Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So what is the best way to express concern about the superintendent's decision?

Can someone address this question? thanks

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the situation: higher FARMS means more attention needed for academic issues, ESOL, below grade level in math, less advanced classes, so yes it does make a difference for the quality of the schools. The goal should be that both MS for b-cc cluster produce kids ready for the rigor of B-CC. Option 1 gives the best chance of this IMHO.

And if BCC was its own, stand-alone district, this would make sense. But it isn't - it's a county-wide district, and MCPS is making decisions based on all the clusters and kids in the county. Hence the need to keep space at Westland for the inevitable influx of kids from the Westbard development that will be redistricted to go to Westland and BCC.

I don't think it's fair to assume that it is "inevitable" that new Westbard development gets redistricted to BCC. The BCC cluster does not have room for more students with THREE development projects in the pipeline as it is: Bethesda, Chevy Chase Lake and Lyttonsville.

Why do you think they are leaving room at Westland.

Not PP, but the question was already answered. Westland capacity is needed to accommodate downtown Bethesda sector plan. The projections for BES have always been off because it was wrongly assumed families don't live in apartments. I guarantee that Westland will be over capacity without Westbard in just a couple years. To give you some indication, BES is now over capacity just 12 months after expanding.

Second, BCC itself is undergoing expansion right now that when completed will have exhausted its physical footprint. There will be no more space and it will be expected to be at 100% capacity as soon as it is done. They cannot expand the BCC cluster boundaries if the kids cannot even fit at BCC.

I suspect that we may eventually see a new HS built at Tilden MS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the situation: higher FARMS means more attention needed for academic issues, ESOL, below grade level in math, less advanced classes, so yes it does make a difference for the quality of the schools. The goal should be that both MS for b-cc cluster produce kids ready for the rigor of B-CC. Option 1 gives the best chance of this IMHO.

And if BCC was its own, stand-alone district, this would make sense. But it isn't - it's a county-wide district, and MCPS is making decisions based on all the clusters and kids in the county. Hence the need to keep space at Westland for the inevitable influx of kids from the Westbard development that will be redistricted to go to Westland and BCC.

I don't think it's fair to assume that it is "inevitable" that new Westbard development gets redistricted to BCC. The BCC cluster does not have room for more students with THREE development projects in the pipeline as it is: Bethesda, Chevy Chase Lake and Lyttonsville.

Why do you think they are leaving room at Westland.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all so crazy. Both schools are going to be great and successful and majority wealthy (and white). The vast majority of the county would love to go to either one. It's stunning that people think they're somehow burdened by having something like 15% poor kids. Grow up and see how fortunate you all are.

Exactly.

Amen (from a CC parent)

Wait until the flight begins. You are taking it for granted these parents won't go private. It is already beginning. I know of several parents, involved PTA members who have been instrumental in RHPS's successful PTA are already touring private schools since the decision came down. Hope RCF is ready to pick up the slack. I know it is going to make some people mad to hear this, especially those who want everyone to see everything their way but parents who have the means will look out for their own children first.

The good news is this is a solid case to break up the RHPS Triad. If equity and diversity doesn't matter and proximity does, then that should be the rule everywhere and the children of Chevy Chase should not be unfairly burdened when no one else in the county has this arrangement. I am already encouraging parents with babies and small children in my neighborhood to start sowing the seeds and campaign to end RHPS busing and revert to neighborhood schools since this ruling came down. MCPS shouldn't be able to have it both ways at the expense of small children.

RHPS Parent

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all so crazy. Both schools are going to be great and successful and majority wealthy (and white). The vast majority of the county would love to go to either one. It's stunning that people think they're somehow burdened by having something like 15% poor kids. Grow up and see how fortunate you all are.

Exactly.

Amen (from a CC parent)

Wait until the flight begins. You are taking it for granted these parents won't go private. It is already beginning. I know of several parents, involved PTA members who have been instrumental in RHPS's successful PTA are already touring private schools since the decision came down. Hope RCF is ready to pick up the slack. I know it is going to make some people mad to hear this, especially those who want everyone to see everything their way but parents who have the means will look out for their own children first.

The good news is this is a solid case to break up the RHPS Triad. If equity and diversity doesn't matter and proximity does, then that should be the rule everywhere and the children of Chevy Chase should not be unfairly burdened when no one else in the county has this arrangement. I am already encouraging parents with babies and small children in my neighborhood to start sowing the seeds and campaign to end RHPS busing and revert to neighborhood schools since this ruling came down. MCPS shouldn't be able to have it both ways at the expense of small children.

RHPS Parent

Oh the drama!! If people are leaving for private then great...less crowded! Maybe that was all part of the evil plan.... But I love the hyperbole here, and in many other posts on this thread, like "if equity and diversity doesn't matter and proximity does..." - people, it is a balancing act! Everyone puts slightly different weight on the various considerations. It doesn't mean other factors don't matter. And honestly the two schools won't be all that different, really, in the scheme of things.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all so crazy. Both schools are going to be great and successful and majority wealthy (and white). The vast majority of the county would love to go to either one. It's stunning that people think they're somehow burdened by having something like 15% poor kids. Grow up and see how fortunate you all are.

Exactly.

Amen (from a CC parent)

Wait until the flight begins. You are taking it for granted these parents won't go private. It is already beginning. I know of several parents, involved PTA members who have been instrumental in RHPS's successful PTA are already touring private schools since the decision came down. Hope RCF is ready to pick up the slack. I know it is going to make some people mad to hear this, especially those who want everyone to see everything their way but parents who have the means will look out for their own children first.

