RM Cluster Emphasizes The Importance Of Music

Combined RMHS choruses

Last night for the first time, students from all of the schools in the Richard Montgomery Cluster performed in the annual RM Cluster Concert. The evening showcased every sort of musical endeavor available from a cappella groups to choruses to instrumental music. One of the objectives of the event is to give the kids a chance to see what you can move onto musically.

Ronald Frezzo, Director of the Richard Montgomery Choruses, explained why music is offered in schools. The reasons include math (counting), geography (musical heritage), civics (patriotic songs), discipline (listening and standing), teamwork, mutual respect, and even the health effects of breathing. Mr. Frezzo told the audience that more drama and music majors get into medical school than biology majors.

The evening kicked off unofficially with the three a cappella groups from Richard Montgomery High School (RMHS): the all-female Resonance, the coed In Tune, and the all-male T Tones. In Tune introduced themselves as the “Pokemon Trainers Association of America” but that must have been an attempt to get the attention of the elementary school kids in the audience. Billing themselves as the “funest” group, they covered the Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes. The T Tones went with The Longest Time by Billy Joel.

Beall Elementary

The main performances of the evening were by the elementary school choruses. The Beall, College Gardens, Ritchie Park, and Twinbrook Choruses all bravely sung to a standing-room-only crowd.

College Gardens Elementary

Their sweet young voices were gently punctuated by the simple accompaniment of a piano.

Ritchie Park Elementary

Ritchie Park added some percussion to Blue Waters of the North.

Twinbrook Elementary

Since Julius West Middle School (JWMS) lost their chorus program due to budget cuts, Mr. Steve Cowan brought three instrumental groups to perform. Over 250 kids play instruments at JWMS. The short excerpts played gave a taste of what the school offers from jazzy brass Pink Panther to Bach on strings. Listen to what the Bach turned into:

The Combined Richard Montgomery Choruses brought the evening to a grand finale. During Dona Nobis Pacem all the elementary choruses joined in the singing the rounds. Since the younger students sat in the side rows, their voices surrounded the audience with a flowing embrace of Latin.

Then the audience stood and joined in with the first and fourth verses of America, the Beautiful so parents could show their support with their voices.

During the evening RMHS Principal Dr. Nelson McLeod, proved the value the school places on music by presenting $200 gifts to each of the music programs. Totaling over $1,000, these gifts are a tradition which acknowledges the important role each music program plays for the students.

During this tough budget situation, parents can also reach out to principals and the County Council to show their support for these thriving music programs. Kids who show commitment to choral and drama programs demonstrate their ability to succeed in college. Last night the students and faculty certainly demonstrated their passion for music.

Schools Closed Today (Tues., Jan. 18)

Kids get a fourth day off to tack onto their Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday — last night’s ice storm has closed schools today.

Here’s the official announcement from MCPS:

Montgomery County Public Schools are closed today due to emergency weather conditions. All school and community activities in school buildings also are canceled. All administrative offices are open. Day care programs in school buildings will remain open as scheduled.

Public Forums Scheduled For New MCPS Superintendent Search

Jerry Weast Presents 2011 Budget (photo MCPS)

As most know, Montgomery County Public Schools are searching for a new superintendent, to replace Dr. Jerry Weast who is retiring. The MCPS School Board has just announced a schedule of public forums to be led by the search firm, unfolding at the end of January / beginning of February.

All Montgomery County citizens can attend the public forums, which are designed to “gather community comment on the educational priorities and desired leadership qualities” for the next superintendent.

One forum (Feb. 2) is in Rockville, at MCPS HQ. The others are at various locations throughout the County:

Monday, January 31, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.

• Location: Northwest High School, 13501 Richter Farm Road, Germantown (map)
• Translation/interpretation available in: Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese

• Location: White Oak Middle School, 12201 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring (map)
• Translation/interpretation available in: Spanish

Tuesday, February 1, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.

• Location: Bethesda Elementary School, 7600 Arlington Road, Bethesda (Accessible from Bethesda Metro Station) (map)
• Translation/interpretation available in: Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese

• Location: Montgomery Village Middle School, 19300 Watkins Mill Road, Montgomery Village (map)
• Translation/interpretation available in: Spanish

Wednesday, February 2, 2011, at 7:00 p.m.

• Location: Wheaton High School, 12601 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring (map)
• Translation/interpretation available in: Spanish

• Location: Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville (map)
• Translation/interpretation available in: Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese

Edison / Wheaton High Modernization Meeting

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.

Beall Elementary Capacity Study Meeting Thursday, Jan. 6

As many readers know, one of the local schools that is among the most impacted by crowding is Beall Elementary. The Montgomery County Public School system has agreed to begin a feasibility study to look at adding capacity. The process was supposed to have included four meetings to begin in December, but the first meeting got snowed out.

