Former MCPS School For Sale. Will the Board of Education Reclaim this School to Ease Overcrowding or Let it Go for Housing? #BCC

A former Montgomery County Public School building and surrounding playgrounds are for sale.

The property is the former Larchmont Elementary School located at 9411 Connecticut Avenue in Kensington, Maryland.  The school and playgrounds are currently in the BCC Cluster.

Source:  MCPS Real Property Inventory

Historically, the Montgomery County Board of Education has had the right to reclaim former public school sites, even after they have declared them surplus and transferred ownership of them. 

However, we know from the Peary High School sale in 2010 that the Montgomery County Council doesn't care about the wishes of the Montgomery County Board of Education and will transfer public school buildings and land to private entities without the approval of the Board of Education.  

Has the Montgomery County Board of Education discussed the availability of the Larchmont Elementary School site? There is no indication from the Board of Education meeting minutes of any such discussion, but maybe they had the discussion in a Closed Session?

Have BCC Cluster current and future families been alerted to the fact that a public school site is up for sale in their area?  Have the surrounding communities been notified that a public school and surrounding playgrounds are available for sale and could potentially help to ease public school overcrowding?  

https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/9411-Connecticut-Ave-Kensington-MD/20520245/

From the Offering Summary for this Property: 

Seller’s preference is that the Property be sold to a purchaser wishing to use the Property for an education use; Seller will consider offers from purchasers wishing to use the Property for other uses, pursuant to applicable codes and regulations. Time is of the essence as it pertains to the sale of the Property. Purchaser may acquire the entire Property or approximately 5.5 acres (inclusive of the conservation easement) to the south of the building; for a conceptual subdivision plan, click HERE. Offers will be accepted through October 2020 and seller will evaluate offers and select a purchaser by the end of November 2020. Purchaser shall be directly responsible for compensating its licensed real estate broker.

Reminder Why Schools are Overcrowded: 178.66+ acres of school land declared surplus since 1994

178.66 acres of school land declared surplus since 1994:

Video: Navarro, Elrich, Ervin and Floreen Voting to Give Away an Entire MCPS High School for Free While MCPS Students were in Overcrowded Schools

Current Councilmembers Who Gave Away an Entire MCPS High School for Free: Floreen, Leventhal, Berliner, Navarro, Elrich #educationfirst #MaybeNot

Is your local Montgomery County Public School overcrowded? Are your children spending their days in classroom trailers instead of school buildings?

Peary High School, Rockville, Maryland

You can thank the Fabulous 5 that are still on the Montgomery County Council for the loss of public school classrooms.  As recently as 2010, current Councilmembers Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal, Roger Berliner, Nancy Navarro and Marc Elrich all voted to give away an entire MCPS high school building for free.

State Delegate Ben Kramer and State Senator Roger Manno were instrumental in shepherding this sweetheart deal through the Maryland Board of Public Works.

And let's not forget the person behind this deal, County Executive Ike Leggett who made sure that public school children were robbed of classrooms at a time when MCPS was using over 400 classroom trailers.  The deal that County Executive Ike Leggett sealed called for the buyer to only pay for the land and get the entire public high school building (a building that was bought and paid for with your property taxes) for free.

#EducationFirst
#FooledYou 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

 Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010

County Council approves sale of Peary High School

Andrews opposes deal, but many in Aspen Hill say decision was appropriate

by Erin Cunningham and Margie Hyslop | Staff Writers

Montgomery County government will sell the former Robert E. Peary High School to the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy despite protests from the county's Board of Education...
...The County Council voted 8-1 on Tuesday to allow the sale, which is expected to become official in the next several weeks.
Councilman Philip M. Andrews (D-Dist. 3) of Gaithersburg voted against the sale, saying the site in Aspen Hill could be needed for a public school in the future.
The council's decision ratifies a deal proposed by County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) to sell the 19.5-acre site in Aspen Hill for $1.9 million. It includes a provision making it possible for the county to repurchase and occupy the site five years after a judge decides the county needs it for a school.
The state's Board of Public Works, which is composed of Maryland's governor, comptroller and treasurer, must sign off on the deal...

