Can we add the lead in the water issue? Most of our classrooms were found to have water that is unpotable and has now been drinkable for years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I agree with OP that some things in MCPS are horrifying, sexual assault cases in particular!

But I don't see the disgusting classrooms anywhere. Which school are you working in, OP? My kids have been in elementary, middle and high schools (different ones because they were in different programs), and apart from that one episode where the sprinkler system sprayed dirty water everywhere, the building are usually pretty clean. Then during the school year, the bathrooms get progressively more unkempt, and there might be rodents, but... nothing spectacular.

There are HVAC issues in multiple schools, where some classrooms are way to hot or way to cold. There are leaks, occasionally. Are you talking about that? Sadly, know that the list of repairs and maintenance is LOOONG, and that schools have to wait their turn. I'm sorry if you're in one of those problematic rooms. I agree that it's not a good look for Central Office to spend all this money on itself, while some teachers and students suffer in a 90F art room, like my friend's child at Woodlin ES years ago (hopefully they've fixed it).

Rodents are nothing spectacular? What low standards you have.

Because rodents are everywhere, people. You probably have some on your property without knowing it. My daughter saw a little mouse running along the bookcase of her classroom at Bethesda elementary, and this is a CLEAN, well-run school, without leaks, or HVAC issues.

Your reaction makes me very wary of posts who deplore "awful conditions" in school buildings, because we've never had a problem with this particular school, and the sight of a little mouse in an otherwise well-kept school is nothing to be worried about. There are tons of rodents everywhere. You can't make them go away. All you do is keep the environment as clean as you can (and lay traps) to manage the population.

But if the OP were to come back and explain that her classroom has a mold issue, for example, that would be a more severe problem that needs to rocket to the top of the repair list.

You really need to understand construction priorities here. MCPS is lagging way behind on all their repairs and maintenance, that's one thing. But don't freak out over the mere word "rodent", because that's just dumb.

For some, a mouse is not a worry. For many, the allergens left behind are a huge issue. Rodent and mouse droppings cause major concerns for those who have allergies and/or asthma. And these concerns impact a lot of students and teachers.

Yes, mice spread disease, but radon and asbestos cause cancer.

Here are two posts about the dangerous conditions within MCPS schools. The first one is about how 28 schools had high levels of Radon and the second about how there was an unusual number of cancer incidents among staff and even kids.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/150/515415.page#7980194
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1093545.page#23748384

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I agree with OP that some things in MCPS are horrifying, sexual assault cases in particular!

But I don't see the disgusting classrooms anywhere. Which school are you working in, OP? My kids have been in elementary, middle and high schools (different ones because they were in different programs), and apart from that one episode where the sprinkler system sprayed dirty water everywhere, the building are usually pretty clean. Then during the school year, the bathrooms get progressively more unkempt, and there might be rodents, but... nothing spectacular.

There are HVAC issues in multiple schools, where some classrooms are way to hot or way to cold. There are leaks, occasionally. Are you talking about that? Sadly, know that the list of repairs and maintenance is LOOONG, and that schools have to wait their turn. I'm sorry if you're in one of those problematic rooms. I agree that it's not a good look for Central Office to spend all this money on itself, while some teachers and students suffer in a 90F art room, like my friend's child at Woodlin ES years ago (hopefully they've fixed it).

Rodents are nothing spectacular? What low standards you have.

Because rodents are everywhere, people. You probably have some on your property without knowing it. My daughter saw a little mouse running along the bookcase of her classroom at Bethesda elementary, and this is a CLEAN, well-run school, without leaks, or HVAC issues.

Your reaction makes me very wary of posts who deplore "awful conditions" in school buildings, because we've never had a problem with this particular school, and the sight of a little mouse in an otherwise well-kept school is nothing to be worried about. There are tons of rodents everywhere. You can't make them go away. All you do is keep the environment as clean as you can (and lay traps) to manage the population.

But if the OP were to come back and explain that her classroom has a mold issue, for example, that would be a more severe problem that needs to rocket to the top of the repair list.

