I know lots of RM families live outside the West End, but they are trying to mobilize a campaign in the City of Rockville about this issue. Advice from an email I received about it:

The West End Citizens Association will work to oppose the weakening of the APFO beginning with a request to delay the schedule to allow citizens enough time to understand the issue and get involved. However, many officers and block captains are older and do not have children in the schools. The voices who will really matter are the parents with children in the schools. If you are concerned, then here are actions that you need to take:
· Speak at Community Forum on December 17th. Let the Mayor and Council know that the schedule is unfair to citizens, that it needs to be delayed and that you are opposed to allowing increased overcrowding in schools.
· Testify at the Public Hearing on January 7th.
· Speak to your friends who have children in Rockville schools and ask them to speak at Community Forum and testify on January 7th. NUMBERS MATTER. Without a public outcry, there is little chance that this can be stopped.
· Get in touch with your PTA and get them to take a stand.
· Come to the WECA Board meeting on Thursday, December 13that Bar Louie, 7 pm. Help get the community organized.

Anonymous wrote:I'm glad that people in the community are finally speaking up about this because RM Cluster enrollment predictions have been incredibly inaccurate for more than a decade. From the past SIP data:

In 2005 RM's actual enrollment was 1,964 and the projected enrollment five years out (2010) was 1,895.

In 2010 RM's actual enrollment was 2,015 and the projected enrollment five years out (2015) was 1,934.

In 2015 RM's actual enrollment was 2200 and the five-year projection (2020) was 2416.

RM opened school in 2018 with 2495.

Tell people to stop selling/renting their homes to people with children in MCPS.

I'm glad that people in the community are finally speaking up about this because RM Cluster enrollment predictions have been incredibly inaccurate for more than a decade. From the past SIP data:

In 2005 RM's actual enrollment was 1,964 and the projected enrollment five years out (2010) was 1,895.

In 2010 RM's actual enrollment was 2,015 and the projected enrollment five years out (2015) was 1,934.

In 2015 RM's actual enrollment was 2200 and the five-year projection (2020) was 2416.

RM opened school in 2018 with 2495.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Who established that? Certainly not true. And, at any rate, is that the argument? Because there are several other development projects currently going on an Twinbrook and one more in the planning stages. There have been several apartment buildings put up there which has absolutely let To an increase in students - check out th bus stops in the morning. There is currently a luxury townhouse development going up where the Sums building used to be. Plus another apartment complex is being planned for further up Twinbrook Parkway.

So, maybe less than a hundred kids for each project, but add them up and if leads to a significant increase to the student body. To an already overcrowded school. With zero plans to open a new MS or HS in that area.

What's the high school at Crown, chopped liver?

As for how many kids, you can do the math. Assume that it's all high-rise development. 0.055 elementary-school students per unit, 0.022 middle-school students per unit, 0.031 high-school students per unit. In other words, 55 elementary-school, 22 middle-school, and 31 high-school students per 1,000 units.

MCPS has admitted the rates they used for RM have historically been much, much lower than the real numbers.

Crown hasn't even started yet. I don't trust the County or MCPS to begin building on time. They will defer it for at least 1-2 years (just like Bayard Rustin was deferred. Just like renovations at Twinbrook have been delayed so often that it's no longer in the CIP.) No plans have been announced for HOW Crown will actually solve a problem - or which problem it will attempt to solve. Saying "Crown is coming" doesn't mean much.

Crown is funded in the CIP.

But yes, aside from the actual projections and the high school expansion that is funded, there's nothing...

About Student Generation Rates

A ratio that identifies the average number of MCPS students living in a single
dwelling unit of a particular housing type within a particular geography.
Used to…
• calculate school impact taxes
• estimate a sector plan’s potential enrollment impacts
• estimate the enrollment impacts of a development application
• help project future enrollment (MCPS)

Updated every two years.
• Last updated using September 2016 enrollment and housing data; started using
these in July 2017.