So, the first meeting of the capacity study is this Thursday, January 6, at 4:00 pm at Beall Elementary. I spoke to the coordinator of the meeting, and he told me that the meeting is best characterized as a “worksession” — staff will present various options for mechanisms to expand the school, and hear feedback and thoughts. He said it would be “hands on.”

(The next meetings after Thursday are January 20 at 7:00 pm and February 10 at 3:30 pm.)

School Announcement Due To The Snow

Montgomery County Public Schools will close at the regularly scheduled time today.

However, with 1 -2 inches of snow expected fore 9 PM this evening, all school-sponsored after-school and school-sponsored evening activities are canceled.

I don’t know about you all, but I was totally looking forward to my son’s first chorus performance at Ritchie Park Elementary tonight.

Editorial Opinion By Brad Rourke: Engagement, Please, Not ‘Input’

MCPS

As many Rockville Central readers know, Montgomery County Public Schools superintendent Jerry Weast is stepping down after more than ten years. On Tuesday, the Board of Education formally selected the executive recruiting firm to conduct the search for his replacement: Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, based in Illinois. This is the same firm that led the search to find Dr. Weast. (They have also done most of the searches in the surrounding area, including Prince George’s County, Fairfax County, and Baltimore County).

Choosing a leader for one of the largest and best school districts in the nation is no easy task. The job is part CEO, part cabinet secretary, part community leader. You can’t just look for the “best qualified” candidate because there may not be a good fit with the community. In fact, some would argue that community fit is at least as important than qualifications.

A Public Role

Superintendent is an inherently public role. In large districts like ours, it is even more properly seen as a public position. Such searches are tricky, because when there are many legitimate public claims to have a say in the selection, it becomes a political question.

By “political,” I don’t mean “partisan.” I mean it in the highest and best sense. Politics, after all, is how we make decisions together in our community and our nation. In my view (of course I am a civic nerd so take it with a grain of salt), it is among the most important inventions of humankind.

Even if you aren’t a civic nerd like me, all would agree, I believe, that the search for the leader of a school district with more than 100,000 students ought to have a very strong public engagement component. The public voice is certainly not the only voice that must be heard, but it is critical.

Engagement vs. ‘Input’

With that in mind, I am concerned about how the process may unfold. I am worried that we will get engagement in name only.

This is an endemic problem throughout public life. Too often, public officials say they want to engage the public in this or that decision – and then go ahead and convene a hearing where everyone has three minutes to speak, or announce a “town hall” by sticking a notice up on a website, or by announcing an online survey where people can “be heard.” These are all decent methods of “gathering input” but they do nothing to make citizens feel heard. When was the last time, for instance, that you felt as if you had adequately made an important point in three minutes?

I got to thinking about this when I read an interesting article by the Parents’ Coalition of Montgomery County. The Coalition is a strong critic of the school district, and I often disagree with their assessments. But, sometimes I agree.

In this particular article, the Coalition pointed out that the search firm would likely be using an off-the-shelf online survey to “gather input” from the public about what kinds of qualities they would like to see in a superintendent. The article implied that using a standard online survey form was less desirable than something that would be created on a custom basis, and that this was emblematic of how the district seemed to be overpaying for the search contract.

For my part, I have no problem with using a standard web survey as a piece of the engagement strategy, and I don’t necessarily think the $35,000 search price tag is too high.

However, I have a problem with the online survey. The Coalition found other instances where it had evidently been used (for instance, Mill Valley, California) so I was able to take a look at the survey itself.

It is a series of more than 40 dense, jargon-filled qualities that respondents are supposed to assign 1-6 “important/not important” rankings to. My eyes glazed over after the first set. None of the questions are bad, mind you – it’s just that the whole thing is stamped “bureaucrat.”

Is This What We Can Look Forward To?

My worry is that this is a harbinger of what “community engagement” will look like: expert-driven, bureaucratic, and perfunctory.

I hope that more care and attention will be paid to engaging the community in this critical decision. Many factors come into play and expertise and qualifications are certainly key. But the district will have squandered an important opportunity if it does not authentically reach out to the community as a partner and not just as a source of “input.”

The full survey is copied below. (This is the version intended for “community members.”) Mind you, this has not been released as an official survey to be used in the Montgomery County search. However, this survey appears to be used frequently by the search firm.

The Survey:

Vision and Values

1. Articulate a clear vision of what is required to be an exemplary school district.

2. Act in accordance with the district’s mission, vision, and core beliefs.

3. Strive for continuous improvement in all areas of the district.

4. Have concrete plans to be actively involved in developing, monitoring, and evaluating the progress of school and district initiatives and implementation plans.