The good news is this is a solid case to break up the RHPS Triad. If equity and diversity doesn't matter and proximity does, then that should be the rule everywhere and the children of Chevy Chase should not be unfairly burdened when no one else in the county has this arrangement. I am already encouraging parents with babies and small children in my neighborhood to start sowing the seeds and campaign to end RHPS busing and revert to neighborhood schools since this ruling came down. MCPS shouldn't be able to have it both ways at the expense of small children.

RHPS Parent

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all so crazy. Both schools are going to be great and successful and majority wealthy (and white). The vast majority of the county would love to go to either one. It's stunning that people think they're somehow burdened by having something like 15% poor kids. Grow up and see how fortunate you all are.

Exactly.

Amen (from a CC parent)

Wait until the flight begins. You are taking it for granted these parents won't go private. It is already beginning. I know of several parents, involved PTA members who have been instrumental in RHPS's successful PTA are already touring private schools since the decision came down. Hope RCF is ready to pick up the slack. I know it is going to make some people mad to hear this, especially those who want everyone to see everything their way but parents who have the means will look out for their own children first.

The good news is this is a solid case to break up the RHPS Triad. If equity and diversity doesn't matter and proximity does, then that should be the rule everywhere and the children of Chevy Chase should not be unfairly burdened when no one else in the county has this arrangement. I am already encouraging parents with babies and small children in my neighborhood to start sowing the seeds and campaign to end RHPS busing and revert to neighborhood schools since this ruling came down. MCPS shouldn't be able to have it both ways at the expense of small children.

RHPS Parent

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all so crazy. Both schools are going to be great and successful and majority wealthy (and white). The vast majority of the county would love to go to either one. It's stunning that people think they're somehow burdened by having something like 15% poor kids. Grow up and see how fortunate you all are.

Exactly.

Amen (from a CC parent)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is all so crazy. Both schools are going to be great and successful and majority wealthy (and white). The vast majority of the county would love to go to either one. It's stunning that people think they're somehow burdened by having something like 15% poor kids. Grow up and see how fortunate you all are.

Exactly.

Anonymous wrote:

I think that the "triad" wants everything their way and is trying to pull in the Western half of the cluster when they really don't care. Yes, Somerset, Westbrook and Bethesda all supported Option #1 for the same reason that RCF supported Option #6, i.e. they want to stay at the closest school first and foremost. Now that Option #7 has been pushed forward, Somerset Westbrook and Bethesda are basically shrugging their shoulders because it doesn't look that much different to them than Option #1. However, CCES and NCC are now upset that they have to go to school with poor kids.

You are so ignorant.

I've now spent 6 years of my life driving past my local primary CC school to go support my children and others in Silver Spring. For you to downgrade and to call these children poor kids is just classless and distasteful. CCES and NCC have been split to integrate ALL of our children affluent or not into one community. It's not about CCES not wanting to be integrated, we are and we also have more sensitivity when it comes to describing the economic status of children.

For your information, I was one of those poor kids without a father growing up. My mom used to tell me "we may not have much money, but you always have your pride and dignity". You just took that away from those children.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, it is unfair. We live in Kensington, but are zoned for Newport Mills. However, children living in Silver Spring will be able to attend B-CC middle school.

Yes, but aren't some of the Silver Spring kids practically as close? It's all one school district and one county, so no one should have "dibs" on a certain school just because their town shares a name with another town.

/no dog in this fight

No, we can safely walk to the new school but cannot safely walk to Newport Mills without crossing Conn. Ave. We also don't have a lot of sidewalks to walk to Newport Mills, vs. we do to walk to the new school. No one in Kensington is going to the new school that is built in our community. We will have to deal with all the traffic and noise for something that has no benefit to our kids.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the situation: higher FARMS means more attention needed for academic issues, ESOL, below grade level in math, less advanced classes, so yes it does make a difference for the quality of the schools. The goal should be that both MS for b-cc cluster produce kids ready for the rigor of B-CC. Option 1 gives the best chance of this IMHO.

And if BCC was its own, stand-alone district, this would make sense. But it isn't - it's a county-wide district, and MCPS is making decisions based on all the clusters and kids in the county. Hence the need to keep space at Westland for the inevitable influx of kids from the Westbard development that will be redistricted to go to Westland and BCC.

I don't think it's fair to assume that it is "inevitable" that new Westbard development gets redistricted to BCC. The BCC cluster does not have room for more students with THREE development projects in the pipeline as it is: Bethesda, Chevy Chase Lake and Lyttonsville.

Why do you think they are leaving room at Westland.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is the situation: higher FARMS means more attention needed for academic issues, ESOL, below grade level in math, less advanced classes, so yes it does make a difference for the quality of the schools. The goal should be that both MS for b-cc cluster produce kids ready for the rigor of B-CC. Option 1 gives the best chance of this IMHO.

And if BCC was its own, stand-alone district, this would make sense. But it isn't - it's a county-wide district, and MCPS is making decisions based on all the clusters and kids in the county. Hence the need to keep space at Westland for the inevitable influx of kids from the Westbard development that will be redistricted to go to Westland and BCC.

I don't think it's fair to assume that it is "inevitable" that new Westbard development gets redistricted to BCC. The BCC cluster does not have room for more students with THREE development projects in the pipeline as it is: Bethesda, Chevy Chase Lake and Lyttonsville.