HOORAY!!!
Board of Ed. votes unanimously against the recommendation to consolidate MES and PES at this time
Instead, the Board voted to have a round-table discussion to come up with proposals for addressing the problem of Poolesville cluster's declining enrollment. Members from the the community and neighboring communities are to be involved. The board also mentioned to us that they will need our help requesting a bigger budget from the county council and state legislature. A decision on how to address enrollment must be made a year from now.
Highlights include:
- Dr. Docca made a motion to form a workgroup from the community to come up with solutions to the enrollment issue instead of adopting the Superintendent's recommendation.
- The concerns are not just Monocacy, but also declining enrollment at Poolesville Elementary and John Poole Middle School. Solutions should address the entire Poolesville cluster.
- Mr. Barclay pointed out that the Superintendent's recommendation goes against the Board's core values in that it doesn't allow enough time for community input.
- Ms. Berthiaume pointed out that the Board should consider the uniqueness of the Agricultural reserve and the special circumstances of this small community. She also said more discussion is needed regarding school size.
- Mr. Kauffman added that neighboring clusters (Clarksburg and Northwest) should be included in proposing solutions. He also pointed out that consolidating the schools does nothing to address declining enrollment at John Poole Middle school.
- One possibility is that the round-table comes up with the recommendation to do a boundary study by the Spring of 2010, with the Superintendent's recommendation by the Fall of 2010 for a boundary study. In that case, boundary changes could be implemented by August 2012.
- Nearly all members said they were strongly in favor of Dr. Docca's motion, and the vote to approve it was unanimous.
Thursday, November 19
Washington Post story
The Washington Post covers the BoE decision Article Link
REMINDER
Thursday night 7pm, Board of Ed. (Carver Center)
The Board votes on the timeline as proposed and I encourage everyone to attend. Let's have another big turn-out in Rockville - bring your friends and neighbors once again!
Updates as of November 17
- meetings with invidivual Board of Education Members - we have now met with or had significant conversations with all 7 members,
- Eddie Kuhlman and Peter Menke got our topic on the agenda and a group of us appeared at the Agricultural Advisory Committee tonight (they are a branch of Montgomery County Dept. of Econ. Development) where the group voted to submit a letter in support of our position on behalf of preserving the Ag Reserve
- Park & Planning was also at this meeting tonight and will submit a similar letter of support
- Sarah Defnet and Stephanie Egly attended a meeting, also tonight, with the Board and the Montgomery County delegation - I have not been updated, but I know they ably advocated for us
- a Task Force position paper was finalized and has been distributed to the Board of Education, Council members, County Executive, and several other interested parties
- Another small group will be meeting wth County Executive Ike Leggett tomorrow
- Mike Knapp has written a letter of support to the Board of Ed, as he said he would in our meeting with him last Monday night
- Congressman Chris Van Hollen has weighed in and strongly urges us to have a large group at the Thursday vote
- and of course, phone calls and emails!
COME RIDE THE BUS!
COME RIDE THE BUS! These are scary times, and scary times call for who better than Calleva (a provider of many outdoor programs, camp programs and of course Markoff's Haunted Forest) to lead us down the path to Carver, by offering up their bus to encourage community support and transport residents to testimony on Thursday. Thanks Calleva for supporting our efforts and providing bus transportation. The bus will leave from Selby's parking lot Thursday November 12th at 6PM (park on other side of grassy knoll - away from Selby's parking area so as to not reduce customer store parking) . Please RSVP to Lynne Rolls so we can ensure enough seats on the bus! To email Lynne: moc.nepoycaconompeek|ennyl#moc.nepoycaconompeek|ennyl
Keep Writing Letters!
Visit the forum and read about how you can help. Mail is best but email is better than not writing at all! After sending your letter, email a copy of your letter to moc.nepoycaconompeek|haras#moc.nepoycaconompeek|haras , and tell us how you sent it (email, US Postal Mail) and we'll take copies also and make sure they get delivered. Talking points, simplified contact list, and other writing helps coming soon! Consider hosting a letter writing party as many have already done.
Wednesday, November 18
Gazette.Net Story
Gazette.Net covers the BoE meeting again (new details) Article Link
Monday, November 16
Audio posted
Montgomery County Public Schools November 12th BoE Meeting posted Link to Audio
Friday, November 13
Gazette.Net Story
Gazette.Net covers the hearing Article Link
Thursday, November 12
Cluster Testimony before Board of Education - Rockville, MD
Superintendent Weast proposes to close Monocacy ES and consolidate students at Poolesville ES in the shortest time frame ever considered in the history of MCPS school closures. Join our entire community as we fight for due process and proper time to consider this action. This proposal WILL affect you - we need you in the audience as a show of support. Click here for directions and details about the Board of Education Meeting. Individuals may sign up to testify on both November 11th and 12th, and many members of the community will be out both nights to support our cluster position. We will hand out signs or some other visual in the hallway as you arrive, to show our community solidarity at testimony. Come stand with us and demand the same treatment as other clusters in the county!
Wednesday, November 11
Gazette.Net Story
Gazette.Net covers this story Article Link
Thursday, November 5
Monitoring Regular Board of Ed Business Meeting
Several task force members will attend the work session on the Capital Improvement Budget (CIP) to observe and monitor board discussions and actions. No testimony - just watching. Meeting starts at 6PM, no agenda posted yet. It will be webcast. Click here for directions.
Monday, November 2
Town of Poolesville Backs Cluster Opposition to Closure/Consolidation time line
After learning that the proposed closure/consolidation would be discussed at the Poolesville Commissioners meeting, Poolesville PTA President Lynne Rolls, Cluster Coordinator Sarah Defnet, and several members of the Keep Monocacy Open Task force arrived in the nick of time to explain the cluster position, our concerns for the impact on the cluster schools as a whole, and offer testimony in opposition to the time line being voted on by the Board of Education on Thursday November 19th. The commissioners agreed to send letters in support of our cluster position to oppose the 5 month time line for consolidation, and seek a 12 month time line, more consistent with past school closure and boundary considerations.
Thursday, October 29
News Channel 8 Story
News Channel 8 Covers this story. Article Link
ABC News 7 Story
ABC News 7 covers the story. Blog with embedded video
Washington Post Article
The Washington Post covers this story. Article Link