5. Promote high expectations for all students and personnel.

6. Lead in an encouraging, participatory, and team-focused manner.

7. Delegate leadership responsibilities effectively.

8. Demonstrate integrity, honesty, and fairness.

Instructional Leadership

9. Serve as the district’s instructional leader.

10. Hold a deep understanding of the teaching and learning process.

11. Increase academic accountability at all levels of the district’s schools and for all its students.

12. Provide meaningful guidance on the district’s curricular and instructional programming.

13. Provide meaningful guidance on the implementation and management of a systematic district-wide assessment program.

14. Utilize student achievement data to drive the district’s instructional and assessment programming.

Community and Relationships

15. Be visible throughout the district and the community.

16. Understand the conditions, cultures, dynamics, and values of the school community.

17. Listen to and effectively represent the interests and concerns of students, personnel, and community.

18. Foster a positive professional climate of mutual trust and respect among faculty, staff, and administrators.

19. Seek a high level of engagement with principals and other school-site leaders.

20. Maintain positive and collaborative working relationships with the school board and its members.

21. Develop strong relationships with constituent groups, local government, area business, and external partnerships.

Communication and collaboration

22. Communicate effectively the plans, goals, and progress of the district to the Board, staff, parents, students, and the community.

23. Communicate clearly to the school community about student achievement in the district’s schools.

24. Facilitate the sharing of ideas, plans, and methods among various district stakeholders.

25. Provide constructive, meaningful feedback to personnel he/she supervises.

26. Involve appropriate stakeholders in the decision making process.

27. Encourage a sense of shared responsibility among all stakeholders regarding success in student learning.

Core Knowledge and Competencies

28. Possess strong understanding of organizational and educational leadership.

29. Possess strong understanding of emerging issues and trends that affect the school community and the mission of the school.

30. Possess strong understanding of current legal, regulatory, and ethical issues affecting education.

31. Possess strong understanding of personnel needs and requirements.

32. Possess strong understanding of the system of public school governance and finances in the state and nation.

Management

33. Be an effective manager of the school district’s day-to-day operations.

34. Align operational plans and procedures with the school district’s vision, mission, and goals.

35. Identify, confront, and resolve district issues in a timely manner.

36. Effectively plan and manage the financial operations.

37. Align financial resources with student learning needs and the district’s vision, mission, and goals.

38. Recruit, employ, and retain effective personnel management teams throughout the district and its schools.

39. Apply policies and procedures fairly, wisely, and consistently.

40. Guide the usage and maintenance of school facilities to ensure secure, safe, and clean school environments that support learning.

41. Facilitate efficient delivery of supplemental school services (e.g., security, food service).

Additional Comments

42. Please add any additional comments you wish to make regarding what you believe are necessary characteristics for a superintendent.

43. If you know of someone that you think would be a good candidate for this position, please share their name and contact information in this space.

County Council Votes To Sell Peary High School Site

Yesterday, the Montgomery County Council voted 8-1 to approve the sale of the former Peary High School property in Aspen Hill to the Berman Hebrew Academy. As was noted in the Contributor Opinion by Laura Berthiaume, the Board of Education was against the sale which would “represent the effective loss of a future middle school site in the Rockville area, at a time when Montgomery County Public Schools is projecting 10,000 more students arriving in the next six years.”

Councilmembers Roger Berliner, Marc Elrich, Valerie Ervin, Nancy Floreen, Mike Knapp, George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro and Duchy Trachtenberg approved the sale, which was proposed by County Executive Isiah Leggett. Councilmember Phil Andrews, who represents Rockville, voted against the resolution.

The County Council press release on the vote describes the site’s history:

Peary was closed in 1984 due to declining enrollment. The facility deteriorated while vacant, but in 1996, then County Executive Douglas Duncan negotiated a lease agreement with the Berman Academy. The agreement included an option for the school to purchase the property. The proposed sale terms include a provision that would allow the County to repurchase the school if it is needed for public school use. More than 500 people attended a public hearing on the issue on Nov. 23.

The Berman Academy has estimated that it has spent more than $9 million to refurbish the property that is surrounded by a residential neighborhood. Enrollment at the Academy is estimated at 700 students.

The purchase price, which ratified the terms of the 1996 lease, was set at $1,914,860. A potential repurchase price is tied to the price paid plus the lesser of the fair market value of improvements made by the tenant or the depreciated actual costs of improvements. The Academy’s use of the site is limited to school uses and the public will continue to have use of the fields, gymnasium and auditorium during non-school use times. The County may reclaim the school for public school use through a legal condemnation proceeding at the repurchase price plus relocation costs. Through this proceeding, the County could retake possession of the property five years after the condemnation action is final and non-appealable.

