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But parents on the county’s affluent west side, fearing that they would lose access to high-ranked schools that command very high home prices, began organizing to stop the boundary analysis. To research your local school assignment, you may: use the School Assignment Tool, or; call 240-314-4700 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday–Friday, or; email John_n_salamon@mcpsmd.org At the conclusion of her remarks, Hill turned to parents and asked, “I know all of you want your kids to go to the best school possible. ROCKVILLE – Montgomery County Public Schools ... and that was whether proposed changes would affect students who recently experienced a school assignment boundary change. Despite significant shifts in population and demographics, Howard and Montgomery have not made comprehensive changes to their school boundaries for decades. I really, really don't want you to split my school," one student testified. The last time Montgomery County undertook systemwide redistricting was in the mid-1980s, when it closed more than 60 schools because of low enrollment. Even these limited changes have led to pitched battles over who will go to which school. Montgomery County’s Board of Education will hear from the consultants it hired to do a districtwide analysis of school boundaries.. Recommendations on boundary changes will not be included. Drew Skilton, who graduated last year from Walter Johnson High School, told The MoCo Student on the sidelines of an April 2019 meeting that the boundary changes was necessary to measure the measure the county’s changing demographics since the last time such a study was conducted, about 40 years ago. Despite significant shifts in population and demographics, Howard and Montgomery have not made comprehensive changes to their school boundaries for decades. School Boundaries. School boundary questions touch off debates about race, ... 2019 at 10:32 p.m. UTC. The population was 600,000. Staff wrote in the request for proposal that it would recommend a selection to the board on Aug. 1. All Rights Reserved. “Schools To Conduct Countywide Boundary Study” Caitlynn Peetz, Bethesda Beat. The move was proposed as a solution to the disparity in socioeconomic status between various schools and clusters. One of the stated goals of Smith’s plan is to address demographic imbalances in the schools and reduce the concentration of students who qualify for free and reduced meals. The Howard County Council jumped into the fray in August, passing a resolution Oct. 7 to support efforts to “lawfully integrate” schools through the boundary process. Members of the 13,000-strong powerhouse teachers union, Montgomery County Education Association , for … ROCKVILLE – The Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education approved boundary changes on Nov. 26 to address concerns with projected overcrowding at Clarksburg and Northwest high schools, with high school and middle school reassignments beginning in September 2020. All rights reserved. Shortly before taking the vote that would change the school district boundary, O’Neill was sharply critical of some of the people protesting the boundary change. By Alessia Grunberger , Patch Staff Nov 27, 2019 4:32 p m ET This The population was 600,000. Inside board headquarters, members voted 7-1 to approve Superintendent Jack Smith’s recommendation for school district boundary changes for Clarksburg, Northwest and Seneca Valley High Schools. At a special called Montgomery County Board of Education meeting on Thursday, January 18, 2018, the Montgomery County Board of Education unanimously approved to implement the changes in the revised District Facility Plan (pending State Board of Education approval) beginning in the 2018-2019 school year. The final decision on the plan for the upcounty boundary changes will be held Nov. 26. Montgomery County school officials recently announced they would study school boundary lines, paying special attention to the capacity of … Parent Parvati Das testified on behalf of William Gibbs Elementary School’s parent-teacher association. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. According to Smith, Montgomery County has seen an additional 10,000 students in his three and a half-year tenure leading the school system, and there is no indication those numbers will slow down. On January 8, 2019, the Board of Education (Board) adopted a resolution asking the Superintendent to utilize external consultants to conduct an in-depth review and analysis of how existing school and cluster boundaries support or impede the effective use of school facilities in Montgomery County Public Schools. Those changes are set to take effect next fall. “I have been at this school since kindergarten, and so has my best friend,” she told the board. The number of students qualifying for free and reduced meals at Clarksburg is 27%, and at Seneca Valley, it’s 39%. People on all sides of the school boundary issue in Howard County agree that schools are overcrowded and that there are differences in resources and opportunities depending on where kids go to school. Grade 11 and 12 students would be grandfathered at their current school assignment. Despite significant shifts in population and demographics, Howard