All the boundary options are bad for the DCC-- how do we organize against that? (Any ideas for alternative options?)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any DCC people/orgs starting to pull things together? People we should contact if we want to get involved? Facebook groups or listservs where we can communicate about this? (If folks are creating new ones, probably makes sense for it to be focused on looking out for the DCC's interests both around the boundary study and program analysis/proposed DCC abolishment? Or just a broader DCC-families-united type group that can include but not be limited to advocacy for those goals?) Sign-on letters being drafted and circulated?

I don't have the capacity to start any of them myself but would love to plug in if they're moving elsewhere. And I think if we don't start organizing and coordinating ourselves in those ways we're not going to succeed.

Is coordinating through DCC PTAs an option or are they required to stay neutral on this sort of thing? Don't know if they would even get involved but just curious.

There is some but the problem is most of the PTA families kids will graduate and this not impact them.

Also, many of the DCC PTAs are not as well staffed, engaged and organized as their Walter Johnson, Whitman and B-CC counterparts.

What do you mean? Northwood and Blair are getting what they want, aren’t they? Brand new school, keep the elite programs, not overcrowded.

Einstein is the one who needs to speak up. The continued focus on adding ToK to Einstein has caused your community to lose sight of anything else.

I have heard few if any actual people focus on adding ToK to Einstein. I think MCPS should do that but it's certainly not my focus, and my preferred option in the first set of options didn't do that. It's not a personal priority but I think it should be a priority for MCPS if they want to actually balance the 4 factors but they clearly do not.

[Anonymous]

Btw in the initial set of options our DCC PTA did advocate to keep our school from being split for middle school and we seem to have succeeded given the second set of options. We didn't know at the time that our focus should have been on preserving the DCC. I guess we weren't in the know about things MCPS wasn't letting people know about since we just DGAF about our kids or education s/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any DCC people/orgs starting to pull things together? People we should contact if we want to get involved? Facebook groups or listservs where we can communicate about this? (If folks are creating new ones, probably makes sense for it to be focused on looking out for the DCC's interests both around the boundary study and program analysis/proposed DCC abolishment? Or just a broader DCC-families-united type group that can include but not be limited to advocacy for those goals?) Sign-on letters being drafted and circulated?

I don't have the capacity to start any of them myself but would love to plug in if they're moving elsewhere. And I think if we don't start organizing and coordinating ourselves in those ways we're not going to succeed.

Is coordinating through DCC PTAs an option or are they required to stay neutral on this sort of thing? Don't know if they would even get involved but just curious.

There is some but the problem is most of the PTA families kids will graduate and this not impact them.

Also, many of the DCC PTAs are not as well staffed, engaged and organized as their Walter Johnson, Whitman and B-CC counterparts.

Not as many people who can afford to be SAHMs.

This is really not it. Most of the PTA folks at WJ are working parents. Not many SAHMs running things there. There are just more type A folks who want to be involved. Also more native-born Americans who appreciate and understand the importance of PTA.

+1, both parents work is the norm at these schools. Many of the PTA presidents are law firm partners or have pretty high level government jobs. They just make going to meetings like this a priority. I’ve done it multiple times. It’s exhausting to go to a 7 pm boundary study meeting after working 12 hours but hey, it’s my kids’ future. Stop playing down the fact that it’s a time or money issue. It’s a “who wants it more issue”. If your community cared enough, they’d do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any DCC people/orgs starting to pull things together? People we should contact if we want to get involved? Facebook groups or listservs where we can communicate about this? (If folks are creating new ones, probably makes sense for it to be focused on looking out for the DCC's interests both around the boundary study and program analysis/proposed DCC abolishment? Or just a broader DCC-families-united type group that can include but not be limited to advocacy for those goals?) Sign-on letters being drafted and circulated?

I don't have the capacity to start any of them myself but would love to plug in if they're moving elsewhere. And I think if we don't start organizing and coordinating ourselves in those ways we're not going to succeed.

Is coordinating through DCC PTAs an option or are they required to stay neutral on this sort of thing? Don't know if they would even get involved but just curious.

There is some but the problem is most of the PTA families kids will graduate and this not impact them.

Also, many of the DCC PTAs are not as well staffed, engaged and organized as their Walter Johnson, Whitman and B-CC counterparts.

Not as many people who can afford to be SAHMs.

This is really not it. Most of the PTA folks at WJ are working parents. Not many SAHMs running things there. There are just more type A folks who want to be involved. Also more native-born Americans who appreciate and understand the importance of PTA.

+1, both parents work is the norm at these schools. Many of the PTA presidents are law firm partners or have pretty high level government jobs. They just make going to meetings like this a priority. I’ve done it multiple times. It’s exhausting to go to a 7 pm boundary study meeting after working 12 hours but hey, it’s my kids’ future. Stop playing down the fact that it’s a time or money issue. It’s a “who wants it more issue”. If your community cared enough, they’d do the same.

In the initial set of options our DCC PTA did advocate to keep our school from being split for middle school and we seem to have succeeded given the second set of options. We didn't know at the time that our focus should have been on preserving the DCC. I guess we weren't in the know about things MCPS wasn't letting people know about since we just DGAF about our kids or education s/

[Anonymous]

There are 2 reasons why the Whitman cluster remains untouched. There is no other reasonably distanced option for most kids that live in boundary. Surveys showed that families hate having their kids on a bus for a long time. This is particularly detrimental to families with two working parents with limited transportation resources. It prevents kids from staying after school, participating in sports and other activities, or maintaining friendships. There was no way to tweak the boundaries without substantially adding long commutes. Survey results consistently showed that families, regardless of wealth, prioritized the need for neighborhood schools.

