Anonymous wrote:PTA meeting at 6pm Tuesday night at RMHS on this topic:

PTSA Monthly Meeting and Information Session

Tuesday, December 18, 2019, RM Cafeteria

*Special* 6pm-7pm Presentation on Overcrowding at RMHS by Essie McGuire, Executive Director in the COO's office. (This an update to previous announcements indicating Mr. Monteleone would give the presentation.) In response to our PTSA request for updated student population projections and the proposed solutions to this overcrowding, Ms. McGuire will share information from the Chief Operating Officer’s (COO) office about RM’s current capacity, projected enrollment, and MCPS’s vision for dealing with our capacity as it relates to building the Crown Farm high school. She will be taking questions after a 15 min. presentation.

RMHS is expected to go over 120% of capacity next year. We were anticipating this occuring in 2022 and want to know exactly what is happening. As we know, MCPS was going to build an addition to alleviate the overcrowding, but last year the funding was eliminated and we were informed that the new school to be built in Crown Farm would alleviate the overcrowding at RM without any explanation as to how.

When RM's student population goes over 120% of capacity, all new development in the City of Rockville will go into moratorium due to the City's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. Councilmember Mark Pierzchala has asked for the Mayor and Council to consider raising the 120% of capacity limit to 150% for development in two areas -- Rockville Town Square and South Pike. Mayor Newton has scheduled a public hearing for this issue on January 7th. Any students who would live in the multi-family development in Rockville Town Center will attend schools in the RM Cluster. Any students living in the proposed Twinbrook Quarter development in South Pike could attend schools in the RM or Walter Johnson Cluster.

[The Mayor and Council will be having a work session on this issue on Mon. Dec. 17 during their regular meeting which begins at 7pm. We expect a report on RM's overcrowding at this meeting. For complete information on this agenda item, visit the Mayor and Council's agenda here: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12172018-5441 on the "Work Session on Potential Amendments to the Public Schools Test of the Adequate Public Facilities Standards (APFS) and Comprehensive Transportation Review (CTR)"]

We are in the process of gathering as much information as possible so that parents, teachers, and students can advocate for our school.

PTSA Monthly Meeting and Information Session

Tuesday, December 18, 2019, RM Cafeteria

*Special* 6pm-7pm Presentation on Overcrowding at RMHS by Essie McGuire, Executive Director in the COO's office. (This an update to previous announcements indicating Mr. Monteleone would give the presentation.) In response to our PTSA request for updated student population projections and the proposed solutions to this overcrowding, Ms. McGuire will share information from the Chief Operating Officer’s (COO) office about RM’s current capacity, projected enrollment, and MCPS’s vision for dealing with our capacity as it relates to building the Crown Farm high school. She will be taking questions after a 15 min. presentation.

RMHS is expected to go over 120% of capacity next year. We were anticipating this occuring in 2022 and want to know exactly what is happening. As we know, MCPS was going to build an addition to alleviate the overcrowding, but last year the funding was eliminated and we were informed that the new school to be built in Crown Farm would alleviate the overcrowding at RM without any explanation as to how.

When RM's student population goes over 120% of capacity, all new development in the City of Rockville will go into moratorium due to the City's Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. Councilmember Mark Pierzchala has asked for the Mayor and Council to consider raising the 120% of capacity limit to 150% for development in two areas -- Rockville Town Square and South Pike. Mayor Newton has scheduled a public hearing for this issue on January 7th. Any students who would live in the multi-family development in Rockville Town Center will attend schools in the RM Cluster. Any students living in the proposed Twinbrook Quarter development in South Pike could attend schools in the RM or Walter Johnson Cluster.

[The Mayor and Council will be having a work session on this issue on Mon. Dec. 17 during their regular meeting which begins at 7pm. We expect a report on RM's overcrowding at this meeting. For complete information on this agenda item, visit the Mayor and Council's agenda here: http://www.rockvillemd.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_12172018-5441 on the "Work Session on Potential Amendments to the Public Schools Test of the Adequate Public Facilities Standards (APFS) and Comprehensive Transportation Review (CTR)"]

We are in the process of gathering as much information as possible so that parents, teachers, and students can advocate for our school.

Anonymous wrote:Is the RM cluster the only one impacted by new development in Rockville? Are Rockville H.S. or Wootton H.S. impacted?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP.

Guess what, having an additional high rise in the area is not going to save RTC either. You sound as if this new development will be what RTC needs to keep it afloat. Not likely.