and Montgomery have not made comprehensive changes to their school boundaries for decades. MCPS officials and board of education members designate the work described in the request for proposals (RFP) as a boundary review analysis. Parents and children, many from Clarksburg, Maryland, turned out in strong numbers to protest changes to school district boundaries Tuesday night outside the Montgomery County Board of Education. The aim of the MCPS school boundary study is to examine how well their existing school boundary process As the county’s education unions enter the bargaining season in fall 2019, they are likely to speak to boundary change directly or indirectly. School Boundaries. The population was 600,000. In January, the Montgomery County Board of Education hired a consultant to look at the catchment areas for each of the county’s 200-plus schools with a focus on diversity. WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM, Latest coronavirus test results in DC, Maryland and Virginia, Montgomery County officials unveil vaccine-information website, Clarksburg man, 24, accused of murdering his mother, Painful questions after siege of Capitol by pro-Trump mob, ‘Our children are watching’: DC-area schools grapple with addressing US Capitol attack, ‘Insane’: WTOP reporter’s account of Capitol siege by pro-Trump rioters, NSF develops predictive model to flag improper payments in grants, Federal employees offer mixed projections on telework prospects post-pandemic, Payroll providers offer slightly different plans for collecting 2020 deferred taxes, As new member of IC, Space Force is looking for a clearer picture of orbit and beyond. That analysis is in its first phase, and a public hearing on that topic is scheduled for Monday, Nov. 18. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. Therefore, the Board of Education's requested FY 2019-2024 CIP included funding for a new high school in the mid-county region located on the Crown site in the City of Gaithersburg. All Rights Reserved. The review will not require the school district to make any boundary changes, but has sparked tension in Montgomery County, considered one of the most diverse areas of the country. The Montgomery County School Board sided with the superintendent on how to restructure school boundaries in upper Montgomery County. An FY 2019 appropriation was requested to begin planning this new high school. Montgomery County’s school system is diverse, but its schools are less so. “If you’re going to take a kid and put them on a bus from Boyds or Cabin Branch, and send them to Neelsville or Seneca Valley, the information that you have is not accurate,” Fraser-Hidalgo said. Enrollment Information → School Boundaries. I understand that, but at what cost and at whose expense?”. This process also includes an evaluation of the student She said if the preferred plan goes through, her brother would be separated from his best friend “and he would be alone.”. — The Superintendent of Montgomery County, Maryland schools will present a plan to school board members Tuesday night that will significantly alter the boundaries of school … Copyright © 2021 by WTOP. Boundary Analysis . Enrollment has increased by more than 30,000 in the last 20 years. MoCo School Boundary Changes Approved By Board Despite Protests - Germantown, MD - Despite protests, the Montgomery County Board of Education has voted 7-1 to approve Upcounty school boundary changes. It comes as enrollment at … All rights reserved. Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you. The last time Montgomery County undertook systemwide redistricting was in the mid-1980s, when it closed more than 60 schools because of low enrollment. 4886.1, Comprehensive Analysis of School and Cluster Boundaries. MoCo For Change is an all youth organization, mobilizing the students of Montgomery County to solve the most pressing issues of our time. The final decision on the plan for the upcounty boundary changes will be held Nov. 26. Under Smith’s plan, students from Gibbs would attend Neelsville Middle School. Some have high poverty rates, while others are tucked into affluent enclaves of the Maryland suburbs. “They’re putting politics before kids. WHEREAS, In January 2019, the superintendent of schools charged Montgomery County Public Schools staff to conduct a boundary study process to explore high school reassignments for Clarksburg, The changes … Wednesday, November 27, 2019. With a concentration on gun violence prevention, climate reform, and social equity, we strive to create tangible change through focused and innovative activism. ROCKVILLE –Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) staff amended its timeline for the boundary review analysis, days before it was scheduled to recommend a consultant to the Board of Education. The next big change came in the late 1980s when the school system closed a number of schools, but since then boundaries have only changed when new schools were opened. Due to fiscal constraints, the County Council approved a one-year delay for this project. He said that there are too many variables involved in predicting traffic flow, adding, “the reason I say it’s not accurate is because nobody knows how long it’s going to take,” to which the crowd burst into applause. Fraser-Hidalgo