Two concepts should be banned in discussing boundary studies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing is unfair about some schools having high farms rate and others having low farms rate. Everyone makes decisions based on their priorities.

You have your priorities, and the county has theirs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would anyone voluntarily leave WJ for Einstein? People paid a premium for housing specially so they can go to WJ instead of Einstein.

Some of us purposly picked Einstein so we wouldn't be in that culture.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing is unfair about some schools having high farms rate and others having low farms rate. Everyone makes decisions based on their priorities.

The bigger issue is the disparities in offerings between the schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think folks at MCPS and MCEA need to get their heads around the fact that a tax increase for schools is going to be a pretty hard sell

Oh so think they already understand that. You know who clearly doesn’t? Parents who want everything fixed and resolved now as though magical fairies will come provide materials and services for free.

Folks are willing to pay $45k for The Potomac School that doesn’t have to address nearly as much as a public. But somehow scream bloody murder that the MCPS budget is $3B. Nevermind that averages to about $18,750 per student.

We really need a private subsidy program. It's absurd that MCPS forces kids into these boundaries by zip code with no opt-out.

I mean they say Rockville can't have a special program, because RM nearby has the IB program, but none of these programs are accessible to RHS students, so we're stuck with no programs, no "Halo" effect from being in a school with programs.

I'm pretty sure that 18K would go a long way towards some private education.

No, we don't need to subsitize rich families to send their kids to privates. And, there aren't enough privates anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing is unfair about some schools having high farms rate and others having low farms rate. Everyone makes decisions based on their priorities.

The bigger issue is the disparities in offerings between the schools.

I think the biggest issue is the lack of resources to support students living in poverty. At the high school level there is no significant funding to address the learning challenges associated with poverty. Extra money does help. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/how-money-matters-factsheet

These high poverty high schools really are stretched thin for supporting low income kids. It would be easier if the high needs kids weren't so concentrated in certain schools. For example, we know experienced teachers are more effective and that wealthy schools attract more experienced teachers. It is better for low income kids to be in schools with more experienced teachers. The most cost effective way to do that is to reduce racial and economic segregation in schools.

Of course as a result of housing discrimination and exclusionary zoning in Montgomery County, it is hard not to concentrate poverty in certain schools, but it's crazy to me that the BOE isn't even considering some obvious ways to reduce segregation and is in fact only looking at boundary options that increase segregation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With so many factors to balance in determining a final call, MCPS should not consider two things:
1) Property value
2) Busing (the most terrible idea since its inception)

Property Value should be first. That is how we generate money to fund the schools. You idiot.

So if you rent in an apartment or can only afford a $350k house your children deserve less for their public education?!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing is unfair about some schools having high farms rate and others having low farms rate. Everyone makes decisions based on their priorities.

The bigger issue is the disparities in offerings between the schools.

I think the biggest issue is the lack of resources to support students living in poverty. At the high school level there is no significant funding to address the learning challenges associated with poverty. Extra money does help. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/how-money-matters-factsheet

These high poverty high schools really are stretched thin for supporting low income kids. It would be easier if the high needs kids weren't so concentrated in certain schools. For example, we know experienced teachers are more effective and that wealthy schools attract more experienced teachers. It is better for low income kids to be in schools with more experienced teachers. The most cost effective way to do that is to reduce racial and economic segregation in schools.

Of course as a result of housing discrimination and exclusionary zoning in Montgomery County, it is hard not to concentrate poverty in certain schools, but it's crazy to me that the BOE isn't even considering some obvious ways to reduce segregation and is in fact only looking at boundary options that increase segregation.

Agreed. But McPS and BOE cannot single-handedly and only with its budget fix the county problems resulting from years of housing policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing is unfair about some schools having high farms rate and others having low farms rate. Everyone makes decisions based on their priorities.

The bigger issue is the disparities in offerings between the schools.

I think the biggest issue is the lack of resources to support students living in poverty. At the high school level there is no significant funding to address the learning challenges associated with poverty. Extra money does help. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/how-money-matters-factsheet

These high poverty high schools really are stretched thin for supporting low income kids. It would be easier if the high needs kids weren't so concentrated in certain schools. For example, we know experienced teachers are more effective and that wealthy schools attract more experienced teachers. It is better for low income kids to be in schools with more experienced teachers. The most cost effective way to do that is to reduce racial and economic segregation in schools.

