By Adam Pagnucco.
Recently, we reported that MCPS is planning a massive boundary review that would affect 19 of its 25 high schools and a similar proportion of middle schools. A countywide boundary analysis sparked controversy in 2019 and roiled the 2020 school board elections. With another school board election underway today, this new review is sure to interest voters now and in the next election round.
The Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) is an association of nearly 200 local PTAs and represents their interests before MCPS and elected officials. Local PTAs will probably view the boundary review differently, with some having more issues with it than others. Last Thursday, MCCPTA President Brigid Howe testified before the school board and presented a careful statement expressing concerns about transparency and the study’s timeline. Here are two key passages:
“If residents perceive that this study is another instance of MCPS operating in a black box, the community response will not be cooperative or productive.”
“In brief, we are concerned that the draft timeline shared in this RFP is inadequate to genuinely engage community members around changes that will be felt for decades to come for 19 of our current 25 clusters. This timeline appears to be typical for an MCPS boundary project, but this project, the largest boundary study in over 40 years, demands a longer timeframe because of the scope of clusters and communities potentially affected by the options that will be presented.”
Howe is being diplomatic. Others who weigh in may not be so restrained.
Superintendent Thomas Taylor has a ton of heavy issues on his plate, but a boundary study this large threatens to break his table. That said, since it is the product of three large high school capital projects, it’s inevitable that some lines will be redrawn. This will be one of the biggest challenges of Taylor’s young tenure.
Howe’s testimony and accompanying graphics are reprinted below.
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MCCPTA Written Testimony
Submitted to the BOE 9/26/2024
The Montgomery County Council of PTAs has read the RFP for the boundary review with great interest. This is an issue that inspires passion in every cluster and community affected as Montgomery County residents care deeply about their schools and also about their school assignments. This is especially true as many families still have questions about how the nearly $500,000 2019 WXY boundary analysis has been utilized. The scope of this boundary review makes this a once-in-a-generation project, deserving of increased care and attention.
MCCPTA consistently advocates for increased transparency, accountability, and authentic engagement by MCPS. We are concerned that the timeline shared in the RFP includes eight phases, only one of which is explicitly designated for community engagement, and that phase is already mid-way through the process. We believe that community engagement should be prioritized in all phases, and that it should include all stakeholders, especially students, families, and MCPS staff in affected communities. The timeline must also include expectations for reporting benchmarks to the BOE. This project demands transparency from the beginning, so the RFP must also clearly identify the MCPS lead for this work. MCPS needs to transparently designate internal ownership (for the data and planning work) and external ownership (for the engagement and communications).
If residents perceive that this study is another instance of MCPS operating in a black box, the community response will not be cooperative or productive. We would like to see a dedicated button leading to a resource page for parents and communities, on the MCPS website, in multiple languages and multiple modes for sharing meaningful information. This is an enormous undertaking and we expect MCPS to respond with great creativity and take advantage of this period of change to adopt new habits for communication and collaboration.
In Task 1, Projection Consultation/Data Validation, we appreciate and understand the need for the second bullet point around program offerings at schools. This is an incredibly important discussion as parameters for the overall boundary study are set, and for that to be carried out without community engagement is concerning. This must also include thoughtful internal engagement with all relevant MCPS offices and divisions, ensuring that the approach is not siloed, and that impacts on other MCPS priorities such as the strategic plan, transportation, operating budget, CIP, KFIs, College and Career Readiness, and choice programs are thoroughly explored and understood. We also expect that all data that forms part of the review, will be shared with the public in the same format (sortable, downloadable) as it is shared with MCPS and the Board.
In Task 2, Developing Community Engagement Process, the steps are thoughtful and relatively comprehensive. However, for a boundary study of this magnitude, affecting 19 out of 25 clusters in the system, the plan for engagement must be the very first step, and ideally, start now.
Task 5 is where we start to have greater concern about the timeline, which I will explain in detail below. In brief, we are concerned that the draft timeline shared in this RFP is inadequate to genuinely engage community members around changes that will be felt for decades to come for 19 of our current 25 clusters. This timeline appears to be typical for an MCPS boundary project, but this project, the largest boundary study in over 40 years, demands a longer timeframe because of the scope of clusters and communities potentially affected by the options that will be presented.
Additionally, we urge you to ensure that no matter who gets the contract, they are charged with a process that is done in consultation with other county and state agencies whose areas of oversight and authority overlap the communities whose boundaries are impacted. We need to ensure that at a minimum these consultations include the municipalities included in these clusters, such as City of Rockville, City of Gaithersburg, and City of Takoma Park, the Planning Department, relevant County and state agencies such as MCDOT and MDSHA, and our public safety partners.
We recognize that our feedback is about the RFP, not about any specific proposal to be considered. However, the RFP sets the parameters for the proposals, and we are concerned this has the potential to start this enormous endeavor off on the wrong foot.
Boundary changes have been described as the “third rail” of politics, and our community certainly saw contentious conversations in 2019-2020 when the BOE commissioned a boundary analysis with WXY. We believe that intentional engagement and scoping of this study may help to turn down the heat of those conversations. At the end of the day, we believe that in August 2027, no parent should be surprised by their child’s school assignment, and that every parent and family member should not only feel that they had the opportunity to share their perspective, but that their perspective was truly heard and taken into account.