You really need to understand construction priorities here. MCPS is lagging way behind on all their repairs and maintenance, that's one thing. But don't freak out over the mere word "rodent", because that's just dumb.

For some, a mouse is not a worry. For many, the allergens left behind are a huge issue. Rodent and mouse droppings cause major concerns for those who have allergies and/or asthma. And these concerns impact a lot of students and teachers.

Yep, some schools are deplorable.
Gaithersburg ES, Stedwick ES, South Lake ES, Watkins Mill ES, Washington Grove is somewhat ok, Goshen ES needs help badly. We are talking about leaking roofs, mold issues, rodents galore, roaches, defunct plumbing, NEVER any toilet paper or paper towels. Or soap, for that matter. Not for staff bathrooms either. Some classrooms are very dated with gross flooring and carpets with a multitude of stains. It is very bad! I was a SLP contractor or these schools and I always used the bathroom before I went and got a bath as SOON as I entered the door. I cannot imagine attending or teaching at one of these schools full time.

Anonymous wrote:OP, I’m so sorry. Can you give more detail about the type of problems? If you have a buy nothing in your neighborhood, if you post a list of what you need, I bet a lot of people would step up. I know I’d do that for a teacher in my neighborhood.
I also sort of wonder if this might be a good service project for a Girl Scout or Boy Scout troop next summer — to help teachers get their classrooms in order. My daughter has done it unofficially for some of her favorite teachers. Boy Scouts are used to cleaning (and mice/bugs) because they make them clean the camp themselves.

DP. I don't think this is a boy scout / girl scout thing - it's too dangerous. There were earlier posts about how newer schools were getting renovations when a number of schools still had asbestos. The accounts (if it was true) sure sounded like the asbestos was 'friable' (I think it was both at Wootton and two of the Elementary Schools?). I know I've seen the flyer about Wootton's asbestos monitoring.

OP, I’m so sorry. Can you give more detail about the type of problems? If you have a buy nothing in your neighborhood, if you post a list of what you need, I bet a lot of people would step up. I know I’d do that for a teacher in my neighborhood.
I also sort of wonder if this might be a good service project for a Girl Scout or Boy Scout troop next summer — to help teachers get their classrooms in order. My daughter has done it unofficially for some of her favorite teachers. Boy Scouts are used to cleaning (and mice/bugs) because they make them clean the camp themselves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:they spend too much or not enough... wtf are you saying

DP. They spend on the wrong things. This could not be more clear from the post. Why are you so confused by it?

So... you want nicer buildings?

We want clean buildings. We want classrooms that aren’t disgusting, desks for the kids that aren’t falling apart, rooms where everything is filthy, shelves that won’t fall on a student, shelves that aren’t from 1979 and falling apart. Love how you think you’re edgy though. So cute.

I’m really curious what school you’re at. I’ve been in about 15 schools in MoCo and wouldn’t describe any of them as having those problems. Most have been quite nice, albeit sometimes dated (e.g., Fields Road).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:they spend too much or not enough... wtf are you saying

DP. They spend on the wrong things. This could not be more clear from the post. Why are you so confused by it?

So... you want nicer buildings?

We want clean buildings. We want classrooms that aren’t disgusting, desks for the kids that aren’t falling apart, rooms where everything is filthy, shelves that won’t fall on a student, shelves that aren’t from 1979 and falling apart. Love how you think you’re edgy though. So cute.

Anonymous wrote:You have a week to make it look great OP. Do your best.

Yes, OP, please spend tons of your own money to make the crappy MCPS space a warm, cozy environment for PP’s student. You still have plenty of time to have Amazon deliver cleaning supplies, posters to cover holes in the walls, maybe a couple unbroken chairs for a reading nook. (Did you purchase independent reading books yet?) While you’re at it, please spend your own money on all the supplies you’ll need to operate your class this year.

(Maybe you’ll get lucky. My school was generous and gave us 5 reams of paper to get through the entire year. That’ll pay for a few weeks before I have to finance the rest. I feel so fortunate!)