Very important to know that this is not an estimate. These are as close to
capturing reality, for the given geography and housing type, as possible. We
were able to match 99.1% of the 159,000+ MCPS students to a housing type!

http://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/20180621AnnualSchoolTestPBPres.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Who established that? Certainly not true. And, at any rate, is that the argument? Because there are several other development projects currently going on an Twinbrook and one more in the planning stages. There have been several apartment buildings put up there which has absolutely let To an increase in students - check out th bus stops in the morning. There is currently a luxury townhouse development going up where the Sums building used to be. Plus another apartment complex is being planned for further up Twinbrook Parkway.

So, maybe less than a hundred kids for each project, but add them up and if leads to a significant increase to the student body. To an already overcrowded school. With zero plans to open a new MS or HS in that area.

What's the high school at Crown, chopped liver?

As for how many kids, you can do the math. Assume that it's all high-rise development. 0.055 elementary-school students per unit, 0.022 middle-school students per unit, 0.031 high-school students per unit. In other words, 55 elementary-school, 22 middle-school, and 31 high-school students per 1,000 units.

MCPS has admitted the rates they used for RM have historically been much, much lower than the real numbers.

Crown hasn't even started yet. I don't trust the County or MCPS to begin building on time. They will defer it for at least 1-2 years (just like Bayard Rustin was deferred. Just like renovations at Twinbrook have been delayed so often that it's no longer in the CIP.) No plans have been announced for HOW Crown will actually solve a problem - or which problem it will attempt to solve. Saying "Crown is coming" doesn't mean much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're opposed to increasing the capacity moratorium at RM (from 120% to 150%)....

EMAIL mayorandcouncil@rockvillemd.gov

Tell them the cluster cannot support this increase. The way I read the article from Montgomery Sentinel, it is all levels (ES, MS, and HS) in the cluster.

There is a work session Monday night (12/17) to discuss. There will be a community forum. You can speak at the forum. It sounds like the vote will be 1/7 (the day before Julie Palakovich Carr resigns). Palakovich-Carr will definitely vote with Pierzchala. Newton & Feinberg oppose. Onley will be the deciding vote.

So, if you oppose, speak up and speak up soon. This is getting rammed through at the holidays when no one is paying attention.

They just opened a new ES..overcrowding still exists?

Overcrowding doesn't directly exist at the ES level, but I think Bayard Rustin opened at capacity. I believe CGES and Beall are at or near capacity. But it isn't like ES is exempt from this change in APFO. If more ES kids move in, they'll be at one of the 5 ESs in the cluster.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How about getting some jobs in rockville

so even more people will move in?

So people who live here can work here and we can get revenues from business, not property tax

Ding ding ding ding!

Anonymous wrote:

Who established that? Certainly not true. And, at any rate, is that the argument? Because there are several other development projects currently going on an Twinbrook and one more in the planning stages. There have been several apartment buildings put up there which has absolutely let To an increase in students - check out th bus stops in the morning. There is currently a luxury townhouse development going up where the Sums building used to be. Plus another apartment complex is being planned for further up Twinbrook Parkway.

So, maybe less than a hundred kids for each project, but add them up and if leads to a significant increase to the student body. To an already overcrowded school. With zero plans to open a new MS or HS in that area.

What's the high school at Crown, chopped liver?

As for how many kids, you can do the math. Assume that it's all high-rise development. 0.055 elementary-school students per unit, 0.022 middle-school students per unit, 0.031 high-school students per unit. In other words, 55 elementary-school, 22 middle-school, and 31 high-school students per 1,000 units.

^forgot to mention that there is new development happening in the Beall zone, so that ES may also end up over capacity, again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're opposed to increasing the capacity moratorium at RM (from 120% to 150%)....

EMAIL mayorandcouncil@rockvillemd.gov

Tell them the cluster cannot support this increase. The way I read the article from Montgomery Sentinel, it is all levels (ES, MS, and HS) in the cluster.

There is a work session Monday night (12/17) to discuss. There will be a community forum. You can speak at the forum. It sounds like the vote will be 1/7 (the day before Julie Palakovich Carr resigns). Palakovich-Carr will definitely vote with Pierzchala. Newton & Feinberg oppose. Onley will be the deciding vote.