However, Leggett's plan has drawn criticism from those who say the price is too low and from the county school board, which says the move is ill-advised given public school enrollment is growing, and large tracts of land are scarce in the downcounty area.
Those claims were disputed Tuesday by some council members who said the school system has 51 unused school buildings and no immediate need for the Hebrew Academy site.
"The school system is accustomed to having it all," said Councilman George L. Leventhal (D-At large) of Takoma Park. "The school system wants everything. It wants its cake and to eat it, too."
Council Vice President Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring said Monday the school system was not persuasive in making its case for the school. Ervin is expected to be sworn in as council president next week...

...Leventhal said it was not convincing to hear school officials say they don't need the site now, but might at some unspecified date...

 http://www.gazette.net/stories/12012010/rocknew220733_32534.php

governor called Lever "a major part of the problem."

Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday he's "very pleased" with the decision of the state's school construction chief to resign amid the ongoing battle over school air conditioning in Baltimore city and county.
David Lever has headed the Interagency Committee on School Construction, a state agency that reviews school construction projects and spending, since 2003.
On Wednesday, Lever criticized the vote by Hogan and Comptroller Peter Franchot on the Board of Public Works to withhold $15 million from Baltimore city and county school systems unless they install portable air conditioners in schools over the summer.
Lever said the decision politicized school construction funding and prompted his decision to step down, effective in September.

Hogan said he's glad to see him go.
At a news conference in Annapolis, the Republican governor called Lever "a major part of the problem."...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-air-conditioning-reax-20160512-story.html

BREAKING: David Lever, head of the MD committee on school construction resigns his position

BREAKING: David Lever, head of the MD committee on school construction resigns his position #MdPolitics

— Bryan P. Sears (@bpsears) May 11, 2016

Panel considers sweeping changes to Md. school construction

ANNAPOLIS — A $3 billion gap in state funding needed to satisfy growing statewide school construction needs could lead to a wholesale changes in how Maryland funds and builds the projects.
Requests from the state’s 23 counties and Baltimore city are expected to approach $4.5 billion through fiscal 2022 but anticipated funding only will approach about one-third of that, according to David G. Lever, the executive director of the Interagency Commission on School Construction.
“The problems are quite different across the state and yet we can say that every jurisdiction in one way or another is facing major capital requirements,” Lever said Thursday while speaking to the 21st Century School Facilities Commission.
The 28-member commission, established by House Speaker Michael E. Busch and Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., met for the first time in an effort to make recommendations on how the state can better address the billions of dollars in school construction and renovation needs statewide. Those recommendations could result in the most wide-sweeping overhaul of how Maryland pays for construction and renovation since former Gov. Marvin Mandel established the state school construction program in the early 1970s...

 http://thedailyrecord.com/2016/04/29/panel-considers-sweeping-changes-to-md-school-construction/

Legislature Gives $100,000 to Private School for Playground

Source:  School construction bill as passed by legislature.

For background on this private school giveaway, click here. 

Remember to thank the Montgomery County Delegates and Senator who are giving away State School Construction money to a private school rather than funding repairs for Montgomery County Public Schools.

Is your child in a classroom trailer?  You might want to consider a private school that is the recipient of consistent, significant State funding, including an entire free high school building!

Delegates Kramer, Cullison, and Morales

Senator Manno

Kramer, Cullison, Morales and Manno would rather see your child in this container than in a bricks and mortar school building.  

MCPS classroom trailer

State Debt for Private School That Already Got Entire MCPS High School Building for Free

MCPS students go to school in overseas containers.

Is your child in a classroom trailer? Consider switching to a private school.  

In Montgomery County private schools are given entire MCPS high school buildings for free, and additional legislation (see below for House Bill 901 introduced this session) authorizing the creation of state debt to provide the private school with additional funds.  No classroom trailers for private schools!

Entitled:	Creation of a State Debt - Montgomery County - Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy
	Sponsored by:	Delegate Kramer
	Status:	In the House - Hearing 3/14 at 9:00 a.m.

Summary Documents History

Synopsis:	Authorizing the creation of a State Debt in the amount of $100,000, the proceeds to be used as a grant to the Board of Directors of the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy for the acquisition, planning, design, construction, repair, renovation, reconstruction, and capital equipping of the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, located in Montgomery County; providing for disbursement of the loan proceeds, subject to a requirement that the grantee provide and expend a matching fund; etc.
Analysis:	Not available at this time
All Sponsors:	Delegates Kramer, Cullison, and Morales
Additional Facts:	Cross-filed with: SB0444 Bill File Type: Regular Effective Date(s): June 1, 2016
Committee(s):	Appropriations
Broad Subject(s):	State Debt (Bond Bills)
Narrow Subject(s):	Ethnic Affairs Forests and Parks -see also- Program Open Space; Trees Montgomery County Private Schools Public Works, Board of State Bonds

Update!! Exclusive Breaking News: Bowers Gives Away 61.25 Acres of MCPS School Land

UPDATE:

Is your local MCPS school overcrowded? Have you heard the Board of Education complain that they do not have any place to build more schools and that they can only build multi-level, overcrowded schools on too small lots?