told the board that estimates of travel times in the area are impossible to predict reliably. Montgomery County Public Schools, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850 Call 301-309-6277 | Spanish Hotline: 301-230-3073 E-mail: ASKMCPS@mcpsmd.org The Board of Education will make a decision on the grandfathering in November 2019. Members of the 13,000-strong powerhouse teachers union, Montgomery County Education Association, for … Outside, Luka Van Herksen, of Clarksburg, a 12-year-old middle school student, said the boundary change will force him to attend Seneca Valley High School, much farther from his home than Clarksburg High School, which he would have attended if his neighborhood boundary had not been changed. The last time Montgomery County undertook systemwide redistricting was in the mid-1980s, when it closed more than 60 schools because of low enrollment. Do your children attend school in Montgomery County? As the county’s education unions enter the bargaining season in fall 2019, they are likely to speak to boundary change directly or indirectly. Schuyler Boettcher, a fourth grader at Germantown Elementary School, explained her opposition to the plan favored by the superintendent. The last time Montgomery County undertook systemwide redistricting was in the mid-1980s, when it closed more than 60 schools because of low enrollment. ... with some in Montgomery County urging changes that would make schools … Elected officials in the county have been skittish on the subject. To research your local school assignment, you may: use the School Assignment Tool, or; call 240-314-4700 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, Monday–Friday, or; email John_n_salamon@mcpsmd.org "Every single student that stands with me tonight has friends that they are going to lose. I really, really don’t want you to split my school,” she said. The population was 600,000. The resolution― to bring in outside consultants to perform an analysis of whether existing school and cluster boundaries allow for effective use of school facilities―was approved on Jan. 8, 2019. Despite significant shifts in population and demographics, Howard and Montgomery have not made comprehensive changes to their school boundaries for decades. WTOP: Parents, students protest school boundary change in Montgomery County. Even progressive groups have stayed away from boundary change. ROCKVILLE – The Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education approved boundary changes on Nov. 26 to address concerns with projected overcrowding at Clarksburg and Northwest high schools, with high school and middle school reassignments beginning in September 2020. Transportation wasn’t the only concern for families affected by potential changes to existing school boundaries. Therefore, the Board of Education's requested FY 2019-2024 CIP included funding for a new high school in the mid-county region located on the Crown site in the City of Gaithersburg. Unfortunately, inaccurate information has been shared in our community about the purpose of the analysis. “Over the last couple of days, I’ve been deeply troubled by the tone of emails that have come to the board … It is absolutely uncalled for, unbelievable; and in 20 years on the board, I have not seen this low level of behavior, and it does not speak well for our community,” O’Neill said. © 2019 WTOP. The Montgomery County Board of Education wanted to make sure future reviews of school assignment boundary lines are in line with their policy and mission. The percentages shown in the “change row” of the recommendation for the race/ethnic composition data used the 2018-2019 enrollment instead of the 2019-2020 preliminary September 30th enrollment. We need our kids at home; we need to nurture them; we need to help them with their homework … We want MCPS to hear all of our voices, people from every cluster, and make sure that all of our opinions are equitable in their decisions,” Matarazzo said. According to Smith, Montgomery County has seen an additional 10,000 students in his three and a half-year tenure leading the school system, and there is no indication those numbers will slow down. Parents protest Montgomery County school boundary changes. WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM, Latest coronavirus test results in DC, Maryland and Virginia. Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you. schools and students in the Upcounty area for career readiness programs. Montgomery County Public Schools, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850 Call 301-309-6277 | Spanish Hotline: 301-230-3073 E-mail: ASKMCPS@mcpsmd.org Under the plan, some students currently assigned to Clarksburg High School would be reassigned to Seneca Valley. Montgomery County school officials recently announced they would study school boundary lines, paying special attention to the capacity of buildings, student demographics and travel patterns. By Ana Mulero. MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Rockville, Maryland February 1, 2019 Below are frequently asked questions regarding the Clarksburg, Northwest, and Seneca Valley High Schools Boundary Study process. website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. 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