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for raising this issue OP.
There are a number of MCPS schools that are really in terrible, almost dangerous disrepair. I think most people on this board do not have kids in these schools because they are the ones in poorer areas that have been badly neglected.

Pipes have burst in some of them, spewing sewage water. Boards are coming up from the gym floors and the gyms are really dark because the electrical is broken and cannot be fixed without tearing up a lot of the walls. Water fountains are closed for months due to contamination.

This is just not true. Wootton is a mess, and it's more well off than most. The fact is there are 209 schools amd at any given moment one is brand new (Clarksburg ES) and one is at the top of the list to be renovated (Wootton, Eastern, Damascas) and most are inbetween. In a continum of 209, there's a lot of new buildings (Gaithersberg HS, Paint Branch HS, neither socioeconomically well off), and many already mentioned that need a lot of help. The reality is, even with a large CIP budget, back in 2018 (I think that's when then Council Member Roger Berliner's "Keeping the Pace" event was), it would have cost over $8 BILLION to catch-up with needed repairs/maintenance/renovations. By now the need is greater and the cost is greater.

The reality is parents usually only care about the schools their children attend, MCPS has to care about ALL of them. FYI, I do not work for MCPS, and am one of their biggest critics, and my children's schools are a mix of somewhere in the middle and deplorable. But parents need to look at the bigger picture here, because it's not just about their own schools.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
I agree with OP that some things in MCPS are horrifying, sexual assault cases in particular!

But I don't see the disgusting classrooms anywhere. Which school are you working in, OP? My kids have been in elementary, middle and high schools (different ones because they were in different programs), and apart from that one episode where the sprinkler system sprayed dirty water everywhere, the building are usually pretty clean. Then during the school year, the bathrooms get progressively more unkempt, and there might be rodents, but... nothing spectacular.

There are HVAC issues in multiple schools, where some classrooms are way to hot or way to cold. There are leaks, occasionally. Are you talking about that? Sadly, know that the list of repairs and maintenance is LOOONG, and that schools have to wait their turn. I'm sorry if you're in one of those problematic rooms. I agree that it's not a good look for Central Office to spend all this money on itself, while some teachers and students suffer in a 90F art room, like my friend's child at Woodlin ES years ago (hopefully they've fixed it).

Rodents are nothing spectacular? What low standards you have.

Seriously!

I beg to differ...I went to use a staff bathroom before I left work tonight and there were about 15 baby roaches running around the bathroom floor. Big roaches will usually run AWAY from you. The baby roaches run TOWARDS you. Disgusting.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:they spend too much or not enough... wtf are you saying

DP. They spend on the wrong things. This could not be more clear from the post. Why are you so confused by it?

So... you want nicer buildings?

I want 6 ACH in every school. Nicer or not, IDGAF.

Anonymous wrote:The $3.1 billion is for all of MCPS, for the operating budget. If you want to know what the money is spent on, you can look here: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/budget/fy2024/fy2024_summarybudget_final.pdf

I’ll summarize: 90% on staff salaries, (overly generous) pensions and absolutely overly generous healthcare.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What specifically are you worried about OP? Look at classrooms in NYC PS before complaining about MCPS

This is not a great response. The fact that classrooms in NYC are awful doesn't make it any better that classrooms in MCPS are terrible. The demise of our public schools - when they look back at how America collapsed - is going to be one of the biggest causes. Public schools made this country great - they gave us a unified understanding of what it means to be American. They taught the leaders and experts that helped this country grow strong. They are one of the reasons people are desperate to come to America - for the education.

Now many kids can't even read. Complete disaster for America's future.

Agree with this. I’m a child of immigrants and come from a country where the public education system is not very strong. The rich send their kids to private school and the public schools stink.

It’s not good for our kids and it’s not good for society.

Anonymous wrote:What specifically are you worried about OP? Look at classrooms in NYC PS before complaining about MCPS

Wait, what? We should be happy with the sh&tty conditions in MCPS because it’s worse in NY?