The County Planning Board and the Aspen Hill Civic Association approved of the sale along with a “substantial majority” of the approximately three dozen speakers at the November 23rd hearing. Those in opposition included the County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations and the Montgomery Civic Association.

The next step lies with the Board of Public Works which must approve the sale.

Richard Montgomery Cluster Testimony To The Board Of Education

Cheryl Moss Herman Holds old Hungerford Elementary T-shirt while proclaiming "We are ready!".

Last night this Testimony prepared by the Montgomery Cluster Coordinators, Cheryl Moss Herman, Cheryl Peirce, and Christopher Kelly, was presented to the Montgomery County Board of Education in regards to the Superintendent’s Recommended FY 2012 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2011 – 2016 Capital Improvements Program.

As Dr. Weast noted in his press release of October 27, our cluster “is seen by many as a great place for families to live and send their child to school.” We wholeheartedly agree. Our excellent and diverse schools, including the tri-level IB program and the Chinese Immersion program, draw people to our cluster. Our community strongly supports our children – and our schools.

We expected to testify today, armed with statistics and stories, in order to convince you that the RM cluster had grown and is going to continue to grow. We expected to share with you that in addition to turnover of older neighborhoods, changing demographics and living patterns, and some new development, have all contributed to our over capacity schools.

We are glad we don’t have to do that.

We know that the numbers speak for themselves – the cluster elementary school utilization rate is at 122% now and is expected to rise to over 130% by 2012. Our middle school utilization at Julius West will also be over 130% during the six-year planning period, as the wave of elementary enrollment progresses.

In addition, future County growth plans that focus development near Metro stations affect our cluster. We are also concerned about projected growth just outside the borders of our cluster, such as the “Science City” development, and the impact it would have on student enrollment.

All school buildings that comprise the Richard Montgomery cluster are within the City of Rockville. The City’s adequate public facilities school test resulted in all of the RM cluster elementary school areas being placed in a residential moratorium this year.

But for the approval of a generic eight-classroom addition that was added by the County Council to the FY 2011-2016 CIP last spring, the RM cluster would be in County residential moratorium next year. While the County Council’s so-called “RM Cluster ES Solution” does address its moratorium issue, it remains merely a “paper solution” for our cluster. Overcrowded schools and inadequate facilities hinder student learning and achievement. It is time now to find a way to manage our growth while providing safe, secure and modern learning facilities for our students, and to turn that paper solution into a bricks and mortar solution…with desks and chairs, teachers, modern technology and other resources to follow.

We are pleased to see that Dr. Weast recommended additional capacity for several RM cluster schools at both the elementary and middle school levels to accommodate our growing numbers.

The Richard Montgomery Cluster PTAs support approval of the recommended feasibility studies for an addition at Julius West Middle School and a new elementary school #5 at the Hungerford Park Site, so these studies — and the process of providing relief for our cluster — may begin immediately.

Moreover, we are pleased that both Beall and Twinbrook elementary schools are currently in the feasibility planning stages for additions. We remind you that Ritchie Park completed a feasibility study for an addition last year.

Going forward, the Superintendent recommended that these studies be used to develop a comprehensive plan to address our elementary school capacity needs as part of the FY 2013-2018 CIP. He also noted that the magnitude of the space deficits indicate that one or more elementary additions may also be needed.

Members of the Board, the recommendations for the CIP were released just two weeks ago. The traditional two-week period between announcement of the proposed CIP and the date we are to stand here and testify is barely enough to educate ourselves, let alone the thousands of families in our cluster, and to hold serious, meaningful discussions about the impacts – intended and otherwise – on our cluster. Two of our four elementary PTAs had meetings only Tuesday of this week and yesterday. This left no time for follow-up on questions and substantial discussion.

Given that, the views we provide today should be considered only the start of what we hope will be a continuing dialogue with you and MCPS staff about the Cluster’s future plans, with ample opportunities for future community input in a thoughtful and meaningful way.

Our communities have been actively participating in each of the individual feasibility studies; we also expect community participation in the two new feasibility studies to be initiated this year.

However, we need an expanded role in shaping the comprehensive plan that will be prepared next summer in preparation for the full CIP next fall. We view the selection of where additional capacity will be added as the first decision regarding seats in our cluster that will culminate in a boundary study to be conducted once the new school construction begins.

