Westland MS - Planning for Growth

Westland MS - Planning For Growth

Student enrollment at elementary schools in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Cluster has increased dramatically over the past few school years, necessitating the need for additional capacity at certain schools. As those additional students move through the various cluster elementary schools, under current articulation patterns they inevitably arrive at Westland Middle School.

Westland’s capacity and projected enrollment numbers are set forth below. As indicated, our enrollment is projected to exceed our capacity in 2011/12 and that excess enrollment increases exponentially in 2012/13 and subsequent years. The scenarios below assume retention of the current articulation pattern. If the articulation pattern changes and the 6^th graders from Chevy Chase and North Chevy Chase Elementary Schools are transferred to Westland, then our enrollment will exceed our capacity by more than projected below.

	Capacity	Preliminary Enrollment 2010–11	Projected Enrollment
	Capacity	Preliminary Enrollment 2010–11	2011–12	2012–13	2013–14	2014–15	2015–16	2016–17
Westland MS	1,063	1,044	1,133	1,214	1,338	1,377	1,292	1,317
Space		19	(70)	(151)	(275)	(314)	(229)	(254)

Roundtable Discussion Group - Spring 2010

In spring 2010, Superintendent Weast convened a community roundtable discussion group to identify and evaluate issues and options raised by the enrollment increases. The rountable group was comprised of representatives from Westland Middle School, Bethesda Elementary, Chevy Chase Elementary, North Chevy Chase Elementary and Rosemary Hills Elementary.

The group issued a report on June 16, 2010. Although Westland representatives did participate in the roundtable process, Westland declined to join in the consensus items because Westland serves and supports all of the elementary schools in the B-CC cluster. Westland did provide a position paper, however (p. 21 of the report), stressing the need for additional resources to deal with projected enrollment increases. "To accommodate additional students," we stated, "Westland needs more classroom space. We will need that space regardless of whether students from CCES and NCCS come to Westland in 6^th grade or in 7^th grade. Getting an 8-classroom addition to Westland on the building schedule now, rather than waiting until we are hundreds of students over-capacity, will help to ensure that Westland can best serve the students who are now in elementary school as they move through the cluster system."

Superintendent's Recommendations on the Roundtable Report - October 2010

On October 12, 2010, Superintendent Weast issued his recommendations based on the Roundtable Discussion Group Report. He made three specific recommendations:

1. Reassign the 6th grade students from CCES and NCCES to the middle school level as soon as a new middle school can be opened in the cluster.

2. Once the site selection process is complete, form a facility advisory committee to conduct a feasibility study for the new middle school.

3. In the interim period, evaluate the existing 6th grade programs at CCES and NCCES to ensure as strong an academic program as possible, recognizing existing constraints.

He stated that requests for funding for additions at Bethesda Elementary, NCCES and Rosemary Hills would be included in the FY 2013-18 CIP budget, noted the need for a boundary review process in that regard, and stressed the need to simplify articulation patterns at Bethesda Elementary for certain of its students.

Board of Education Alternatives - Nov. 2010

On November 4^th, the Board of Education published three possible alternative amendments to Dr. Weast’s recommendations, two of which relate to the 6^th grade at both CCES and NCCES. The third proposal relates to the East Bethesda boundary situation.

Here is a brief synopsis of the new options:

Alternative #1

Allow students of CCES and NCCES to enroll for grade 6 at Westland Middle School through the Change of School Assignment process. A liberal transfer provision would take effect for the 2011-2012 school year and bus transportation to Westland Middle School would be provided for these students.

Alternative #2

Reorganize CCES and NCCES from the current grades 3-6 to grades 3-5, with grade 6 students reassigned to Westland Middle School, beginning in the 2011-2012 school year.

Alternative #3

Authorize an elementary school boundary study among Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Chevy Chase and Rosemary Hills Primary School to be conducted in spring of 2011, with the superintendent’s recommendation and the Board of Education action to take place in the fall of 2011.

All of the above alternatives would have a significant impact on Westland MS. Many of those effects are set forth in detail in the description of the alternative amendments.

At the Nov. 4 work session, Mrs. O'Neill also requested a review of the Spanish language immersion program currently housed at Westland MS. Superintendent Weast's Nov. 15, 2010 response to her inquiry can be found here.