[Anonymous]

Perfect! Keep fighting with each other versus aiming your energies at the issue!

[Anonymous]

Focus on Whitman for your DCC advocacy!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Focus on Whitman for your DCC advocacy!

Yeah, I’m not sure what that gets you. Please explain like I’m five what you want Whitman to do or be that gets the DCC what they want.

[Anonymous]

It seems pretty clear that the DCC is being split up and each school is on its own for advocacy. Blair or Northwood seem unlikely to advocate for Einstein. MCPS has to fill Woodward.

Let the ToK issue go. There is no way they will walk to Einstein, with the recent tragedy of a student crossinf University Blvd. Focus on what you really want for Einstein, not what you want to take away from others. Look at what Wheaton has been able to do with Engineering.

To me, the appeal of Einstein is that it is smaller. I like that. I would also want high level classes, whether IB or AP. Maybe add a program like WJ has (Apex) instead of IB. Who gets the Medical Science program? Maybe it could be Einstein.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems pretty clear that the DCC is being split up and each school is on its own for advocacy. Blair or Northwood seem unlikely to advocate for Einstein. MCPS has to fill Woodward.

Let the ToK issue go. There is no way they will walk to Einstein, with the recent tragedy of a student crossinf University Blvd. Focus on what you really want for Einstein, not what you want to take away from others. Look at what Wheaton has been able to do with Engineering.

To me, the appeal of Einstein is that it is smaller. I like that. I would also want high level classes, whether IB or AP. Maybe add a program like WJ has (Apex) instead of IB. Who gets the Medical Science program? Maybe it could be Einstein.

Then fill out the surveys and go to the BOE and testify, that’s how it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems pretty clear that the DCC is being split up and each school is on its own for advocacy. Blair or Northwood seem unlikely to advocate for Einstein. MCPS has to fill Woodward.

Let the ToK issue go. There is no way they will walk to Einstein, with the recent tragedy of a student crossinf University Blvd. Focus on what you really want for Einstein, not what you want to take away from others. Look at what Wheaton has been able to do with Engineering.

To me, the appeal of Einstein is that it is smaller. I like that. I would also want high level classes, whether IB or AP. Maybe add a program like WJ has (Apex) instead of IB. Who gets the Medical Science program? Maybe it could be Einstein.

I have heard few if any actual people focus on adding ToK to Einstein. I think MCPS should do that but it's certainly not my focus. Our PTA's preferred option in the first set of options didn't do that. It's not a priority for our community but I think it should be a priority for MCPS if they want to actually balance the 4 factors but they clearly do not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems pretty clear that the DCC is being split up and each school is on its own for advocacy. Blair or Northwood seem unlikely to advocate for Einstein. MCPS has to fill Woodward.

Let the ToK issue go. There is no way they will walk to Einstein, with the recent tragedy of a student crossinf University Blvd. Focus on what you really want for Einstein, not what you want to take away from others. Look at what Wheaton has been able to do with Engineering.

To me, the appeal of Einstein is that it is smaller. I like that. I would also want high level classes, whether IB or AP. Maybe add a program like WJ has (Apex) instead of IB. Who gets the Medical Science program? Maybe it could be Einstein.

I have heard few if any actual people focus on adding ToK to Einstein. I think MCPS should do that but it's certainly not my focus. Our PTA's preferred option in the first set of options didn't do that. It's not a priority for our community but I think it should be a priority for MCPS if they want to actually balance the 4 factors but they clearly do not.

And yet it keeps coming up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any DCC people/orgs starting to pull things together? People we should contact if we want to get involved? Facebook groups or listservs where we can communicate about this? (If folks are creating new ones, probably makes sense for it to be focused on looking out for the DCC's interests both around the boundary study and program analysis/proposed DCC abolishment? Or just a broader DCC-families-united type group that can include but not be limited to advocacy for those goals?) Sign-on letters being drafted and circulated?

I don't have the capacity to start any of them myself but would love to plug in if they're moving elsewhere. And I think if we don't start organizing and coordinating ourselves in those ways we're not going to succeed.

Is coordinating through DCC PTAs an option or are they required to stay neutral on this sort of thing? Don't know if they would even get involved but just curious.

There is some but the problem is most of the PTA families kids will graduate and this not impact them.

Also, many of the DCC PTAs are not as well staffed, engaged and organized as their Walter Johnson, Whitman and B-CC counterparts.

Not as many people who can afford to be SAHMs.

I'm part of a Whitman cluster PTA and we only have one person on the PTA who works part time. Everyone else works full time and usually at leadership or high pressure jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Focus on Whitman for your DCC advocacy!

Yeah, I’m not sure what that gets you. Please explain like I’m five what you want Whitman to do or be that gets the DCC what they want.

Pretty sure that it was sarcasm.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems pretty clear that the DCC is being split up and each school is on its own for advocacy. Blair or Northwood seem unlikely to advocate for Einstein. MCPS has to fill Woodward.

Let the ToK issue go. There is no way they will walk to Einstein, with the recent tragedy of a student crossinf University Blvd. Focus on what you really want for Einstein, not what you want to take away from others. Look at what Wheaton has been able to do with Engineering.

To me, the appeal of Einstein is that it is smaller. I like that. I would also want high level classes, whether IB or AP. Maybe add a program like WJ has (Apex) instead of IB. Who gets the Medical Science program? Maybe it could be Einstein.

I have heard few if any actual people focus on adding ToK to Einstein. I think MCPS should do that but it's certainly not my focus. Our PTA's preferred option in the first set of options didn't do that. It's not a priority for our community but I think it should be a priority for MCPS if they want to actually balance the 4 factors but they clearly do not.

And yet it keeps coming up.

On DCUM more than in real life.