Edison / Wheaton High Modernization Meeting
Jan 7, 2011 14:17 - 4 Comments
Posted by: Brad Rourke
Department: Event Listings,Events In Rockville
Tags: Event Listing, meetings, schools
Department: Event Listings,Events In Rockville
Tags: Event Listing, meetings, schools
Rockville Central reader Theresa Defino passed along this meeting notice that may be of interest to those in Rockville whose children attend Edison / Wheaton high programs.
Public Information meeting
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Wheaton High School Auditorium
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) staff will make a presentation and answer questions concerning the program and facility approaches that were developed by the Thomas Edison High School of Technology and Wheaton High School Roundtable Advisory Committee (Roundtable).
These schools, which are located on the same site and share one facility, are scheduled for a modernization with a completion date of August 2015. The Roundtable has guided staff in developing a wide range of program and facility approaches that will define the relationship between Thomas Edison High School of Technology and Wheaton High School. Staff will present the approaches developed by the committee that include a one school model, a model that creates two independent programs, and hybrid models.
The primary role of the Roundtable is to advise the superintendent of schools as he prepares to make his recommendation for Board of Education action. The Roundtable will submit a summary report to the superintendent for his review and consideration. The report will include individual Roundtable member analyses of the approaches that were developed during the process. The superintendent’s recommendation will be released on February 8, 2011 with Board of Education action scheduled for March 28, 2011.
All information developed during the process is posted on the MCPS website.
thank you for posting this.
here’s a gazette story about the meeting:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/01072011/montnew160916_32573.php
here also is a previous story that explains the background of how we got here, and the danger of the process being pursued:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/11172010/montnew190719_32542.php
one more, about the “secret” grant:
http://www.gazette.net/stories/10062010/montnew185029_32543.php
the parents coalition has some additional information:
MCPS will hold its one and only informational meeting NEXT TUESDAY, January 11, 2011 from 7-9 p.m. at Wheaton High School, to discuss the fate of Thomas Edison High School of Technology and Wheaton and different “approaches” that “define the relationship” between them.
This is only opportunity to hear about possible “approaches” to combining the schools or keeping them separate. The purpose of the meeting is to gather community feedback, which will be incorporated into the a report given to the superintendent. The deadline for feedback is January 12, 2011.
According to MCPS, the approaches were developed by members of a Roundtable, which has met three times. The Roundtable has been criticized as being powerless and not representing all stakeholders. Parents and schools representatives from the entire county are not included, even though Edison is a county-wide school and its only career vocational school.
Please note that Edison ceases to exist except under approaches 1 & 2 and that many Roundtable members do not recall discussing making Wheaton into a “high-tech high school,” yet it is presented as an approach the group “developed.”
A “high-tech high school” is what MCPS was planning to do had it received a federal grant and what many Roundtable members believe will ultimately be the superintendent’s recommendation.
The Roundtable report will not contain any recommendations; members are not allowed to vote on anything and the process was not designed to reach any consensus. It is simply a way for MCPS to say it sought community input.
Other dates are as follows:
1/18/11-Final roundtable meeting
1/22/11- Roundtable advisory group report sent to superintendent and Board of Education
2/8/11 — Superintendent makes recommendation to BOE for action
2/28/11 — BOE holds work session to discuss superintendent recommendation
3/15/11 — BOE public hearing
3/28/11 — BOE action
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parents-Coalition-of-Montgomery-County/46649662401
This meeting was snowed out. It has been rescheduled to tomorrow evening.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/pdf/EdisonWheatonPIM.pdf
Immediately prior to this meeting, the Roundtable Advisory Commitee will meet for the last time. That will be held from 6 to 7:25 PM at Edison. I urge members of the community to attend both meetings and participate in discussions about the fate of the county’s only vocational technical school. Your high-schooler child could attend Edison no matter where you live under today’s system. That may change.