So, if you oppose, speak up and speak up soon. This is getting rammed through at the holidays when no one is paying attention.

They just opened a new ES..overcrowding still exists?

DP... MCPS re-did their projections. From what I recall, RPES is still and will continue to be over capacity in 5 years. Same for CGES, I think. The new ES Rustin I believe is ok.

Anonymous wrote:If you're opposed to increasing the capacity moratorium at RM (from 120% to 150%)....

EMAIL mayorandcouncil@rockvillemd.gov

Tell them the cluster cannot support this increase. The way I read the article from Montgomery Sentinel, it is all levels (ES, MS, and HS) in the cluster.

There is a work session Monday night (12/17) to discuss. There will be a community forum. You can speak at the forum. It sounds like the vote will be 1/7 (the day before Julie Palakovich Carr resigns). Palakovich-Carr will definitely vote with Pierzchala. Newton & Feinberg oppose. Onley will be the deciding vote.

So, if you oppose, speak up and speak up soon. This is getting rammed through at the holidays when no one is paying attention.

They just opened a new ES..overcrowding still exists?

If you're opposed to increasing the capacity moratorium at RM (from 120% to 150%)....

EMAIL mayorandcouncil@rockvillemd.gov

Tell them the cluster cannot support this increase. The way I read the article from Montgomery Sentinel, it is all levels (ES, MS, and HS) in the cluster.

There is a work session Monday night (12/17) to discuss. There will be a community forum. You can speak at the forum. It sounds like the vote will be 1/7 (the day before Julie Palakovich Carr resigns). Palakovich-Carr will definitely vote with Pierzchala. Newton & Feinberg oppose. Onley will be the deciding vote.

So, if you oppose, speak up and speak up soon. This is getting rammed through at the holidays when no one is paying attention.

Anonymous wrote:This is an absolute unmitigated disaster. RM, and the entire RM cluster, does not need any more students - we are already severely overcrowded at all 3 levels, especially JW and RM. Enough is enough.

Does anyone here know the right people at the Board or the City to start an email/phone campaign, and if so, can you post names and addresses? I know there are like-minded people in our cluster that will advocate for the immediate moratorium.

+100

If anyone does know who to contact, I'd be happy to email also.

This is an absolute unmitigated disaster. RM, and the entire RM cluster, does not need any more students - we are already severely overcrowded at all 3 levels, especially JW and RM. Enough is enough.

Does anyone here know the right people at the Board or the City to start an email/phone campaign, and if so, can you post names and addresses? I know there are like-minded people in our cluster that will advocate for the immediate moratorium.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just a reminder that this is the MD Public Schools forum and this is a thread about RM Cluster Overcrowding.

Thanks for the reminder! Again, putting up more high density housing - hundreds of apartments/condos/townhouses - in a misguided attempt to support Rockville Town Center will definitely lead to even worse overcrowding at Richard Montgomery. And Julius West MS for that matter.

What's misguided? According to the PPs, Rockville Town Center is a failure because it's too hard to drive there and you have to pay to park. But people who will live in the residential units near Rockville Town Center won't drive there and won't worry about parking. Lots and lots of people who will patronize the stores at Rockville Town Center on foot. Why wouldn't this support Rockville Town Center?

As for the "hundreds of apartments/condos/townhouses", we've already established that this will lead to well under 100 more students at RM or JW.

Who established that? Certainly not true. And, at any rate, is that the argument? Because there are several other development projects currently going on an Twinbrook and one more in the planning stages. There have been several apartment buildings put up there which has absolutely let To an increase in students - check out th bus stops in the morning. There is currently a luxury townhouse development going up where the Sums building used to be. Plus another apartment complex is being planned for further up Twinbrook Parkway.

So, maybe less than a hundred kids for each project, but add them up and if leads to a significant increase to the student body. To an already overcrowded school. With zero plans to open a new MS or HS in that area.