We know that there is no “off-the-shelf” plan for this kind of community input, but we think that parallels the fact that there is no “off-the-shelf” answer for managing the over capacity in our schools. We want to work with you to shape a process for this continuous dialogue, and we wonder if some experience with Roundtable Advisory Committees or Discussion Groups could be used as a starting place. We need to be able to prepare for such discussions before the school year ends so that meaningful input can be provided during the summer months when the feasibility studies are finished.

Also, as you know, the feasibility studies can identify capital deficiencies at a school in addition to recommending classroom additions. We want to ensure that these deficiencies – from HVAC issues to cafeteria capacity to security needs to instrumental music spaces – are not overlooked for schools that are not selected for additions.

Beyond supporting the feasibility studies and greater community involvement, we find ourselves stuck firmly in clichés – that is, the saying that “Where you stand on an issue depends upon where you sit” and the adage that “The devil is in the details.” Each elementary school has a slightly different perspective – as you would expect.

Beall Elementary, a class size reduction focus school has had relocatable classrooms since 1999, and now uses a total of eight that cover a large portion of its playground space. With the highest percentage of over utilization at about 137% and projections to be at a startling almost 160% utilization rate and 300 students over during the six-year CIP, the focus at Beall is on bringing this school to its program capacity and upgrading its facilities. Beall has had to make many adjustments in the school day, including changing dismissal and traffic patterns, and hosting six lunch periods with staggered starts every 15 minutes between 11:30 am and 1:15 pm, just to get through the day. They should not have to do that.

Ritchie Park, the smallest school building in our cluster, is at 133% utilization and has five portables covering most of its playground blacktop. Blacktop-only recess is only possible on the blacktop next to the portables and can be disruptive to the classes out there. During the six-year CIP, Ritchie Park is projected to reach over 150% of its capacity. Teaching teams have been split, and bathroom breaks engineered into the school day for third graders in the portables to maximize instructional time and safety. Ritchie Park also has four lunch periods and its use of every available space for teachers leaves very little space that can be used by after-school programs, thus, their offerings in this regard are few. With the feasibility study completed last year and projected needs so great, the Ritchie Park community was hoping to secure addition funding as early as this amendment year. So the Superintendent’s recommendation is viewed as a “delay” by some.

Twinbrook Elementary School, a Title I school, is the oldest building in our cluster. It was “modernized” in 1986, but not to modern standards. Its physical needs are great and it will be given a FACT assessment for modernization this year. We look forward to reviewing the final methodology and scoring rubric for FACT assessments. Unfortunately, the modernization queue is longer than the capacity addition queue, so many in the Twinbrook community feel that their needs are being ignored while a new school may be built. The cafeteria/all purpose room must be updated because the current serving area is too small for the large percentage of children who eat a food services lunch. Additional challenges are ADA compliance, including an elevator installation. Currently, access for people who have mobility challenges to parts of the school is only available by exiting and then re-entering the building, and teachers must shuffle classrooms each year to maintain program standards for a student who uses a wheelchair. This latter challenge is also present at Beall. Overall, Twinbrook is concerned about equity across the cluster – that children in their elementary school have the same access to facilities, technology and safe places to learn.

College Gardens, which was newly modernized in 2008, is already over capacity and in need of portables, as you know. College Gardens’ core is so crowded that they have five lunch periods this year, which make scheduling of other activities, such as chorus and assemblies challenging. The Superintendent recommended that the Chinese Immersion program be moved to the new school once it is built to free up seats at College Gardens. Many in the home school community support this idea, hoping to minimize future boundary changes, but the CI community has some significant concerns about the impact on their program and their community. You will hear more from the College Gardens PTA President later tonight. We also question whether relocation of that program will actually solve College Gardens over capacity situation, especially if that community continues to grow.

Finally, the cluster is concerned that an addition at Julius West may not fully address the middle school capacity needs of the cluster, or may result in a middle school enrollment capacity that is just too large. We encourage you to consider more options for our middle school capacity challenge, and we look forward to working with you on this – sooner, rather than later.

Regarding the overall CIP amendments, we support keeping restroom renovations – four in our cluster – on track. We support countywide projects on HVAC, Roof Replacements, School Security upgrades, and PLAR, including increasing HVAC to $15 million and increasing PLAR by $1 million over the County Council’s approved amount. We also want additional attention to tech mods so that appropriate technology is in place to support the new curriculum fully and our children, most of whom are in schools where technology was provided based on much smaller enrollment figures, have the technology needed to succeed.

To summarize – the Richard Montgomery Cluster PTAs fully support the decisions that need to be made now – approval of the feasibility studies for the new elementary school and for JW. We also support a continuous dialogue between MCPS and the community regarding the “comprehensive solution” that includes possible new additions, a proposal to move the CI program, alternate capacity solutions for middle school, and further out, a cluster-wide boundary study for the new school.

