Adam Longo to Board of Ed.: "Your projections are wrong. I urge you to connect with the great folks in your planning office and dig down deeper. Find out why the numbers are wrong." #ClarksburgElementarySchool

Adam Longo
Testimony to the Montgomery County, Maryland
Board of Education
March 5, 2020
Re: Clarksburg Cluster ES #9 Proposed Amendment

President Evans.
Members of the Board
Dr. Smith.

Good evening.
My name is Adam Longo and I address you today in opposition of the
proposed amendment to close Clarksburg Elementary School in
September of 2022 when the new Clarksburg Elementary #9 school is set
to open.
I currently have two children at Clarksburg Elementary School and next
year it’ll be three.
This is a fantastic school.
I’d like to publicly praise the teachers and staff at CES who are amazing,
deeply engaged and highly responsive.
But most of all incredibly caring and empathetic.
The Principal, Carl Bencal, assistant principal Darshan Jain.
The office administrators Shinita and Yvette and everyone who’s been
involved in my daughters’ education and success. There are obviously too
many to name.

I know when I send my kids off to Clarksburg Elementary each morning I
don’t have to worry because I know they’re in good and capable hands.
My worry instead rests with the decisions made by Montgomery County
leaders when it comes to the Clarksburg area.

The Planning Board, the County Council, the Superintendent and this
Board of Education.
I know none of you live in Clarksburg.
But it’s the wild west up there.

A cumulative lack of foresight and planning by each of the afore mentioned County boards has led to an explosion of development and growth while infrastructure and education .. have been an afterthought.

My biggest question for everyone on those Boards and this one: why aren’t we building schools and roads AT THE SAME TIME we’re building new neighborhoods?

But one step at a time .. let’s get to the meat of what we’re all here to
discuss.
The numbers and projections this Board will use to make it’s decision are
wrong.
(**see attachment)

This enrollment projection document was introduced to
the board in November of 2017 .. so 2 years and 3 months ago.
It was produced by the Site Selection Advisory Committee for CES #9.
So just two years ago, it was projected Clarksburg Elementary would have
462 students.
Guess what, we’re at 640 students. More than DOUBLE the intended
capacity of the facility.

The projections for 2023-2024 is that there’d be 589 students .. 4 and a half
years from now.
Again .. We’re at 640 students.

Its my understanding the planning office estimates CES will have 722
students .. in 6 years.
Nice try everyone. We’ll have that many next year.

Your projections are wrong. I urge you to connect with the great folks in your planning office and dig down deeper.  
Find out why the numbers are wrong. 

Take fifteen minutes and drive around in Clarksburg.

Bring your boots and saddle and stop in at the saloon.

We’ve got no less than 3 major neighborhood developments happening
simultaneously within the Clarksburg Elementary School zone: The Cabin
Branch development, rapid construction of townhomes on Shawnee Lane
within sight of Clarksburg high school and another single family home
development on the west side of 355 about a mile north of Clarksburg high
school.

And these are only the developments ACTIVELY under construction. How
much land is left that’s zoned for residential development that could be
bought and shovel ready within a few months?

We needed the new #9 elementary school like yesterday.

It’s already been delayed by a year .. and word going around is it could be
delayed ANOTHER year if the Capital Improvement Plan isn’t fully
funded??

Are we going to have to start stacking portables ON TOP of the school?

It’s clear to me the MCPS administration doesn’t have the right vision.
There’s no vision on how to address the current overcrowding situation at
Clarksburg elementary school.

There’s no vision about opening a new #9 school in 2 and a half years that
.. if you close Clarksburg Elementary .. will be over capacity the minute it
opens its doors.

Do not close Clarksburg elementary school in 2022. We need more
schools. Smaller schools. Not monstrosity education farms where a child could go all the way from K to 5 without the principal knowing their name.

Let me close by being real with you.

As a news reporter for the past 20 years, I have spent countless hours in
school board meeting rooms like this across the country.
Suffice to say, I’ve seen it all.
Here’s one thing I haven’t seen: School Board members actually lending
weight to the testimony they hear from the public.

I’d like to give this board the benefit of the doubt.
But then I watched from the sidelines what you did with the boundary
changes involving Seneca Valley, Neelsville and Cabin Branch.
Despite the enormous public outcry.
Not cool.

This is the first time I have ever addressed a group of elected officials in my
personal capacity.
Perhaps I’ve been jaded into thinking it’s a waste of my time and it won’t do
any good.

Please prove me wrong.
Thank you for the opportunity.
I yield the balance of my time.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BMEP2W602DD6/$file/Attachment.pdf

MCPS Elementary Art Teacher has 665 Students

2/24/20 Board of Education Meeting Public Comment

My name is Tracy Holbert and I am an elementary art teacher. I want to start by thanking you all for addressing arts funding last year! I am very passionate about what I teach and I love my students. However in my opinion, the allocation system for specialists in this county is flawed. Allocations for art, music, and PE are based off of the number of homeroom teachers a school will have next year and they were released last week. This is the second year that I have to teach at three different elementary schools. It is stressful trying to remember what materials I need for which building on which day and I have 6, sometimes 7 different preps.