Do you like being tricked?

Well Trick or Treat time is here, and the Parents' Coalition has heard that the Board of Education and Superintendent Larry Bowers have a big trick for parents this week!

The Trick is that without any public process or Board of Education public discussion or vote, Superintendent Larry Bowers is giving away 61.25 acres of open public school land.  

The Treat is that the land is being handed over to a no bid vendor.  

Where is this land located in the County?  It doesn't matter.  
Public school land is a valuable asset and its disposition should be discussed in public by the land owner, the Board of Education.  
The land could be used to build a school, it could be sold, or it could be traded.  The possibilities are endless, but, once again, usable public school land will disappear from the Board of Education inventory without any public process.  





We have seen over 176 acres of MCPS public school land lost since 1994.  

 
Say good-bye to another 61.25 acres this week and add it to the list of dedicated, public school land that was given in trust to the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education for the benefit of public school children, but not used for the educational benefit of our children.  

Happy Halloween!  

 

Exclusive Breaking News: Bowers Gives Away 18.5 Acres of MCPS School Land

PLEASE SEE UPDATE!

Is your local MCPS school overcrowded? Have you heard the Board of Education complain that they do not have any place to build more schools and that they can only build multi-level, overcrowded schools on too small lots?

Do you like being tricked?

Well Trick or Treat time is here, and the Parents' Coalition has heard that the Board of Education and Superintendent Larry Bowers have a big trick for parents this week!

The Trick is that without any public process or Board of Education public discussion or vote, Superintendent Larry Bowers is giving away 18.5 acres of open public school land.  

The Treat is that the land is being handed over to a no bid vendor.  

Where is this land located in the County?  It doesn't matter.  Public school land is a valuable asset and its disposition should be discussed in public by the land owner, the Board of Education.  The land could be used to build a school, it could be sold, or it could be traded.  The possibilities are endless, but, once again, usable public school land will disappear from the Board of Education inventory without any public process.  

We have seen over 176 acres of MCPS public school land lost since 1994.  
Say good-bye to another 18.5 acres this week and add it to the list of dedicated, public school land that was given in trust to the Montgomery County Public Schools Board of Education for the benefit of public school children, and not used for the educational benefit of our children.  

Happy Halloween!  

Tour the Public School Building that the BOE wants to Demolish for Bus Depot

Ewing School

Would you like to visit the Blair G. Ewing Center?
If so, now is your chance!
MCPS is arranging two tour dates so residents can see the school for themselves:

- Wednesday (tomorrow) April 29, 2015 at 2:30pm
and
- Thursday May 7, 2015 at 3:30pm

To participate, visitors need to sign in at the main entrance. The Ewing Center's address is:
14501 Avery Road
Rockville, MD 20853

Unused and Wasted Classroom Space in MCPS

The Washington Post forgot to include the facts below in their article on classroom trailers today. 

Entire school about to be demolished:
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/12/the...

Empty MCPS Middle School Sits Right Next to Elem. School with Trailers
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/03/emp...

Entire wing of MCPS middle school unused and handed over for FREE to private company:
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2013/11/cap...

Empty space left to rot in MCPS school building:
http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/02/let...

And let's not forget the entire public high school that our County Council, Ike Leggett and Annapolis Delegation worked very, very hard to give away for free while 10,000+ MCPS students were in classroom trailers! 

 http://parentscoalitionmc.blogspot.com/2014/12/manno-and-kramer-give-away-public-high.html

Manno and Kramer Give Away a Public High School, Want More School Construction Dollars

Peary High School 1984

In 2010, Senator Roger Manno and Delegate Ben Kramer worked very, very hard to make sure that a MCPS high school building was given away for FREE to a private interest.  They attended local meetings, gave public comment before the Board of Public Works and even showed up at a little known meeting in Baltimore.  What a team!

Yes, an entire public high school building that had been paid for with Maryland State tax dollars was given away for free in 2010.  MCPS schools were overcrowded in 2010, But Senator Manno and Delegate Kramer made sure that this high school would never again be used for public school students. 

