I already own a couple of those bridges ; ) But really what I meant is that the curriculum and basic resources are the same due to spreading the money around. I know there are still huge differences and it's a shame that the reliance on PTA money exacerbates these differences. It would be worse if there weren't a county system to equalize between regions or wealth and lower incomes. This is how I understand it (perhaps wrongly). I truly despise the large bureaucratic system and would love to find a smaller system.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The advantage of the county system from what I can gather is that the pool of money from the tax base gets evenly distributed over all schools, so there aren't the crazy disparities in school quality based on neighborhood wealth or lack thereof that one finds elsewhere. This is ultimately better for everyone as we have a better educated populace IMO. A lot more of us would be paying for private school if it were otherwise. That said, I hate the bureacracy and I think the cold impersonality is wrong for kids.

If you believe this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in buying.

Are you actually arguing that the wealth of parents has nothing to do with the achievement levels of students/

No, I'm saying the opposite. I'm also saying that anyone who thinks there aren't crazy disparities in school quality (including the quality of the physical school buildings) across MoCo is not paying attention. Start with a tour of Eastern Middle School, and work your way westward, then come back and revisit PP's statement:

The advantage of the county system ... is that the pool of money from the tax base gets evenly distributed over all schools, so there aren't the crazy disparities in school quality based on neighborhood wealth or lack thereof that one finds elsewhere.

If you still believe this after your tour, you are not paying any attention at all.

Arlington is not small as compared to Falls Church City, but it is tiny as compared to Montgomery County.

FCC- approx 2300
Arlington- approx 23,000
Montgomery approx 145,000

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The advantage of the county system from what I can gather is that the pool of money from the tax base gets evenly distributed over all schools, so there aren't the crazy disparities in school quality based on neighborhood wealth or lack thereof that one finds elsewhere. This is ultimately better for everyone as we have a better educated populace IMO. A lot more of us would be paying for private school if it were otherwise. That said, I hate the bureacracy and I think the cold impersonality is wrong for kids.

If you believe this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in buying.

Are you actually arguing that the wealth of parents has nothing to do with the achievement levels of students/

There is state money to try to even out the money disparities. That happens even now, except the state money goes to these bureaucratic-heavy county systems instead of directly to the people who know the kids and the school. And I think the county system exasperates the differences. It drives people to private school. It also means more of the money goes to bureaucrats, since more are needed in these large systems. And the money is used inefficiently, since the bureaucrats don't really understand the problems and the people and their needs.

Anonymous wrote:The advantage of the county system from what I can gather is that the pool of money from the tax base gets evenly distributed over all schools, so there aren't the crazy disparities in school quality based on neighborhood wealth or lack thereof that one finds elsewhere. This is ultimately better for everyone as we have a better educated populace IMO. A lot more of us would be paying for private school if it were otherwise. That said, I hate the bureacracy and I think the cold impersonality is wrong for kids.

If you believe this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn you might be interested in buying.

The advantage of the county system from what I can gather is that the pool of money from the tax base gets evenly distributed over all schools, so there aren't the crazy disparities in school quality based on neighborhood wealth or lack thereof that one finds elsewhere. This is ultimately better for everyone as we have a better educated populace IMO. A lot more of us would be paying for private school if it were otherwise. That said, I hate the bureacracy and I think the cold impersonality is wrong for kids.

Anonymous wrote: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

And starting next year (after the TJ expansion), TJ will house 2-5; MEH will house 6-8, and GM will house 9-12. A much better breakdown of grades. The high school will get smaller but enrollment has been creeping up, so they will definitely need a new school soon!

I went to school in NJ and see a big difference between those schools, where control was more local, and MD. I live in PG and know that most of the administrators have never visited most of the schools they are administering. They have no real idea what is going on, and thinks of the schools and the children in them as numbers in a spread sheet. Do all the entries look even? okay! Great! then I've done my job!

But, is there any possible way to change this? Is it possible to break the MD county school system into something more like the township system of NJ? Or it is one of those historical unforunatenesses that can never be changed, even though everybody knows it is a bad idea....

Anonymous wrote:Oh, puhleaze. I grew up in one of those small towns outside of Boston. If you really think you could shape the curriculu, any more there vs here, you are kidding yourself. I'd much prefer my children go to a high school that is as small and as personalized as mine was (800 kids total) but honestly that no longer exists within a short distance of Boston, just as it doesn't exist close to DC.

I have personal experience with this as a parent in recent years (in addition to as a student decades ago), and can tell you that it certainly does exist within a short distance of Boston. I know, because I lived it. Excellent schools, heavily influenced by local parents who actually have a VOICE.

Oh, puhleaze. I grew up in one of those small towns outside of Boston. If you really think you could shape the curriculu, any more there vs here, you are kidding yourself. I'd much prefer my children go to a high school that is as small and as personalized as mine was (800 kids total) but honestly that no longer exists within a short distance of Boston, just as it doesn't exist close to DC.

Anonymous wrote:

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

Do you miss the property taxes too?

Given the MoCo income tax, there's not much difference, economically. (In the town I lived in near Boston, there was no town income tax - schools are funded via property taxes.) But voice/representation/influence-wise? A world of difference. Vast.

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

Do you miss the property taxes too?