Our Letter to Dr. Weast

VIA EMAIL & FACSIMILE

June 10, 2009

Jerry D. Weast, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Carver Educational Services Center
Room 122
850 Hungerford Drive
Rockville, MD 20850

Dear Dr. Weast:

We are writing with regard to the Boundary Review for East Silver Spring, Piney Branch, Sligo Creek, and Takoma Park Elementary Schools. We live within the communities identified as TP1b and ESS3 in the Boundary Options presented by the Division of Long Range Planning (DLRP).

We are concerned by a number of defects within the process as it has evolved over the last few months, including, without limitation, the following:

• Inadequate Notice and Opportunity to Comment. MCPS did not utilize the full capabilities of the Public Information Office to communicate the details of the Boundary Review process and of the public’s opportunity to participate. (Bruce Crispell and members of the PTA committee acknowledged this at a recent meeting.)

By limiting the release of information to PTA and homeowner associations, large portions of those affected by the results of the Boundary Study were left uninformed of the process and therefore unable to participate. This process failure nullifies the “purpose of the process” as stated by MCPS on its Boundary Study website. (http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/CommunityInfo_Boundary2.shtml)

• Lack of Transparency. There has been insufficient transparency throughout the process about the demographics in the communities within the study, especially with regard to density. It has been difficult for community residents and members of the Boundary Review Committees to acquire current information on population and enrollment trends. Additionally, little to no information has been disseminated on the criteria used to define sectors affected by the DLRP options.

• Disregard of Stated Criteria. Despite stated criteria for the Boundary Study specifying respect for natural and community boundaries, the sectors created by DLRP did not do so. Specifically, the geo-political borders for the City of Takoma Park were disregarded in each of the proposed options.

Despite the fact that the process has been less than ideal, we do believe that there is time to address some of these shortcomings before the start of the 2009-2010 school year. There are several actions we as a community would like to see your office undertake before your report is completed for the Board of Education.

1. We ask that you hold well-advertised public meetings in each of the communities under review so that the residents can have a true opportunity to voice their concerns. We especially would like to see public meetings in those neighborhoods with little to no representation on the Boundary Committees.

2. We ask that members of the DLRP and your office “get off the grid and come down to the streets.” It is our belief that drawing lines on a map rather than visiting the communities and walking the proposed routes to see firsthand how natural boundaries occur leads to failure in the process.

3. We ask that the boundaries in the study reflect the ACTUAL city limits of Takoma Park, as there is no more natural community distinction than an incorporated entity.

4. We ask that you allow for additional plan options to be considered before you release your report on Oct 15, 2009.

Our goal is not to thwart this process, but to use the next three months to gather as much community input as possible to assure that when the Board of Education meets for its final decision, the option on the table represents a proposal that maximizes most criteria for ALL of our communities.

While it is impossible to satisfy everyone in these boundary studies, we believe that implementation of the foregoing suggestions will allow for notice and comment by affected parties, improve the quality of the input from affected parties, and make constituents feel invested in the process and thus less likely to challenge its outcome. Ultimately, it is our hope that this will lead to an option that optimizes everyone’s interests and mitigates their concerns as much as possible – satisfying most while leaving nearly all with a feeling of inclusion and empowerment in the process.

To this end we are undertaking the following:

• In the coming days, we will be meeting with Chris Barclay to discuss our concerns and suggestions. Joining us will be representatives from our community, as well as representatives from most of the Boundary Committees, and Citizen Advisory committees from within the areas under review. We have also been meeting with the Takoma Park mayor and City Council.

• We have set up a blog for the community to keep them informed and to encourage the flow of ideas surrounding the Boundary Study. You are welcome to visit the blog and post additional information (and/or encourage those in your office to do so as well). The blog can be found at: http://tpkboundaries.blogspot.com/

• We have circulated a petition throughout our community outlining our position on the 6 options presented by DLRP. To date we have collected nearly 100 signatures. The originals of these petitions will be delivered to your office closer to the date of your report to the BOE.

• We are inviting members of your office and the BOE to “get off the grid and onto the streets” – to join community members and walk the boundaries as laid out in the 6 options presented by the DLRP.

In addition, we would ask for the opportunity to meet with you over the summer to present our concerns in person.

On a final note, we would like to emphasize that no one person or organization speaks for the North Takoma community as a whole. We, and our neighbors, have joined together to assure that our voices are heard. But more importantly, our hope is that we can work together with each of the school communities and MCPS to arrive at a proposal that brings us all together.