Now, here we are in 2014, and Senator Roger Manno and Delegate Ben Kramer are whining for school construction money. Maybe Senator Manno and Delegate Kramer should have noticed back in 2010 that MCPS buildings were already severely overcrowded?

More State Funds for Private School in closed MCPS high school building

MCPS needs school construction money, right?  

Here's a MCPS closed school that was constructed with State funds that was turned over to a private school for pennies.  Now, the private school wants more funding from taxpayers and our Montgomery County Delegates are pushing a bill to do just that.  

Public school students?  This property belonged to you, but our County Executive, County Council, State Delegates and the Governor worked very hard to turn this entire high school building and property over to a private interest. Public school students can stay in trailers as far as they are concerned. 


By: Delegates Bonnie Cullison, Sam Arora, and Ben Kramer 
Introduced and read first time: February 24, 2014 

HB1478
2014 Regular Session

Entitled:
Creation of a State Debt - Montgomery County - Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy
Sponsored by:
Delegate Cullison
Status:
In the House - Hearing 3/10 at 10:30 a.m.

SummaryDocumentsHistory
Synopsis: Authorizing the creation of a State Debt in the amount of $65,000, the proceeds to be used as a grant to the Board of Directors of the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy for specified development or improvement purposes related to the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy, located in Montgomery County; providing for disbursement of the loan proceeds, subject to a requirement that the grantee provide and expend a matching fund; prohibiting the use of the loan proceeds or matching fund for sectarian religious purposes; etc.
Analysis: Not available at this time
All Sponsors: Delegates Cullison, Arora, and Kramer
Additional Facts: Cross-filed with: SB0917
Bill File Type: Regular
Effective Date(s): June 1, 2014
Committee(s):
Appropriations
Broad Subject(s): State Debt (Bond Bills)
Narrow Subject(s): Montgomery County
Private Schools
Religion -see also- Churches
State Bonds

Thank you Ike Leggett for Selling Off 19.5 Acre High School site!

Here's the "thank you" e-mail from the attorney for the private school that got a MCPS high school building for free in 2010.  Nothing like happy constituents!

The private attorney represented a private school that succeeded in buying the MCPS Peary High School building and 19.5 acres of land for only the price of the land.  The building was thrown in for free!

(Too bad about the overcrowded MCPS schools.  If only students could vote.)

The e-mail below is from the attorney for the private school, and is sent to Diane Schwartz Jones, County Executive Ike Leggett's staff person handling this transaction.
In this e-mail the private school attorney thanks Ms. Jones for her help and support and for the terrific job she did "fending off" County Councilmember Marc Elrich!
That's what we pay county employees to do, right? 

  Peary HS Leggett by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

For more on the loss of the 19.5 acre Peary High School site in 2010 click here.

For Montgomery County Councilmember Marc Elrich's confusion over the Peary High School sale go to minute 1:17 in this video.  The Board of Education voted against the sale of the Peary High School site in 2010, yet in this video Councilmember Elrich insists that he was told the Board of Education was not opposed to the sale.  Why is he confused? Is it because he was "fended off" by County Executive Ike Leggett's staff back in 2010? 

Council Report Peary HS: sale of a "rare asset"... "not a good business deal for the County"

In 2006, County Executive Doug Duncan tried to push through the sale of the MCPS Peary High School building and land to a private entity.  Councilmember Marilyn Praisner obtained an outside evaluation of the proposal from ZHA, Inc. The ZHA, Inc. evaluation is shown below.  
Bottom line? The sale of the MCPS Peary High School site was a bad deal. What happened? The sale idea was dropped for a few years until 2010 when County Executive Ike Leggett and a majority of the County Council were able to ram the deal through in record time.  Were MCPS buildings overcrowded then? Yes. Did County Executive Ike Leggett and a majority of the County Council care? No.   