And, maybe it is a small part of the rM cluster, but these ‘small’ parts add up to dozens of new students over time. Which the already overcrowded school system cannot handle.

be
Why isn't it likely? Why wouldn't it help RTC to have more people who live within walking distance?

DP.. because the stores that keep opening there are not the type that will draw lots of people to shop there. The boutique-y stores and Dawson's Market are too expensive. People might go to Dawson's Market if they are in a bind, and need one or two ingredients, but most people who are not rich don't want to shop at over priced grocery stores. Those units being built won't be bought up by people who can afford to shop at those over priced stores on a regular basis.

It is not a requirement of Rockville Town Center that the tenants must all be expensive boutique-y stores forever more.

But that's the kind of shops the city seems to want.

The City of Rockville does not own Rockville Town Center. Federal Realty does.

http://www.federalrealty.com/media/property_documents/Rockville_Town_Square_Brochure.pdf

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Driving to Metro this morning. There is also a 200 unit housing development proposed for the corner of Twinbrook Pkwy and Ardennes. Not completely sure, but that must also feed into JW and RM.

That's not City of Rockville, it's Montgomery County.

http://www.mcatlas.org/Development_Info/Default.aspx?apno=320180200

Since it's garden apartments, it would be expected to generate 17 middle-schoolers and 22 high-schoolers.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP.

Guess what, having an additional high rise in the area is not going to save RTC either. You sound as if this new development will be what RTC needs to keep it afloat. Not likely.

And, maybe it is a small part of the rM cluster, but these ‘small’ parts add up to dozens of new students over time. Which the already overcrowded school system cannot handle.

be
Why isn't it likely? Why wouldn't it help RTC to have more people who live within walking distance?

DP.. because the stores that keep opening there are not the type that will draw lots of people to shop there. The boutique-y stores and Dawson's Market are too expensive. People might go to Dawson's Market if they are in a bind, and need one or two ingredients, but most people who are not rich don't want to shop at over priced grocery stores. Those units being built won't be bought up by people who can afford to shop at those over priced stores on a regular basis.

It is not a requirement of Rockville Town Center that the tenants must all be expensive boutique-y stores forever more.

But that's the kind of shops the city seems to want.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP.

Guess what, having an additional high rise in the area is not going to save RTC either. You sound as if this new development will be what RTC needs to keep it afloat. Not likely.

And, maybe it is a small part of the rM cluster, but these ‘small’ parts add up to dozens of new students over time. Which the already overcrowded school system cannot handle.

be
Why isn't it likely? Why wouldn't it help RTC to have more people who live within walking distance?

DP.. because the stores that keep opening there are not the type that will draw lots of people to shop there. The boutique-y stores and Dawson's Market are too expensive. People might go to Dawson's Market if they are in a bind, and need one or two ingredients, but most people who are not rich don't want to shop at over priced grocery stores. Those units being built won't be bought up by people who can afford to shop at those over priced stores on a regular basis.

It is not a requirement of Rockville Town Center that the tenants must all be expensive boutique-y stores forever more.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP.

Guess what, having an additional high rise in the area is not going to save RTC either. You sound as if this new development will be what RTC needs to keep it afloat. Not likely.

And, maybe it is a small part of the rM cluster, but these ‘small’ parts add up to dozens of new students over time. Which the already overcrowded school system cannot handle.

be
Why isn't it likely? Why wouldn't it help RTC to have more people who live within walking distance?

DP.. because the stores that keep opening there are not the type that will draw lots of people to shop there. The boutique-y stores and Dawson's Market are too expensive. People might go to Dawson's Market if they are in a bind, and need one or two ingredients, but most people who are not rich don't want to shop at over priced grocery stores. Those units being built won't be bought up by people who can afford to shop at those over priced stores on a regular basis.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP.

Guess what, having an additional high rise in the area is not going to save RTC either. You sound as if this new development will be what RTC needs to keep it afloat. Not likely.

And, maybe it is a small part of the rM cluster, but these ‘small’ parts add up to dozens of new students over time. Which the already overcrowded school system cannot handle.

be
Why isn't it likely? Why wouldn't it help RTC to have more people who live within walking distance?

Anonymous wrote:

Not the PP.

Guess what, having an additional high rise in the area is not going to save RTC either. You sound as if this new development will be what RTC needs to keep it afloat. Not likely.

And, maybe it is a small part of the rM cluster, but these ‘small’ parts add up to dozens of new students over time. Which the already overcrowded school system cannot handle.