Anonymous wrote:I too miss the local schools where we are from (NJ).

Do you miss the property taxes too?

Anonymous wrote:I too miss the local schools where we are from (NJ).

Do you miss the property taxes too?

I too miss the local schools where we are from (NJ).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^^sorry, meant to say, almost 300,000 *students*.

50,000 students. You were right the first time.

You're right.

Still a bureaucracy.

It is so discouraging, this county-based system.

yep - another vote here for the falls church city public schools. 30,000 students in Howard County? That's HUGE. Here are the stats for FCCPS:

Total number of students enrolled (PK-12) - 2277

Mount Daniel Elementary (PK-1) - 384

Thomas Jefferson Elementary (2-4) - 486

Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School (5-7) - 507

George Mason High School (8-12) - 900

Yup, City of Falls Church....

Anonymous wrote:^^^sorry, meant to say, almost 300,000 *students*.

50,000 students. You were right the first time.

I know. Teacher here. I was shocked by the large, county-wide school districts when I moved here.

I concur with Falls Church City Public Schools. I used to teach there and there are two elementary schools, one middle and one high school. Very strong system in a tiny, two-square mile area.

Good luck!

^^^sorry, meant to say, almost 300,000 *students*.

Anonymous wrote:Howard County. Tiny compared to MCPS and great schools.

No matter how good the schools are, it is still a county-based system with almost 300,000 residents. Not tiny and still a bureaucracy by any definition.

Howard County. Tiny compared to MCPS and great schools.

Anonymous wrote:I'm exhausted by the prospect of spending the rest of my kids' school years fighting through the procedures and bureaucracy of MCPS, the BOE etc. in a school district with 149,000 kids. Trying to get the smallest things done is impossible. You need to fight through so much red tape. It's ridiculous. The lack of local control over the schools is just too depressing. Are there any suburbs around D.C. that are reasonably sized and leave parents with a sense of having some influence over what happens at the schools their children attend?

No.

I am exhausted by this as well. Completely exhausted. Thinking about moving back to New England, where there is real local influence and control, and where I can attend monthly town meetings and actually *talk* to the school board.

We may as well send our kids to school in NYC or LA, this system is so huge and impersonal.

Am looking for the same. MCPS is a night-mare. Children should not be educated like this. Impersonal factory of education.

Falls Church City public schools. They are pretty small.

I'm exhausted by the prospect of spending the rest of my kids' school years fighting through the procedures and bureaucracy of MCPS, the BOE etc. in a school district with 149,000 kids. Trying to get the smallest things done is impossible. You need to fight through so much red tape. It's ridiculous. The lack of local control over the schools is just too depressing. Are there any suburbs around D.C. that are reasonably sized and leave parents with a sense of having some influence over what happens at the schools their children attend?