnet again due to brand new regional programs. MCPS is giving them no chance!

please stop repeating the same tired misinformation over and over again. Magnet opportunities are not open lotteries. Yes they have less restrictive eligibility criteria than in the past, but they are still for very smart kids. Stop trying to pretend they McPS’s selection process for these programs (primarily MAP scores) has been so accurate in identifying kids that it was a point of pride for the district It never was.

Then you explain why my 99+% kids never got chance to attend magnet? Even once?

Would you be satisfied with a watered down "baseline" magnet program at more high schools with fewer well-prepared teachers? I wonder if that is where we are headed.

Not the PP, but my kids did not win lottery anytime as well. For thousands of kids who are not winning lottery , mini magnet is far better than nothing.

I agree. If I could do it again I would have moved to Fairfax where they have the “advanced coursework” AAP for 20 pct of kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

So rising 8th graders apply for the existing programs and get to stay in them through the end of high school? I assume they won’t just get kicked out mid way through high school when everything changes?

MCPS might let these kids stay as the final countywide magnet class, but it’s a raw deal. With six new regional programs pulling teachers away for better jobs, we’ll likely see staff jumping ship. Competition clubs are going to fizzle out year by year from lack of interest. Resources will dry up , leaving these students stuck in a sinking program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

These are the students who missed magnet opportunities due to the lottery for elementary and middle school programs. And now going to miss high school magnet again due to brand new regional programs. MCPS is giving them no chance!

please stop repeating the same tired misinformation over and over again. Magnet opportunities are not open lotteries. Yes they have less restrictive eligibility criteria than in the past, but they are still for very smart kids. Stop trying to pretend they McPS’s selection process for these programs (primarily MAP scores) has been so accurate in identifying kids that it was a point of pride for the district It never was.

Then you explain why my 99+% kids never got chance to attend magnet? Even once?

Would you be satisfied with a watered down "baseline" magnet program at more high schools with fewer well-prepared teachers? I wonder if that is where we are headed.

Not the PP, but my kids did not win lottery anytime as well. For thousands of kids who are not winning lottery , mini magnet is far better than nothing.

I agree. If I could do it again I would have moved to Fairfax where they have the “advanced coursework” AAP for 20 pct of kids.

That would be a much better option to be honest. Yah, there will be gap between 80 percentile vs 99 percentaile but it's far far better than 99% kids not able to access programs due to dumb lottery. Just take top 5, top 10 or top 20 percent kids based on criterion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

So rising 8th graders apply for the existing programs and get to stay in them through the end of high school? I assume they won’t just get kicked out mid way through high school when everything changes?

My guess is that for any programs that are changing to regional programs and staying at the same school (as I assume will be the case for most of the most well-regarded programs), already-enrolled kids from elsewhere in the county will be able to stay but the incoming classes after the change will have to follow the new geographic eligibility restrictions. That's both reasonable and pretty logistically straightforward, I think.

The bigger question is if they decide to move or end any programs, what will they do with already-enrolled students? That's much more complicated (especially if the program is moving and they want some of the staff to move too)-- I imagine they will try to minimize that but they probably can't avoid it entirely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have any of the more evolved members of the WJ community thought to explain to Liz King that Woodward is funded by taxpayer dollars and obviously does not belong to the WJ community? She should know she doesn't have the WJ PTA support and I suggest the PTA make that clear publicly. She is so offensive, even if she is willing to allow (barf) DCC kids into Woodward.

She wasn't saying it was only for WJ, but that students currently in the WJ catchment area shouldn't get sent elsewhere, only to Woodward or WJ

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

These are the students who missed magnet opportunities due to the lottery for elementary and middle school programs. And now going to miss high school magnet again due to brand new regional programs. MCPS is giving them no chance!

please stop repeating the same tired misinformation over and over again. Magnet opportunities are not open lotteries. Yes they have less restrictive eligibility criteria than in the past, but they are still for very smart kids. Stop trying to pretend they McPS’s selection process for these programs (primarily MAP scores) has been so accurate in identifying kids that it was a point of pride for the district It never was.

Then you explain why my 99+% kids never got chance to attend magnet? Even once?

Would you be satisfied with a watered down "baseline" magnet program at more high schools with fewer well-prepared teachers? I wonder if that is where we are headed.

Not the PP, but my kids did not win lottery anytime as well. For thousands of kids who are not winning lottery , mini magnet is far better than nothing.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they say anything more about timeline?

Recommendation on program study and boundary study targeted for December 2025, board approval by Feb 2026 and implementation for the 2026-2027 school year (ex applications for the new high school programs) if I understood correctly.

Gotcha. So sounds like the actual changes to programs would then start in the 2027-2028 school year at the earliest?

That’s my understanding-changes will apply for rising 7th graders.

So rising 8th graders apply for the existing programs and get to stay in them through the end of high school? I assume they won’t just get kicked out mid way through high school when everything changes?

MCPS might let these kids stay as the final countywide magnet class, but it’s a raw deal. With six new regional programs pulling teachers away for better jobs, we’ll likely see staff jumping ship. Competition clubs are going to fizzle out year by year from lack of interest. Resources will dry up , leaving these students stuck in a sinking program.

So according to you guys, not only are there supposedly only 100 kids a year in the county who are smart enough to attend the existing magnet before you have to start watering it down with kids who can't handle the curriculum (and who apparently won't be interested in extracurriculars either so all the clubs will disappear?!), but there are also only a handful of teachers in the county good enough to teach at it and none of the other hundreds or thousands of teachers could possibly be trained to?