Reply to Woodward Auditorium Construction Advocacy Ahead of Monday County Council Meeting

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]"Trying" doesn't cut it.

MCPS has been "trying" to get rid of the achievement gap for decades

MCPS has been "trying" to resolve bullying with Restorative Justice which only revictimizes the victims

MCPS promised parity with Woodward - no fields for Northwood and no auditorium for Northwood and Woodward.  There's no parity there [/quote]

Sure, but trying is what they have to do. They can't just magically make the money appear out of nowhere.[/quote]

PP from before the "trying" post.

Quite right, bringing us back to the Council meeting from the title of the thread.  The Council determines overall MCPS funding, and can provide stopgap funding if they so choose.  MCPS, within certain stricture and under the oversight of the BOE (such as it is), can utilize those funds for different projects.  If the Council does not fund MCPS's budget request (and they haven't for decades), MCPS has to decide what projects get the short shrift.  Climbing costs (not just beginning with the pandemic, but significantly increased, there) saw more things shifted to the right.

So...what's the point?

The thread started with a call to advocacy to the County Council to provide stopgap funding for the auditorium.  This was ostensibly for the Northwood community's action, but the timing of any resulting auditorium building at this point would, at best, leave a gap during Northwood's residency at Woodward. Later users of the facility (presumably mostly from the current WJ catchment) would benefit, however, and it was the more recent shift to split off part of Phase II of the building, including the auditorium, into a Phase III (ongoing construction at an undetermined time, but after the Northwood occupancy) that had [i]those[/i] folks up in arms elsewhere.

Some folks questioned the need for the auditorium.  Other folks, including me, suggested that an auditorium was a (relatively) necessary facility for a high school.

Some folks suggested alternate spaces.  Other folks, including me, suggested such spaces would not be practical (schedule, logistics, etc.) for Northwood program needs, especially given the performing arts program.

Some folks noted Northwood was not getting the auditorium in the first place, as it had been part of Phase II.  Other folks, including me, noted that the Northwood community had been sold on the Woodward-as-a-holding-school with the idea that it would be a reasonably complete facility, and that the documentation available (possibly linked by the "some folks" -- anonymous forum and all that) bears that out.

Should the County Council have funded the request?  Maybe.  Depends on what their priorities are.  They didn't, though, and folks can draw their own conclusions, there.

Should MCPS shift funding from other projects?  Maybe.  Depends on what [i]their[/i] priorities are, though I'd suggest that the ongoing underfunding year after year from the Council gives them far less flexibility.  Again, folks can draw their own conclusions.

But...was the initial plan for Northwood holding at Woodward sold as offering a reasonably complete facility, and would that have included an auditorium, especially given Northwood's performing arts academic program needs?  Yes.[/quote]

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