We clearly share a commonality in purpose and look forward to working with you to provide this relief and move forward for our children.

We invite anyone who testifies during a Public Hearing to send us your remarks, which we will consider for publication at Rockville Central as a public service. As with any opinion piece, our publication of an article does not mean we endorse the author’s opinion.

Parents Asked To Support the RM Cluster Testimony

RPES Photo by Cindy Cotte Griffiths

Many parents have voiced their concern about school overcrowding in the Richard Montgomery Cluster during public meetings in Rockville. Now the time for testimony to the Board of Education regarding the Superintendent’s Recommended FY 2012 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2011-2016 Capital Improvements Program has finally been announced.

Representatives from the Richard Montgomery Cluster will be testifying before the Montgomery County Board of Education on Thursday, November 11, 2010. The time frame for testimony is from 6:45 until 8 PM. The hearing begins at 7 PM. At Monday night’s Mayor and Council meeting, Mayor Marcuccio and Councilmembers Britton and Pierzchala indicated they were willing to provide testimony, so these elected officials will speak first followed by the Cluster Representatives.

The Richard Montgomery Cluster includes Ritchie Park Elementary, College Gardens Elementary, Twinbrook Elementary, Beall Elementary, Julius West Middle School, and Richard Montgomery High School. The testimony will include comments on the MCPS proposal to study the creation of a new school in the RM cluster and the expansion of Julius West. The testimony will also focus on the additions planned for Ritchie Park, Beall, and Twinbrook, as well as the transfer of the Chinese Immersion Program from College Gardens to the new school when it is built.

Cluster representatives have been encouraging parents to attend and show the Montgomery County Public Schools and Board Of Education that the community is very concerned about the growth in enrollment. All of the Cluster’s elementary schools are over capacity. Parents will be advocating for a plan to alleviate overcrowding in the schools within the City limits.

The testimony will be given at the Carver Center Auditorium (850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville, next to Montgomery College). Parking is available in the lot on the Rt. 355 side of the building and the North entrance is on the right set back slightly from the flagpole entrance to the building. Parents are encouraged to wear or carry their school’s spirit wear, or to bring a handmade sign the size of a piece of paper to show support. Of course, everyone attending is expected to remain quiet during the testimony and leave quietly at the appropriate time.

Many have hoped that the energy recently revealed in meetings at the schools will result in a strong showing before the Board of Education during this opportunity to testify.

Montgomery County State Delegation Moves To Exempt Schools From City APFO

It appears that, just one day after the election, the Montgomery County state delegation has submitted a bill sure to raise hackles here in Our Fair City of Rockville.

College Garden Elementary School Portable Classrooms

The bill, sponsored by Senator Rich Madaleno but listed as being authored by the full County delegation, would make Montgomery County the only jurisdiction with authority to issue permits and enforce codes when it comes to building or remodeling school buildings, including the placement of so-called “portables,” or temporary classrooms.

Follow the progress of this bill here and read its full text here (pdf).

The Parents Coalition of Montgomery County reports that this bill and another bill (an also-sure-to-be-controversial bill allowing MCPS to charge bus fees) were announced in a November 3 email in an email from Sara Hartman on behalf of the delegation.

The bill appears aimed directly at the City of Rockville, as the City recently got into a dispute with the District over the placement of two new “portables” at College Gardens Elementary School. The Planning Commission had denied the District’s application because the portables did not comply with the City’s Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance. The District went ahead and began using the modular units anyway. It is within the rights of the district to do so (just as the State is not obligated by law to follow Rockville zoning requirements). However, the move has created some consternation, especially after a strongly worded letter to the City by superintendent Jerry Weast that has some Councilmembers and the Mayor a little cranky.

According to the annotations of the bill, it appears that it was in the works at least as early as October 27. (The same day MCPS announced it would look at building a new elementary school.) However, it apparently was not announced generally until the day after the election.

There is a hearing scheduled on this bill on December 6 in the County Council Office Building right here in town.

Montgomery College Inaugurates A New President

Photo from Montgomery College

On Friday, October 29, 2010, Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard was inaugurated as the ninth chief executive officer in the College’s 64 year history with approximately 700 people in attendance including Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio, County Councilmember Phil Andrews, and Maryland Senator Jennie Forehand. The Rockville City Police Department’s honor guard showed our City’s support for the College by presiding over the presentation of the colors.

During her speech, Dr. Pollard emphasized her high aspirations for our local community college:

My vision is for Montgomery College to become the most relevant community college in the country by meeting the needs of our students and our community. The Board of Trustees and I want this institution to be as meaningful to the lives and goals of our students, employers, and community as we can possibly be.