Board of Education Hearing - Nov. 10

The Montgomery County Board of Education held a public hearing on the Superintendent’s recommended Capital Improvement Program for FY2012. The hearing was well-attended by representatives of all B-CC cluster schools.

Although the testimony ranged over a number of issues, at least one common theme emerged - the issues before the Board are extremely complicated and involve the future education of all of our children. Representatives from B-CC cluster school communities asked that the Board of Education slow down the process, provide a cost analysis of maintaining a comparable 6^th grade program at CCES/NCCES, fully analyze the capacity concerns at Westland Middle School and make an educated decision about the 6^th grade placement as well as boundary decisions within the cluster. Cluster coordinators also requested a cluster-wide analysis to better inform a multitude of projects and changes throughout the cluster. Click here to read B-CC Cluster Coordinator Craig Brown's testimony.

Superintendent Weast found Mr. Brown's testimony so compelling that, on Nov. 13, 2010, he amended his October 15, 2010 recommendation for the B-CC Cluster as it relates to the timing and scope of the elementary school boundary study. He recommended that study commence in the Spring of 2011, and include a boundary study not only of school assignment for the eastern portion of Bethesda Elementary School (as proposed in the BOE's 11/5/10 Alternative #3), but also of all four schools included in the alternative -- BE, RHPS, NCCES and CCES. Click here for the full text of his recommendation.

At the hearing, several BOE members requested additional information regarding the costs and feasibility of different options to address capacity issues. Superintendent Weast's Nov. 15, 2010 responses to those questions can be found here. Many of the questions involved cost analyses of retaining the current 6th grades at CCES/NCCES and the feasibility of achieving academic parity between those programs and the Westland MS program.

Board of Education Decision - Nov. 18

On Thursday, Nov. 18th, the BOE issued its decision regarding capacity issues in the B-CC cluster. The Board directed creation of a site selection committee in 2011 to identify a location for a new middle school in the Bethesda-Chevy Chase area, and a feasibility study to determine the cost and scope of the new middle school. The Board also directed the superintendent to study options for enhancing the middle school programs for sixth-graders at NCCES and CCES until they can be reassigned to a middle school, including the cost and implications of reassigning these students to Westland. Finally, the Board adopted an elementary boundary study in the B-CC cluster to review assignments of Bethesda, Chevy Chase, North Chevy Chase and Rosemary Hills elementary schools, and to address the partial pairing of Bethesda and Rosemary Hills elementary schools. Click here for the full text of the Board announcement.

Next Steps

Over the past nine months, theWestland PTA has worked closely with Principal Danny Vogelman to evaluate the implications the various options on the table. As the only middle school in the cluster at present, and for the next five or six years to come, Westland must serve the entire community. From the outset of the roundtable process, we have requested more resources to deal with our increasing student population. With the prospect of a new middle school now on the table, it is highly unlikely that MCPS will devote the resources to permanently increase Westland’s capacity when, in a few years (assuming the new middle school is constructed) our current building will be more than sufficient.

Members of the site selection committee have been identified and the committee will hold its initial meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 14th. The committee includes all of the PTA presidents of B-CC cluster elementary schools and of Westland MS, as well a numerous other county, state, and school officials. The goal of the committee is to identify a possible site for a new middle school so that a feasibility study can commence in early spring 2011.

In addition to serving on this committee, both the PTA and the school administration are working extremely hard to make sure Westland will be well positioned to meet the short and long term challenges it faces in a unified and constructive manner. For the present, this means making sure that Westland gets the resources it needs to educate its over 1,000 students in the upcoming year. We will keep you apprised of all developments and encourage all Westland community members to stay informed about and active in this process as we move forward.

Links to B-CC Cluster Schools

Many B-CC cluster schools and their PTA/PTSA's have taken an active role in various aspects of this process. You can find more information about each school's position on the following websites. Please note, in most cases, you will need to click on the link to "parents" or "PTA."

B-CC High School

Bethesda Elementary

Chevy Chase Elementary

North Chevy Chase Elementary

Rock Creek Forest Elementary

Rosemary Hills Elementary

Somerset Elementary

Westbrook Elementary