If You Only Have 5 Minutes

If you only have 5 minutes to learn how proposed development affects our schools in the Walter Johnson cluster (especially Garrett Park ES, Luxmanor ES, and Walter Johnson HS), here are 10 Fast Facts:

(1) The White Flint (WF) and other development plans propose major residential growth. They would add more than 350 HS, 410 MS, and 440 ES students in our cluster (WJ).
(2) The plans are designed to take 20-30 years, but affect schools well before that. The Growth Policy would speed up the plans, by providing exemptions to various public facility requirements.
(3) If the Growth Policy accelerates a 30-year plan into a 24-year plan, our (newly modernized) WJHS would be overcrowded in 12 years. The ES's in the Walter Johnson cluster would be overcrowded by 300 students in 10-15 years.
(4) If the Growth Policy speeds up a 20-year plan, the overcrowding comes sooner.
(5) The proposed WF plan doesn't reserve land in the WJ cluster for a school, or funds to reopen a school in the cluster.
(6) Once ES's are overcrowded by 300 students, MCPS would act. The proposed WF plan recommends: (A) Reopen former Rocking Horse ES, which redraws the boundary between WJ and the Downcounty Consortium. (B) Redistrict.
(7) The site selection or redistricting could be 10 years off, but the County Council will vote on the Growth Policy and several plans this fall and winter.
(8) The Council can refuse to approve a plan unless it dedicates land for a school.
(9) The Council can commit to providing funds to build a school or reopen a former cluster school. For example, it can give WJ (as a Smart Growth cluster) priority for CIP funds. It can retain school facility payment requirements.
(10) The Council can reduce the Growth Policy's accelerated development by dropping exemptions to public facility rules.

September Garrett Park ES Newsletter

Want a Smarter Growth Policy - one that supports our schools? Attend the County Council hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7:30 - with or without a statement - and show your support. The hearing is at 100 Maryland Ave., Rockville.

For further information, contact SmarterGrowthForSchools@Gmail.com