I have been at my base school each year that I have taught in MCPS. However, the other points that make up the rest of my full-time allocation have changed every year I have been in the county. This means that every spring I am shuffled around and I have to interview for the same job that I've been doing well. I have taught in six different schools in six years. I am also currently the elementary art teacher that teaches the most students in the county which is 665 children. I give my heart and soul to my work, but it's not reasonable to think that I'm able to give all 665 children the care and attention that they deserve.

I’ve been advised to find a 1.0 position at another school to solve the issue. I love my home school and the program I have built there. Moving to a position at one school does not remove the problem; all it does is give the problem to a different teacher. If I move to another school, someone else will have to take my three, which could be a first-year teacher who would feel like quitting after the first month. I ask that we conduct research to find out how to solve this issue that is affecting so many people in our school system. Odd number allocations, which cause a split day schedule, cost the county reimbursement for gas, cause tension between principals over scheduling, and less classes are taught due to travel time. If we would round up to even number allocations then it would be easier to coordinate schools. A survey of elementary art teachers revealed that over 17 of us are teaching more than our contractual 25 weekly classes because MCPS has not provided the funding to update allocations between spring projections and the first day of school. Specialists are over scheduled, perform numerous duties outside of the classroom, and travel between buildings. Yet our needs are not prioritized even though we are also academic subjects essential to the whole child.

If art, music, and physical education are a priority to MCPS, we need to take better care of our educators. I want to give the best education to my kids, but I can't pour from an empty cup. Too many of our teachers are at more than two work sites and it is contributing to burnout. If MCPS wants to be considered desirable for a teacher to come work in, we need to fix this issue. It is a question of what our students deserve, what our teachers deserve, and how we respect the profession of education.

https://go.boarddocs.com/mabe/mcpsmd/Board.nsf/files/BM4JG54C8504/$file/Tracy%20Holbert.pdf

Superintendent Releases Boundary Recommendation for new Clarksburg Elementary School

Earlier this week, Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith released his boundary recommendation for the new Clarksburg elementary school scheduled to open at the beginning of the next school year.

   Construction on the new school, which will be located at 22500 Sweetspire Drive in Clarksburg, on the 9.8-acre lot adjacent to the Clarksburg Village Center shopping center. Once completed the school is expected to have a capacity of 741 students in grades K through 5 and will be part of the Clarksburg High School Cluster...

https://www.germantownpulse.net/single-post/2018/11/01/Superintendent-Releases-Boundary-Recommendation-for-new-Clarksburg-Elementary-School

Smith’s CIP Recommendation Includes Two New Elementary Schools in Clarksburg & Boundary Studies in Germantown

Superintendent Jack R. Smith presented his recommended Capital Improvement Program recommendations to the Board of Education at Monday evening’s meeting. The plan includes two new elementary schools in the Clarksburg cluster, as well as boundary studies in both the Clarksburg area and in Germantown to determine boundaries once the new Seneca Valley High School is completed...

https://www.germantownpulse.net/single-post/2017/10/25/Smith’s-CIP-Recommendation-Includes-Two-New-Elementary-Schools-in-Clarksburg-Boundary-Studies-in-Germantown

Surprise! BOE Finds $1.8 Million, Transfers it to BCC Middle School #2 Project #nootherpriorities?

Do you love surprises?  Well here in Montgomery County we do! Check this out.  The Board of Education just found $1,800,000 dollars in a drawer!  

As there is no priority list for Capital projects, no projects that need Capital Budget funding, no emergency Capital repairs, the Board of Education can spend the money anywhere, anytime, right?

Who knew there was a surplus of $1.8 million sitting around in the Capital Budget?  

Here's the message from parents monitoring the BCC Middle School #2 construction project:  
 

[The Board of Education is] Proposing to CIP TRANSFER $1.8M from the Clarksburg Cluster Elementary School Project "unliquidated surplus account" to build the SHELL of the [BCC Middle School #2] addition to "provide for the future expansion of 12 additional classrooms; bus canopy; brick veneer and ornamental railing for the site retaining walls; and other alternates."  They are classifying the retaining wall brick veneer and railings as "alternates," meaning that they only intended to build concrete walls from the start.  They MIS-LED THE COMMUNITY, because the original plan submitted in the Mandatory Referral stated that the walls would be brick with capstone and iron railing on top, AND that there would be a bus canopy. Now the budget submission to the BOE states this was an "ALTERNATE" plan, along with other items!!  It does not mention what other items are "alternate" that we are not aware of.  This is just another example of how the community has been MIS-LED and LIED TO!!!!!

 

   FY16 Cap Bgt FY15-20 CIP Transfer by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Breaking News: $1.8 MILLION over budget on elementary school construction

What's another $1,800,000 to the MCPS Capital Budget?
Nothing.

And so, on Tuesday, December 10th the Board of Education (BOE) will vote to add another $1.8 million to the cost of constructing the new Clarksburg elementary school.

No worries for the project.  The contractor has already done this work. That's the way we work in MCPS land.  Do the work first, bill the BOE later. No discussion needed by the elected BOE, this item is on the CONSENT AGENDA for the Tuesday meeting.

But, somehow the BOE can't find the dollars to fix those pesky mold problems at numerous schools.  

  9.9 Change Order ClarsksburgES by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland