Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Which W isn’t crowded?

Wootton, if you count Wootton, and maybe Churchill. There’s a lot of talk about Wootton, which shares a boundary with Gaithersburg, being chronically not overcrowded. But that is the outlier in the County. I don’t think there’s any other cluster in the same situation. And when the BOE proposed re districting between Gaithersburg and Wootton, the Gaithersburg families didn’t want it. But that doesn’t fit some people’s narrative.

Magruder cluster is very underutilized. Mostly smaller single family homes built in the 60s and 70s with a lot of retirees.

I could see a consortium of Gaithersburg, Watkins Mill, Magruder, and possibly Damascus with all of the schools offering different specialties. Expand Gaithersburg's PLTW more like Wheaton, Watkins Mill has IB, Magruder could have business or something similar or put another high school magnet there because this quadrant of the county can't get to Poolesville easily. There's plenty of middle area that would have similar bus rides to all three/four schools where letting people choose could even out utilization.

People are talking like changing fixed boundaries is the only solution. The purpose of hiring a consultant is not only to look at MCPS, but to look at practices of other districts and suggest other methods of populating schools. One possibility would be to give up the "cluster" model and just "zone" every neighborhood to its nearest 2 or 3 schools at each level (ES, MS, HS). When a kid enters a new level they participate in a choice lottery, which allocates on choice AND space available. That method would allow school utilization to remain balanced across the county over time, even as neighborhood demographics change.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly -- I think they need to at least consider this option. Some schools are massively overcrowded while other are under-utilized. Why build new schools when they could potentially solve the problem with redistricting. Isn't that a more cost effective solution?

Where is MCPS building a new school where they could solve the problem with boundary changes? Could you provide one specific example, please?

The recent expansion to Westbrook could be used to reduce Wood Acres overcrowding. Note that this would move kids from the Pyle/Whitman feeder track to the Westland/BCC feeder track, which would make many Wood Acres parents spontaneously combust.

And of course you feel they would spontaneously combust because they would be upset about a school with more brown people? That's the only reason people act, right?

I'd be opposed to that because we are a 10 minute walk to Whitman, whereas it would be at least a 20 minute bus ride to get to BCC. Would you like that switch or think it makes sense?

If it's not about you, why make it about you?

The prior post was about Wood Acres parents would oppose a move to Westbrook/BCC. I am a Wood Acres parent who would oppose a move to Westbrook/BCC, so how is this not about me?

And the fact that PP and others misattribute the motive for that opposition is also directly relevant to the discussion.

Anonymous wrote:

Which W isn’t crowded?

Wootton, if you count Wootton, and maybe Churchill. There’s a lot of talk about Wootton, which shares a boundary with Gaithersburg, being chronically not overcrowded. But that is the outlier in the County. I don’t think there’s any other cluster in the same situation. And when the BOE proposed re districting between Gaithersburg and Wootton, the Gaithersburg families didn’t want it. But that doesn’t fit some people’s narrative.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it hypocritical when Consortium residents get so excited about the prospects of rezoneing the W’s to the DCC. As if they are like; yah that will show them how miserable we are and help offload the oppressive amount of problem kids our communities are burdened with!!

But they they turn around and say how great their schools are and poor kids aren’t a problem. Which way is it?

I haven’t heard any DCC parents say that on this thread. What I’ve heard — and what I totally agree with — is a certain satisfaction that parents who paid an extra $300k segregation fee when they bought their houses may have to send their children to school with brown kids after all. It’s basically schadenfreude. I live in an area that could possibly be rezoned to Woodward and believe it or not I’d rather my kid stay at Einstein.

What makes you feel glee at the misfortune of others?

Would you also feel shaudenfreude if I crash my car tomorrow and break a leg or worse? Are you one of those jealous people who secretely rejoys when coworkers lose pregnancies, do not get a promotion they deserve?

I actually now feel happy that my kid is districted for a different school than yours, making it highly unlikely that you are a parent of one od their friends and may one day enter my home.

DP.

Crashing a car
Having a miscarriage
Not getting a deserved promotion
Getting rezoned to a DCC high school

One of these things is not like the other.

