I wanted to bump this thread in relation to the Berliner thread in case people missed it the first time.

Received this in an email today, in case anyone is following this issue:


This issue is moving forward and we need your help!

This Thursday @ 3PM (our rally begins at 2PM), the County Council’s Education Committee will vote to move the Alternative Education Program from Blair G. Ewing to English Manor Elementary School on Bestor Drive.

We need your help to send a very loud and clear NO.

1) Today, please make one call to each of the following members of the County Council Education Committee and tell them to vote NO on Thursday’s action item to move the Alternative Education Program to Bestor Drive. Can we count on you to make these three calls? (see three talking points below)

Craig Rice / 240-777-7955

Marc Elrich / 240-777-7966

Nancy Navarro / 240-777-7968


2) On Thursday, please join us for a rally outside the County Council Education Committee meeting @2PM.

Location: Stella Werner Council Office Bldg, 100 Maryland Ave, Rockville, MD 20850


Talking Point 1: English Manor Elementary is needed as a local elementary school, not a regional school. Lucy Barnsley and area elementary schools are already overcrowded.

Talking Point 2: Students will suffer. Blair Ewing is a solidly-built, well-maintained school that MCPS intended to turn into a "national model" for alternative education. English Manor is a small, dilapidated elementary school without significant renovations since it was closed in 1980.

Talking Point 3: This process was rushed, lacked community involvement, and would result in tearing down a usable public school building, paving over park land, building a bus depot in a gridlocked and environmentally sensitive area, and adding a regional school to a quiet neighborhood. There is overwhelming community opposition to these proposals, so this must stop now.


** Note, this specific vote focuses on moving the Alternative Education Program from Blair Ewing to English Manor. The bus depot vote will be held at a later time. Achieving a no vote now will help us continue to build momentum to achieve a no vote on the proposed bus depot at Blair Ewing. Also, you will notice that the talking points avoid “Not In My Backyard” arguments that can minimize our entire effort. **


Text of Action Item Before the Committee:

“The County Council for Montgomery County approves the following action: The FY15-20 Capital Improvements Program of the Montgomery County Public Schools is amended to change the scope of the Blair G. Ewing Center Improvements project from improvements at the current facility to improvements to the former English Manor Elementary School site in order for the Alternative Education programs to relocate to the English Manor Elementary School site.”

Thank you for posting your comments, I just learned a few things. I am interested in hearing more about your experiences, so please send me an email to: info@saveblairewing.org

Please visit our website: SaveBlairEwing.org
or Facebook page: www.facebook.com/saveblairewing

I do not want teachers to be endangered, and I certainly do not want to see students simply expelled, especially when those expulsions disproportionately affect minorities. That means our system is failing kids who are among the most vulnerable members of our society. And that should concern all of us.

Your remarks highlight serious systemic failures that need to be addressed immediately, and now is the perfect time to shine a light on all of this.

many thanks,
-Jamison Adcock