Although an educated workforce is key to maintaining our standing in the world, Dr. Pollard explained that in just a decade, the U.S. has fallen from first place to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree, then she painted a picture of Montgomery County today:

• Nearly 30 percent of public school children rely on free and reduced meals at their schools each day;
• 13 percent of public school students are enrolled in ESOL courses;
• A family of four needs around $100,000 to live without government assistance (referenced from Wider Opportunities for Women report, 2010.), but many families don’t reach that threshold.

Photo from Montgomery College

Dr. Pollard underscored the importance of education to economic security and quality of life:

We feel—we see—increasing desperation for more and more Americans who are struggling to pay their bills, maintain a roof over their heads, and take their kids to the doctor when they are sick. People worry about getting—or keeping—the kinds of good jobs that support a middle class life.

And yet, there are good jobs out there, like registered nurses, computer support specialists, police officers, and auto mechanics. Area employers are still looking for skilled employees, but the reality is that while 48 percent of all jobs in Maryland are classified as middle-skill, only 37 percent of Maryland’s workers have the education and training required to fill these positions. And, they require a college education or certificate.

She explained that the College is not only in the business of meeting this requirement, but it also is in the business of changing lives:

We have seen, firsthand, how Montgomery College can change the trajectory of an individual; transform the quality of life for a family; and enhance the intellectual, economic, and cultural essence of a community.

She intends to throw open her arms to ensure that every person receives a college education by serving both the “haves” and the “have-nots”, in order to make the College fully relevant to the entire community. Education is the only truly liberating and equalizing force and a high school diploma isn’t enough anymore. Students who earn an associate’s degree from Montgomery College, when compared to those workers with only their high school diplomas, earn $593,000 more in salary over a lifetime. Dr. Pollard stressed that a college degree is the most reliable way to break a cycle of poverty for a family.

Since President Barack Obama has challenged community colleges to produce an additional 5 million graduates in the next ten years, the state of Maryland has embraced the completion agenda. The community colleges in Maryland have committed to increasing their graduation numbers by 20 percent in just two years. Dr. Pollard called on the College community to join her in supporting the national and state initiatives to increase college graduation.

Montgomery College is the second largest undergraduate institution in the state, behind the University of Maryland College Park. The College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study, including continuing education and training opportunities through noncredit courses and programs offered by the Workforce Development and Continuing Education division.

In the Campus Conversation interview below, Dr. Pollard highlights her “radically inclusive” philosophy where everyone is engaged and involved for the long haul. She believes by working together, Montgomery College can make a difference in our community.

MCPS To Study Adding A New Elementary School In Rockville

College Gardens Elementary School is the current location of the Chinese Immersion Program

Today Montgomery County Public Schools announced a recommendation to construct a new elementary school on West Edmonston Drive, at the site of the former Hungerford Park Elementary School. The new school would provide relief to the four elementary schools in the Richard Montgomery cluster—Beall, College Gardens, Ritchie Park and Twinbrook—all of which are above capacity.

Superintendent of Schools, Jerry D. Weast, will recommend the study as part of the Capital Improvements Program (CIP) for Fiscal Year 2012, which will be released on Thursday, October 28. If approved, the study will determine the scope and cost of building the new school.

Part of the recommendation involves moving the district-wide Chinese Immersion Program from College Gardens to the new elementary school when it is built. The program’s 150 students would remain at College Gardens until the new school is built without any significant changes to the program.

In the announcement, Dr. Weast explained:

Rockville is seen by many as a great place for families to live and send their child to school. However, this creates a need for more classroom space now and in the future. We must work to address these needs as soon as possible.

MCPS also acknowledges:

In addition to a new elementary school, the magnitude of space deficits in the Richard Montgomery Cluster may require one or more classroom additions at Beall, Ritchie Park, and/or Twinbrook elementary schools. With the completion of all of the capacity studies, a comprehensive plan to address the capacity needs of the Richard Montgomery cluster elementary schools will be developed as part of the FY 2013–2018 CIP, to be released in fall 2011.

The CIP also recommends studying the cost and scope of an addition at the cluster’s only middle school, Julius West, which is expected to be 300 students over capacity by 2016.

Every two years, the county approves a six-year Capital Improvements Program, which includes school facilities and infrastructure projects. In alternate years, such as FY 2012, only CIP amendments are considered. As we reported in our story on school overcrowding, funds to build an addition at Ritchie Park Elementary are being considered as an amendment to the FY2010 CIP. Beall and Twinbrook are both in the middle of feasibility studies to determine if additions will be added.