Of course as a result of housing discrimination and exclusionary zoning in Montgomery County, it is hard not to concentrate poverty in certain schools, but it's crazy to me that the BOE isn't even considering some obvious ways to reduce segregation and is in fact only looking at boundary options that increase segregation.

The problem is the fact that experienced teachers don’t want to deal with the behavior problems. And they don’t want to be blamed for low test scores that they have no control over. Most often the county has to use contractors to fill spots in schools that nobody will work in (and they get paid a ton more than mcps pays). The only people who take the jobs in the lower income schools are the new graduates that don’t have any other options. And they only stay for 1-2 years and leave as soon as they possibly can.
I worked in a very low income school in another state during student teaching. The stories I could tell you-it was pretty unbelievable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With so many factors to balance in determining a final call, MCPS should not consider two things:
1) Property value
2) Busing (the most terrible idea since its inception)

Property Value should be first. That is how we generate money to fund the schools. You idiot.

So if you rent in an apartment or can only afford a $350k house your children deserve less for their public education?!?!

Every school in the district has the exact same curriculum-so no they are not getting any less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing is unfair about some schools having high farms rate and others having low farms rate. Everyone makes decisions based on their priorities.

The bigger issue is the disparities in offerings between the schools.

I think the biggest issue is the lack of resources to support students living in poverty. At the high school level there is no significant funding to address the learning challenges associated with poverty. Extra money does help. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/how-money-matters-factsheet

These high poverty high schools really are stretched thin for supporting low income kids. It would be easier if the high needs kids weren't so concentrated in certain schools. For example, we know experienced teachers are more effective and that wealthy schools attract more experienced teachers. It is better for low income kids to be in schools with more experienced teachers. The most cost effective way to do that is to reduce racial and economic segregation in schools.

Of course as a result of housing discrimination and exclusionary zoning in Montgomery County, it is hard not to concentrate poverty in certain schools, but it's crazy to me that the BOE isn't even considering some obvious ways to reduce segregation and is in fact only looking at boundary options that increase segregation.

Agreed. But McPS and BOE cannot single-handedly and only with its budget fix the county problems resulting from years of housing policy.

They can't fix it singlehandedly, but they aren't even trying to do their part

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:With so many factors to balance in determining a final call, MCPS should not consider two things:
1) Property value
2) Busing (the most terrible idea since its inception)

Property Value should be first. That is how we generate money to fund the schools. You idiot.

So if you rent in an apartment or can only afford a $350k house your children deserve less for their public education?!?!

You have good school options for $350k. You can get a townhouse in Frederick or Howard counties. A lot of.people that work in DC and Moco make the choice to live there because they get good schools within their budget.

[Anonymous]

[list]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is nothing is unfair about some schools having high farms rate and others having low farms rate. Everyone makes decisions based on their priorities.

The bigger issue is the disparities in offerings between the schools.

I think the biggest issue is the lack of resources to support students living in poverty. At the high school level there is no significant funding to address the learning challenges associated with poverty. Extra money does help. https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/how-money-matters-factsheet

These high poverty high schools really are stretched thin for supporting low income kids. It would be easier if the high needs kids weren't so concentrated in certain schools. For example, we know experienced teachers are more effective and that wealthy schools attract more experienced teachers. It is better for low income kids to be in schools with more experienced teachers. The most cost effective way to do that is to reduce racial and economic segregation in schools.

Of course as a result of housing discrimination and exclusionary zoning in Montgomery County, it is hard not to concentrate poverty in certain schools, but it's crazy to me that the BOE isn't even considering some obvious ways to reduce segregation and is in fact only looking at boundary options that increase segregation.

What are the obvious things that you mention? Send the kids from Potomac to Wheaton?

[Anonymous]

The teachers are not the reason why low income kids need extra support. It's because low income kids are often not supervised properly outside of school.

[Anonymous]

What they should do at high farm schools is make the kids stay in school until the parents get off work and make them do homework.

[Anonymous]

They have to try to do the parents job for them. That is the only way.