Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 19:14     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:I love reading the racist fantasies that some people post mostly because I know they'll never come true.


You love it so much that you must have voted for Trump. If not, you are such a lazy minded individual that you jump to conclusions about people you don't know anything about.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 18:16     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
I love reading the racist fantasies that some people post mostly because I know they'll never come true.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 17:12     Subject: Re:The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:People can say all they want that a smaller system would be more manageable or efficient, but the subtext will remain the same: wanting a system more for “our” kids and not for all those “other” kids.

This.


Completely this. It's the same people who segregate themselves and throw temper tantrums when their kids are denied anything.

There is no such thing as other people's children. Until it's time for them to go to school together.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 17:09     Subject: Re:The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:People can say all they want that a smaller system would be more manageable or efficient, but the subtext will remain the same: wanting a system more for “our” kids and not for all those “other” kids.

This.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 17:08     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Let them eat cake, is what I read into this. Really?
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 16:51     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I grew up in CT with town based education...agree that it benefits the wealthy and leaves the poorer areas much worse off. The discrepancies are shocking... most needy students with the least reasources. I don't have a solution for mcps but taking away all measures of success to try to equalize student achievement is not a valid plan...grading, differentiated learning , exams, gifted programs...we are seeing them all phased out....not sure who supports that.


But how is that different from what is happening in MCPS? We are at a Focus school and have friends at wealthier elementary schools. Huge differences in field trips, PTA involvement, level of expectation, etc.

The County could still continue to offer its myriad of programs, like Saturday School, tutoring, etc. Could see how that would still work.

Services offered through the county, but town-based school systems. It would be a huge improvement over the disaster that MCPS is now. School closings can be made on a town/cluster basis. Busing would be much simpler.


It’s hugely different. Mcps now uses taxes generated largely in wealthy areas to subsidize poorer schools and give them much smaller class sizes, ESOL teachers, etc. That would all go away with town-based systems. Town-based systems sure make the rich happy (imagine if Potomac could keep all its tax revenue — that would be one country club of an elementary school) but it’s basically NIMBY for the poor, special ed, ESOL, etc.


And, how has that been working out for the lower SES students in MCPS? We still haven't done much to ameliorate the achievement gap. Maybe it's time to try something different.


“Something different” being casting them aside completely and wishing them luck with their all-FARMS school district?!
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 16:45     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I grew up in CT with town based education...agree that it benefits the wealthy and leaves the poorer areas much worse off. The discrepancies are shocking... most needy students with the least reasources. I don't have a solution for mcps but taking away all measures of success to try to equalize student achievement is not a valid plan...grading, differentiated learning , exams, gifted programs...we are seeing them all phased out....not sure who supports that.


But how is that different from what is happening in MCPS? We are at a Focus school and have friends at wealthier elementary schools. Huge differences in field trips, PTA involvement, level of expectation, etc.

The County could still continue to offer its myriad of programs, like Saturday School, tutoring, etc. Could see how that would still work.

Services offered through the county, but town-based school systems. It would be a huge improvement over the disaster that MCPS is now. School closings can be made on a town/cluster basis. Busing would be much simpler.


It’s hugely different. Mcps now uses taxes generated largely in wealthy areas to subsidize poorer schools and give them much smaller class sizes, ESOL teachers, etc. That would all go away with town-based systems. Town-based systems sure make the rich happy (imagine if Potomac could keep all its tax revenue — that would be one country club of an elementary school) but it’s basically NIMBY for the poor, special ed, ESOL, etc.


And, how has that been working out for the lower SES students in MCPS? We still haven't done much to ameliorate the achievement gap. Maybe it's time to try something different.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 16:44     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:I am so effing tired of you Yankee or Midwest transplants moving here and telling us we need to run our schools the way they do in NJ/MA/IL/some other podunk state . Your way is not superior but you can move home if you think it is.


Ha! Then stop building so much new housing in Montgomery County. If the County is building all this new high density housing, you've gotta expect that people from outside the county are going to be moving here by the thousands. Just something to keep in mind when you're voting, if you're so outraged by the transplants.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 14:59     Subject: Re:The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
People can say all they want that a smaller system would be more manageable or efficient, but the subtext will remain the same: wanting a system more for “our” kids and not for all those “other” kids.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 14:53     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I grew up in CT with town based education...agree that it benefits the wealthy and leaves the poorer areas much worse off. The discrepancies are shocking... most needy students with the least reasources. I don't have a solution for mcps but taking away all measures of success to try to equalize student achievement is not a valid plan...grading, differentiated learning , exams, gifted programs...we are seeing them all phased out....not sure who supports that.


But how is that different from what is happening in MCPS? We are at a Focus school and have friends at wealthier elementary schools. Huge differences in field trips, PTA involvement, level of expectation, etc.

The County could still continue to offer its myriad of programs, like Saturday School, tutoring, etc. Could see how that would still work.

Services offered through the county, but town-based school systems. It would be a huge improvement over the disaster that MCPS is now. School closings can be made on a town/cluster basis. Busing would be much simpler.


It’s hugely different. Mcps now uses taxes generated largely in wealthy areas to subsidize poorer schools and give them much smaller class sizes, ESOL teachers, etc. That would all go away with town-based systems. Town-based systems sure make the rich happy (imagine if Potomac could keep all its tax revenue — that would be one country club of an elementary school) but it’s basically NIMBY for the poor, special ed, ESOL, etc.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 14:52     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
I am so effing tired of you Yankee or Midwest transplants moving here and telling us we need to run our schools the way they do in NJ/MA/IL/some other podunk state . Your way is not superior but you can move home if you think it is.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 14:21     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:

This is true and this is the only thing I agree with in your post. It would be difficult to recreate the Special Ed options in every single township.

NJ does have County based programs for Special Ed, and that can continue in MCPS.

MCPS is just too large the way it is now, and it has led to so many negative consequences for the students and the teachers. It's can't continue on the way it is. Why not consider that there may be other ways to run the schools?


It can continue as a county-based school system, and what's more, it will.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 14:04     Subject: Re:The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:It's Maryland's state constitution that dictates county-level school systems.


If there is enough will, the state constitution can be modified to allow smaller school districts where enough people so desire while current system continues where it is preferred by those district residents. Both systems can coexist in harmony. What should matter is for all adults to devise a better educational experience for all children.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 12:46     Subject: Re:The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
It's Maryland's state constitution that dictates county-level school systems.
Anonymous
Post 01/13/2019 12:41     Subject: The Best Remedy for Maryland K-12 Schooling.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I am from Wisconsin and town-based school systems is one of the biggest things I miss here.


Same here.

220 school, 500 square mile, $2b budget, 1000s of admin county-run school districts are failing big time. Esp those in sanctuary cities like Mont County, Md and Los Angeles. Too much money sloshing around, different priorities, politics galore, and incompetent bloated admin to do anything well.[b]


+100

And, the problems in MCPS are just too big to fix the way MCPS is currently designed. There needs to be some significant changes in the school district, and dividing up the system into smaller (more manageable) units would be a good way to start. Yes, there are politics and waste even in smaller districts, but there is greater accountability and more of an ability to implement change when needed.

MCPS is too big, with too many different priorities. And, it's not serving anybody well right now. Smaller districts would be able to focus on what they need.