Anonymous wrote:I agree this is much to do about nothing. It shouldn't even increase class sizes instead just add a couple of classes to their spare capacity. Most of the other ares being considered to be pulled in are just as rich or richer too. Now if they only dump the apts that feed Somerset to Westbrook that would be targeted offloading even if it only raised Westbrook's FARMS rate to 3%. It isn't like we are talking about busing from silver spring.

We moved to Westbrook about 5 years ago. At the time, it was the *least* diverse school in all of Montgomery County, and while I haven't looked into it recently, I don't think much has changed. It would be make sense to move the S2 area (which includes those apartments) to Westbrook. It's contiguous,

I am sure the ninth option, recently introduced, will garner a lot of support from Somerset and BES parents - it doesn't add anything to Somerset (other than the Brookdale neighborhood) or BES, just moves portions of each to Westbrook. But in doing so, it creates an elementary school district that stretches from the corner of the DC/MD line in Westmorland Hills to the intersection of East-West Highway and Connecticut. Some of the other options are even sillier than that. To me, option 1 makes the most sense, and after that options 4/5.

Here are he current options under consideration:

http://gis.mcpsmd.org/boundarystudypdfs/BSW_OptionsRound2.pdf

I agree this is much to do about nothing. It shouldn't even increase class sizes instead just add a couple of classes to their spare capacity. Most of the other ares being considered to be pulled in are just as rich or richer too. Now if they only dump the apts that feed Somerset to Westbrook that would be targeted offloading even if it only raised Westbrook's FARMS rate to 3%. It isn't like we are talking about busing from silver spring.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When will they start looking to move some Pyle kids to Westland (especially those Pyle kids who live right next door to Westland)? Similar disparity in crowding/available space between the two schools.

I thought Pyle was getting an addition?

It just got one.

Anonymous wrote:When will they start looking to move some Pyle kids to Westland (especially those Pyle kids who live right next door to Westland)? Similar disparity in crowding/available space between the two schools.

I thought Pyle was getting an addition?

Anonymous wrote:When will they start looking to move some Pyle kids to Westland (especially those Pyle kids who live right next door to Westland)? Similar disparity in crowding/available space between the two schools.

That's a harder ask as Pyle doesn't feed to BCC....

When will they start looking to move some Pyle kids to Westland (especially those Pyle kids who live right next door to Westland)? Similar disparity in crowding/available space between the two schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I am a Westbrook parent (well, former one) and of course this needs to be done. It is senseless to have empty seats at a school while immediately adjacent schools are overcrowded. And to the people talking about changign the identity of the school - that's utter nonsense. Please tell me how Westbrook, Somerset and Bethesda are so very different? Plus, all these kids will be together in middle school anyway.

+1 If schools are bursting at the seams as Bethesda and Somerset are and there's a school that has lots of open space as Westbrook does, why wouldn't you shift kids around--especially since they will end up in the same MS anyway and you aren't asking people to commute massive distances to do so????

When is the shift scheduled to happen?

The board will vote on the new boundaries in November 2021, and reassignments would begin to take effect in Fall 2022. Fifth-graders would typically be grandfathered in at their existing schools.

Anyone who is trying to get people twisted up about this is doing so in the service of a larger agenda. This is a large nothing burger.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: I am a Westbrook parent (well, former one) and of course this needs to be done. It is senseless to have empty seats at a school while immediately adjacent schools are overcrowded. And to the people talking about changign the identity of the school - that's utter nonsense. Please tell me how Westbrook, Somerset and Bethesda are so very different? Plus, all these kids will be together in middle school anyway.

+1 If schools are bursting at the seams as Bethesda and Somerset are and there's a school that has lots of open space as Westbrook does, why wouldn't you shift kids around--especially since they will end up in the same MS anyway and you aren't asking people to commute massive distances to do so????

When is the shift scheduled to happen?

The board will vote on the new boundaries in November 2021, and reassignments would begin to take effect in Fall 2022. Fifth-graders would typically be grandfathered in at their existing schools.