Anonymous wrote:I hope that MCPS is strictly looking at the design and build of Bailey's upper, and not all of the extenuating circumstances that went into its creation.

If I bought a fancy new condo in Montgomery County in Chevy Chase or Bethesda, I would not settle for a school on par with Bailey's upper. Not even close.

Can you clarify the "extenuating circumstances"? Thanks.

Montgomery County resident here. No gym or playground? That sounds awful!!!

Anonymous wrote:
^ What do the teachers think of walking up five flights of stairs? Carrying books or supplies?

I'd imagine the teachers use the elevators if they have lots to carry.

^ What do the teachers think of walking up five flights of stairs? Carrying books or supplies?

Anonymous wrote:I hope that MCPS is strictly looking at the design and build of Bailey's upper, and not all of the extenuating circumstances that went into its creation.

If I bought a fancy new condo in Montgomery County in Chevy Chase or Bethesda, I would not settle for a school on par with Bailey's upper. Not even close.

Except for the lack of a gym and field, it's really a gorgeous school inside. What it looks like from the outside... who cares. Walking up five flights of stairs: Eight-year-olds think that's the coolest thing ever.

I hope that MCPS is strictly looking at the design and build of Bailey's upper, and not all of the extenuating circumstances that went into its creation.

If I bought a fancy new condo in Montgomery County in Chevy Chase or Bethesda, I would not settle for a school on par with Bailey's upper. Not even close.

Two-bedroom apartments back in Culmore go for about $1800/mo, by the time you factor in utilities and all the various additional fees they charge for this and that. (And boy is the housing stock bad.) Meanwhile the population makes minimum wage or less. You want to talk about SAHM's: Very few of the moms back in Culmore work in the formal-sector economy, because daycare is so expensive. (Lots more work in the informal sector, for example as babysitters for cash.) So no wonder they stack up two families to an apartment: otherwise they'd be out on the streets homeless, there's no other way to pay the rent. If the county started enforcing code on those apartments, they would be a ghost town, nobody would live in such junky apartments if they had to pay the full rent by themselves.

So why don't they just move to another part of the county where, in large part, the rents are a bit lower and the conditions are better? Two reasons. One, Culmore has excellent bus access. Two, they love Bailey's and feel that their kids are being well served there.

Anonymous wrote:I do think it's better than the tyranny of low expectations that that low income esol students deserve is childcare and English lessons. And immigrant familes do contribute to the economy too.

But it's definitely not a high quality education. FCPS is unfortunately under serving non ESOL kids at Bailey's and no one really cares because people assume all kids are ESOL, and that ESOL students get more than their fair share.

I do think it's better than the tyranny of low expectations that that low income esol students deserve is childcare and English lessons. And immigrant familes do contribute to the economy too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like it really matters for that area, they basically need childcare and esol

Yup but instead they are reciving a high quality education with lots of enrichment. Life is good.

Not if you pay taxes

I pay taxes and my kids are zoned for Bailey's. While I agree that the kids get lots of enrichment in the arts,I would not call what they get a high quality education. So you are right, if you live in that area and pay taxes, life is not good with respect to the quality of the school.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like it really matters for that area, they basically need childcare and esol

Yup but instead they are reciving a high quality education with lots of enrichment. Life is good.

Not if you pay taxes

Anonymous wrote:Like it really matters for that area, they basically need childcare and esol

Anonymous wrote:Like it really matters for that area, they basically need childcare and esol

Yup but instead they are reciving a high quality education with lots of enrichment. Life is good.

As I said the Leis center is too far away to work. Willston was proposed as a potential site for a new school to over to deal with the Glen forest overcrowding. I think Penny Gross wanted to use it for office space and use an office building for a new school. So weird.

Anonymous wrote:I've actually been to Bailey's. It's a pretty nice building. What baffles me is that FCPS is currently using the Alan Leis school building as office/meeting space. It would make more sense to use a school as a school and an office building for office work. On he other hand the Leis building was probably too far away to work as a neighborhood school for the Bailey's students.

Prepare for your kid to building up endurance walking up and down stairs. The school is 5 stories high and children are not allowed to use the elevator. (might be some exceptions if they had a medical need)

I think for PE they have some larger rooms but they aren't the size of a gymnasium.

Are you talking about the Willston Center? The Alan Leis center is not really anywhere near Bailey's.

But yes, the Willston Center should have been returned to FCPS. It probably would have cost about the same amount to retrofit back into a modern school.