School Boundaries: A New Coalition?
So, are the current efforts to revisit boundary change evidence of an emerging new coalition? The clearest proponents of boundary change appear to be MCPS students themselves.
Planning Department Launches First Pedestrian Master Plan
The county Planning Department launched the development of the county’s first pedestrian master plan at its Sept. 5 meeting, according to a department announcement. The Planning Board approved a scope of work for the plan, which will be developed by developed by the Functional Planning and Policy Division.
School Boundaries: Will the Money Talk?
Rachel Carson Elementary School has been a particularly egregious case demonstrating the need for boundary change. The school has been overcrowded by hundreds of students for over a decade, but the community has rejected boundary change that would reassign students to one of five other underenrolled schools within two miles.
School Boundaries: Stability, Choice, and the Achievement Gap
Since the late 1990s, with enrollment numbers swinging back up, MCPS has built new schools in burgeoning upcounty areas, renovated and expanded old schools to accommodate more students, and reopened some that it had closed during the 1980s retrenchment.
School Boundaries: A Most Explosive Political Question
Montgomery County’s population is not only principally center-left, but also highly educated and employed in professions requiring years of training and the accretion of intellectual capital. Not surprisingly, they have an absolute belief in the necessity of high-quality education in preparing their children for a globally competitive labor market.
Is a New Boundary Change Coalition Emerging in Montgomery County?
Finally, after years of Montgomery County Public Schools resegregating and the achievement gap growing despite efforts to shrink it, the debate over school boundary change has come out into the open.
County Releases Schedule of Closings, Changes for Labor Day
Montgomery County has released its schedule of closings and other changes for Labor Day on Monday, Sept. 2. Most county facilities will be closed, and public transportation will run on a reduced schedule.
County Announces Lineup, Schedule for Jazz Festival
The county has announced the full lineup and schedule for the 16th annual Silver Spring Jazz Festival. The free festival will be held from 3-10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24 on Veterans Plaza. Grammy-award winning trumpeter Arturo Sandoval will headline this year’s performances.
County Again Offering Grants to Assist in Food Security Issues
Montgomery County once again is offering grants, this year ranging from $2,000 to $10,000, to community organizations working with food security issues, according to a press release. Applications are available online and due by the close of business on Sept. 3.