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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Rita apparently doesn't know the reason that the magnet program, and the Communications Arts Program, were formed at Blair HS. Back in the 1980s, Blair had the poorest academic outcomes in the county. There was talk of closing the school. The magnet and CAP programs were started to attract students with higher academic outcomes, to improve the school, and it worked. Rita, do you like high academic achievement? Most parents do. Blair achieved greater racial integration, a good thing. These two programs lifted the entire school into one that made people move to the Blair area, so that they could go to a good school. Now that you have helped diminish the magnet program into something that will be far less rigorous, west county students will likely not travel east from west county (west county, which was left virtually untouched by all these regional changes), you have helped to further segregate the county. Congratulations Rita.

And if you think you were elected to make the hard decisions, the fiscally sound decisions, you are wrong. You ran for office, as a neophyte, because your medical marijuana legal practice was going nowhere, and you smelled opportunity because of a vulnerable board of education. You won, because BOE member Lynne Harris, viewed as a supporter of Monifa McKnight, having voted to make her superintendent, was vulnerable. You won, because you were not Lynne Harris, and the teachers' union, unwisely, endorsed you, and its members worked every precinct to pass out your name on their endorsement literature.

It is ridiculous that you are claiming to make fiscally sound decisions. There is virtually no budgetary information available on this ambitious regional programming scheme. Regional programs' curriculum will be cut-and-paste operations, amounting to academic mush, and the transportation costs will be far higher than the school district can afford to pay. This regional operation will collapse into chaos. You think you are the champion of BIPOC students? If you want to improve academic outcomes of students, you should have advised the superintendent that he should start at the preK and ES levels. But what do you know?[/quote]

I agree with everything you said in your last paragraph. I don't think Montoya's vote to support the regional program model was right or just because the programs will not be high quality for many, many years if ever. Rushing this implementation is such a bad idea.

I will say I don't know about how well magnet programs truly help the local kids. From the MD school report card, it is not clear to me at all that local Black, EML and FARMS kids at Blair are doing better than these populations do at other schools. I have to wonder if the true beneficiaries of having the countywide magnet at Blair are the White families that are zoned for Blair whose property values have benefited.

Many of the opponents of the regional program model actually think it's a good idea to create more opportunities. We simply don't trust that what has been proposed is going to achieve that and we worry about the impact of creating so many specialized programs on the resources that will be available for MCPS's core mission. None of this will address the terrible math and ELA proficiency rates.[/quote]

Not everything is about property values and not everyone chooses a house for the school.  We picked what we could afford with a reasonable commute.  Blair property values have gone up as the housing has been lower making it more affordable.  [/quote]

I didn't say property values are entirely due to the Blair magnet program. I said the property values benefit from the magnet program. Blair is obviously a desirable school. That has a lot to do with the impact of the magnet program on the school's reputation.[/quote]

And once the regional program system is in place, what high schools will be desirable?[/quote]

It's not MCPS's job to concern itself with how desirable a school is to homebuyers. They should focus on ensuring kids graduate proficient in math and literacy. Magnet programs and general "desirability" doesn't help with that.[/quote]

I'm not talking about real estate values. I'm asking about what high schools are likely to produce high academic outcomes?

If the board truly focused on graduating students proficient in math and literacy, it would focus on outcomes in elementary school. Instead, it focused on regional programs for high schools.[/quote]

The biggest differences in proficiency rates are between demographic groups. The schools with the highest proficiency rates serve populations that are predominantly White, Asian and non-poor.[/quote]

And do you agree with Rita Montoya, that regional programs are going to provide good academic outcomes and equity for BIPOC students living in poverty?[/quote]

Not anytime soon since most of the programs will be half baked and inadequately staffed. I fundamentally disagree with her on most of her arguments (I do agree people shouldn't yell at her or disparage BIPOC). I support the aims of the regional program model and I don't think the current system is a good one, but it's clear they did not design it with equity in mind.[/quote]

Actually, the Blair magnet and RMIB were developed specifically with equity in mind. Blair had the worst academic outcomes of any MoCo high school in the 1980s. Closing the school was under discussion. Instead, Principal Phil Gainous led an effort to develop the magnet program in 1985, with the Communications Arts Program following in 1987.  These programs turned around Blair. Blair achieved greater racial integration. Richard Montgomery HS was a struggling high school as well. The IB program is credited with its turnaround.

Good programming takes time to develop. If anyone thinks that Taylor can deliver on 100 quality regional programs, to begin across all high schools by Fall 2027, I have a bridge in the Sahara I would like to sell you.[/quote]

PP here. I agree with the other PPs that the Blair magnet was not really about equity nor did it achieve that. That being said, I was trying unsuccessfully to say the regional program model proposal is also not designed with equity in mind as it does not acknowledge the impacts of putting criteria based magnet programs in wealthy schools that already have all the advanced coursework that highly motivated students need[/quote]

And do you think that TT will cancel those criteria-based programs in the wealthy schools because they are not equitable, the way he has, essentially, collapsed the magnet at Blair and the RMIB? Do you see him doing that next move?

[/quote]

Not sure your obsession with the Blair magnet but it’s not going away.  Don’t live in the boundaries, then move.[/quote]

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