From the 2006 Evaluation of the proposal to sell a MCPS public high school and land to a private entity:

...In a fair and equitable sale, the value of the land would accurately reflect its current market value. If the County, recognizing the scarcity of large available sites for new school construction, would like to be able to re-purchase the property at some later date for use as a public school, then it would only be fair to discount the sale price. However, it would not be reasonable for the County to discount the sale price without adequately protecting its ability to repurchase the premises at some later date. As explained in this memorandum, it appears that the proposed deed offers the Academy a low price and offers little or no protection to the County’s interests. As such, the information available would indicate that this is not a good business deal for the County. A review of the Lease, the Proposed Deed, and the analysis prepared by the Administration (hereafter, Analysis), as well as other supporting materials illustrated the following:
•The Analysis was not an “apples-to-apples” comparison.
•The Analysis was not consistent with the often confusing language of the Lease and the Proposed Deed.
•Given that the County’s interests here are more than just financial and given that the time frames contemplated are fairly lengthy, a private-sector analysis of this proposed transaction would be more qualitative than quantitative in nature.
•Under the Proposed Deed, it may not be possible for the County to repur-chase the school for use as a public school at less than fair market value.
•The Analysis performed by the Administration did not clearly convey to the Council that the proposed transaction was a sale of a rare asset probably well below market value with no guarantee that said asset would be available for repurchase should the County need to re-use it as a public school.
•A sale under the proposed terms does not represent the best deal available to the County...

  PearyHS Sesker Report by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

"we need to completely eviscerate Mr. Z. and his report..." - How Leggett & Council Gave Away a MCPS High School in 2010.

Right now, MCPS is running to the State of Maryland legislature and lobbying for school construction money, claiming that they are out of public school classroom space.

But, just a few years ago, in the fall of 2010 to be exact, County Executive Ike Leggett and some on the Montgomery County Council (by a vote of 8 to 1) worked very, very hard to give away an entire MCPS high school to a private entity!

The public high school building sat on 19.5 acres of public school land.
The Montgomery County Board of Education objected to the sale of the high school and site, but the County Executive and a majority of the County Council were unmoved by their position.

How did this happen?  Let's take a look back at how the public school students of Montgomery County lost a 19.5 acre high school site and an entire high school building, just three years ago.  

The Parents' Coalition has obtained e-mails from County Executive Ike Leggett's office.  Here's are two e-mails from November 28, 2010, the day before a County Council joint committee hearing was going to be held on the sale of the Peary High School site.  The e-mails are both addressed to Diane Jones of the County Executive's staff.

Who's who in the e-mails shown below:

Montgomery County Council staff:
Jeffrey L. Zyontz, Legislative Attorney
Michael Faden, Senior Legislative Attorney
Their November 29, 2010, report can be read in its entirety at this link.

County Executive Ike Leggett staff:
Diane Jones

Attorney for private entity wishing to purchase Peary High School site:
Lawrence Stern

At the time of this e-mail, Duchy Trachtenberg was finishing her term as a member of the County Council.

  2010 Nov 28 Email by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland

Video: There's Always $$ for a Buffet! BOE & Delegation & Council Meeting Today

Today, the Board of Education held an off-site, off camera meeting with members of the Montgomery County Delegation.  They were joined at this meeting by 6 members of the Montgomery County Council.

The Parents' Coalition has video of the end of the meeting, including pictures of the breakfast buffet that was laid out for the attendees.  This picture was taken at the end of the meeting. 

Here's the video:



BOE Members in attendance at the meeting:
Christopher Barclay
Patricia O'Neill
Shirley Brandman
Phil Kauffman
Rebecca Smondrowski
Mike Durso

County Council Members in attendance at the meeting:
Valerie Ervin
Roger Berliner
Craig Rice
Phil Andrews
Marc Elrich
George Leventhal

Council Staff
Essie McGuire
Valerie Ervin's chief of staff Sonya Healy

MCPS Staff in attendance at the meeting:
Joshua Starr
Larry Bowers
Dana Tofig
James Song
Roland Ikehoa
Laura Steinberg

Montgomery County Delegation in attendance:
Jaime Raskin
Nancy King
Al Carr
Susan Lee
Eric Luedtke
Rich Madaleno
Jeff Waldstreicher 
Karen Montgomery 
Craig Zucker 
Anne Kaiser

Let us know who you recognize in the meeting video and we will add in the names.

Exclusive Video: BOE Committee Discussion of BOE Property: Future School Sites and Surplus Land

MONTGOMERY COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION
Policy Committee 
May 10, 2013
1:00 pm
Room 120

Discussion of “Guidelines for Leasing, Licensing, or Using MCPS Property 
that is Being Held as a Future School Site.” (Policy DNA, Management of
Board of Education Property) – Judy Bresler/James Song/Bruce Crispell
(2:25) 20 minutes

BOE Committee meetings are held off camera.  The Parents' Coalition videotaped this discussion and is making it available to the public.