Dr. Weast’s full CIP amendment recommendations will be discussed by the Board of Education at a work session on November 4th. Public hearings on the CIP will be held on Wednesday, November 10th and Thursday, November 11th. The Richard Montgomery Cluster has been encouraging concerned parents to attend the public hearings. After the hearings, the Board of Education is expected to vote on the CIP recommendations on November 18th. Then the Board’s recommendations are forwarded to County Executive Isiah Leggett for consideration as part of the County’s Capital Budget which will be released in January 2011.

Contributor Opinion by Roald Schrack: Rockville Schools

School overcrowding has recently become an issue in Rockville. Overcrowding at Beall Elementary school was described and denounced by a crowd of about 30 parents at a recent meeting of the Mayor and Council. In response to this and the recognition that the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance prohibits the construction of new residential facilities when local schools have reached 110% of capacity, the Mayor and Council have been motivated to meet with County Board of Education officials and tour school facilities.

Relief of overcrowding is a real need but there are other problems that exist in the school system that should also be addressed. The following table is extracted from school data available on the Montgomery County Board of Education website in “Schools at a Glance 2009-2010″. It shows the great diversity that now exists in the elementary schools that serve Rockville.

Click for larger image

The first column shows the percentage of the student body below the poverty level and thus eligible for Free and Reduced Meals. The second shows the current population ratio to capacity, the third shows the projected ratio in 2015. The next column shows the composite grade 2 test score. The S/T is the student teacher ratio and the last is the teacher salary expense in $1000. per student.

A study of the table is helpful in understanding the geography of poverty in the city. Also note where poverty is high, the student teacher ratio is low. The county makes an effort to put more resources where it is needed.

On Friday, October 15, the Washington Post reported on a study of Montgomery County Schools done by Heather Schwartz of the Century Foundation. It showed how students from poverty backgrounds did better in school when they made up a minority of the student body. To quote from the article:

After seven years, the children in low poverty schools performed 8% higher on standardized math tests than their peers attending higher poverty schools - even though the county had targeted them with extra resources.

Other studies have shown the vital importance of good teachers. A poor teacher in one grade level can have a lingering negative effect for many years.

In summary, it is not the facilities or the resources that make for a successful school but the human environment - the teachers and the students with whom you go to school.

The future of Rockville is dependent on our future employee pool. Even though the county has direct control of Rockville schools, the city needs to exercise a continuing commitment to the education of our younger citizens. We are becoming increasingly dependent on high technology. Our future citizens must be adequately prepared to compete successfully for future jobs.

Roald Schrack

This is a Contributor Opinion. Rockville Central encourages readers to submit such pieces for consideration — the more voices the better. Simply send them to [email protected]. We ask that all such contributions be civil and we reserve the right to edit (in consultation with the author) or reject. Contributor opinions should not be seen as reflecting opinions held by Rockville Central editors, as they are just as frequently at odds with our own views. That’s the whole point!

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Seventh Graders Explore Frontiers Of Science At Shady Grove Life Sciences Center

Learning About Chemical Reactions

Today, Johns Hopkins University, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, and other companies and organizations in the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center held the second annual Frontiers in Science and Medicine Day. All seventh graders from Rockville’s Julius West Middle School and Montgomery Village Middle School traveled to the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center for lab tours in a variety of company labs and hands-on science experiments at the JHU Montgomery County Campus.

Frontiers in Science and Medicine Day is an opportunity to energize middle school students about exciting career opportunities in science, medicine, and research to build a future workforce for the science, engineering, and healthcare industries in this region. The event is also an opportunity to highlight the incredible scientific research and healthcare delivery happening every day in Montgomery County and especially in the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center.

Here’s a conversation I had with Dennis Hanson, president of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital — whom, I am told, was instrumental in the creation of Science Day.

I can tell you, the morning was a hoot — and important for the future of our nation, if I may wax poetic for a moment. A key issue today is a lack of scientific and math literacy among youth. This isn’t just a matter of not knowing how to find a square root, how evolution works, or what Avogadro’s Number is. It’s vitally important that we train tomorrow’s engineers and scientists today. At the Shady Grove Life Sciences Center, I saw young scientists working on new cancer-beating medicines, working with DNA, developing new ways to handle remote medicine, and create new robots. They’re young scientists — but we need to be training up their replacements right now.

Using Remote Manipulators To Make Sutures

Cells In The Microscope

Craig Thomas, an organic chemist at NIH’s Genomics Lab, puts the issue very eloquently:

Science Day is a chance for seventh graders to get exposed to science outside of the classroom, in a real lab, in situations where it might actually be applied. Some students on today’s trip will be bitten by the science bug. In fact, I saw one student hanging back after his class left a demonstration, talking to the organic chemist about what it was like to do what he did.

The future is looking bright.

Everyone Wore Gloves