What is the miscarriage Alex? Some people pay to terminate a pregnancy, people pay not to go to the DCC

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it hypocritical when Consortium residents get so excited about the prospects of rezoneing the W’s to the DCC. As if they are like; yah that will show them how miserable we are and help offload the oppressive amount of problem kids our communities are burdened with!!

But they they turn around and say how great their schools are and poor kids aren’t a problem. Which way is it?

I don't find it hypocritical. DCC schools are overcrowded and some of the W schools are not. The school can still be "good" and overcrowded, but it would be better for the students if the school was less overcrowded.

I live in the RM cluster.

Which W isn’t crowded?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I hope this BOE member is going to attend the upcoming Rockville City Council meeting

Much of the school overcrowding has been a direct result of overdevelopment in the County.

Too many housing units are being built, without the appropriate schools being built.

And now developers are pushing for even more development at Twinbrook and RTC. This will directly impact Richard Montgomery HS.

I hope she makes her voice heard with the City Council.

This BoE member is a student at Richard Montgomery HS.

I saw that!

I would imagine she is concerned about the overdevelopment and the fact that they want to add even MORE students to RM, which is already over crowded.

She would be allowed to share her experience at the Rockville Council meeting as a student. I believe minors can share their comments?

You think it's "overdevelopment". Other people don't. She might, she might not. She can make up her own mind and testify as she sees fit.

Yes, absolutely. And I hope she does.

Most students at RM recognize how having an overcrowded school is detrimental. I would think she is not much different.

The student BOE member is in RMIiB magnet and RM is NOT her home school. MCPS can move the magnet program into another school to reduce overcrowding in RM, that is simple. By the way, the student BOE member is a senior so she will attend Harward, Yale, or Princeton University in 2019, just like all other student BOE members previously. Redistrict? It will be YOUR problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

For 3 years we keep one school at 120% and other at 90% ? We simply adjust against after 5 years if needed, but there is no rational behind not utilizing the current empty seats if it's possible to do so without busing too much.

No one is suggesting we should bus kids across county, but entire county boundary should be looked closely to not waste previous seats.

Right. What is "busing too much"? And do you want MCPS to spend lots of time, every 3 years, deciding what "busing not too much" is and then defending its decisions? I don't.

If MCPS has to put one person full time doing boundary adjustment and if it helps even 10K kids getting better education then yes, they should do it every 3 years. not doing any adjustment and then crying about lack of seats when having empty seats some where else is simply irresponsible.

Busing too much or too little is common sense. You don't bus between Whitman and Rockville HS, but you bus between Einstein to BCC. It's not that hard.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

For 3 years we keep one school at 120% and other at 90% ? We simply adjust against after 5 years if needed, but there is no rational behind not utilizing the current empty seats if it's possible to do so without busing too much.

No one is suggesting we should bus kids across county, but entire county boundary should be looked closely to not waste previous seats.

Right. What is "busing too much"? And do you want MCPS to spend lots of time, every 3 years, deciding what "busing not too much" is and then defending its decisions? I don't.

If it meant, we had made amends for the decades of discrimination and Jim Crowe then yes I'm all for it.

Anonymous wrote:

For 3 years we keep one school at 120% and other at 90% ? We simply adjust against after 5 years if needed, but there is no rational behind not utilizing the current empty seats if it's possible to do so without busing too much.

No one is suggesting we should bus kids across county, but entire county boundary should be looked closely to not waste previous seats.

Right. What is "busing too much"? And do you want MCPS to spend lots of time, every 3 years, deciding what "busing not too much" is and then defending its decisions? I don't.

Anonymous wrote:[quote=Anonymous

+1

It's actually a great idea. We should to utilizing every single empty seats in county when we have such over crowding. Not utilizing them for any reason will be unfair for our kids. I am in RM cluster myself and I regret moving to this cluster now because city is debating to put more kids in already over crowded cluster.

Not even a reason like, the school is over HERE and the kid is over THERE?

Or maybe a reason like, the school has capacity now but won't in 3 years so everyone will have to switch schools?

There is not any reason that is a good reason?