Ml JW .1,-ri^ '.'•. p.-; r.-i". /•. •,!!!1'>! fi'-'i^ii^i b'Ai,':i i L'.'li!;l-H.. F^2[j""?! To: Howard County Council, Howard County Board of Education^and other,in1;ece^teqt,parties 7.J I:'; j :: ' ^ ': p j i 7 Fr: John and Karleene Washington ° Regarding Topic: News Release on Howard County School System Integration Plan Topic sounds like the deep south in the early 60s Integration was never an issue in Columbia. The new city founded by James Rouse was to insure equality in every area including the schools There is a heavy influx of urbanized people of color (mainly Blacks and Hispanics) who are not home grown and coming into Howard County with weak educational skills from other school systems and it is very difficult to catch up with these deficiencies. Many of these students have not gone through the Howard County school system and if they are bused—these students will be deficient because it takes years to remedy the deficiency. It appears the Council wants the school system to remedy the situation which is very difficult. Students will end in the lower tier no matter which school they attend. These students will bring scores down and be in lower track. Farm students come from dysfunctional families, These are the same type of students that are in Baltimore City and other urbanized school systems. Montgomery County schools have addressed the same concerns and dealt within situation much longer. Educational focus regardless of income, if parents/caregivers don't care and don't value education, we see what we have today in the title I schools. Children without family support have lowest scores, discipline problems and last to learn to read and all these black groups wilt say its racism that teachers can't teach when all you have to do is took at Baltimore City with its billions of dollars in tax payer funds and students still have the lowest of lowest scores. There will never be equity because students come from various family backgrounds. When Howard County schools was mainly black and white, many complained that blacks were not learning because of the teachers. But when other students of color from Japan, Korea, China, India, Pakistan-many of them scored higher than blacks and blacks still have lowest test scores in county and state so it has nothing to do with color. Rouse plan was with the schools and parents' involvement. Many children are reading by the time they are in kindergarten. Parents teach them. Many of these farm children don't have the support. Sad is that all these farm kids will go to these schools and teachers will get blamed for student's low-test scores when it's the home environment. It's not racism. Blacks need to understand that it is not that whites and other groups don't want farm students to attend their schools—it is the problems that they bring with them. it's not racism. It's reality. Look at the stats. COSJHTY C( TO WHOM THIS MAY CONCERN 8/20/19 A ^ ^, ' ' FROM THE SUN PAPER (In italicts) Some members of the Howard County Council are putting pressure on the education system to develop a plan to desegregate schools. Desesgregate Schools? I haven't hard that term since the 1960s. Council members claim the school district has created boundaries that discriminate against low- income students and students of color. In a two-page statement, council members promised to introduce a resolution early next month calling for the school system to address the issue. Apparently these council members are not familiar with James Rouse and the founding of Columbia. His plan and goals. I would suggest you read his plan. The Howard County Public School system is one of the most successful in the state and the nation, but some members of the County Council said it's also one of the most racially imbalanced when it comes to where students are assigned to learn. The success of Howard County Schools is the Parents. Most children are reading by the time they enter Kindergarden. The Parents teach their children. Lower income Black mothers do not teach their children and depend on the schools. The racially imbalanced comes from the apartments who have a very large number of section 8. That was not like that in early Columbia. Early Columbia did not have a large section 8. It was only Copperstone. "For decades, Howard County Public Schools have become increasingly segregated by race and socioeconomic status," Councilwoman Christiana Mercer Rigby said. "Redistricting is a civil rights issue in Howard County, and it's time to take meaningful strides toward integration in our education system." You can blame the greedy landlords that have turned most of Columbia Apartments into section 8. People who pay full freight and NOT going to apartments where people pay little or nothing rent due to section 8. Early residents of Columbia and their offspring have moved to surrounding areas of Howard County and taken their goals and values with them which is why the schools outside of Columbia are at a higher level. It is the People who segregated themselves. This was not part of Rouse's vision. Columbia failed to keep the vision. The councilwoman's complaints come a few days ahead of a proposal by the school 1 superintendent to address the issue. "All of our schools are excellent, so no matter where a child goes to school, they're going to receive an excellent education. So it's up to us right now to make recommendations to balance out our capacity in considering all of the socioeconomic variables as well," Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Michael Martirano said. This statement by the Superintendent Martirano is correct. All the schools are excellent. The problem is there are certain groups (Mainly Blacks) that are not on board with Rouse vision. And of course the Council and others will say racism. But it is not racism. It's lasy good for nothing Blacks that have ruined Columbia. Just like at the stats. Who is doing the most crime? Who is being arrested ? Recent mugging in Baltimore was done by residents of Howard County. I call them urban transports. I am Black and I know my people. Before other minorities moved in. Black organizations complained that teachers weren't teaching Black children correctly because Black test low and Blacks weren't learning. Then came the other groups (Hispanics, Asians, Indians and test scores went higher than Blacks.So it is something else why Blacks aren't scoring higher. Can't say racism. I say it is the family. Many of these Black children come from dysfunctional homes. What kind of family can't feed their children? have to depend on the schools. I moved to Columbia in the 1970s and lived the Columbia dream. I taught my children and they too lived the Columbia dream. It's sad that these new people that move to Howard County fail to learn about James Rouse, his vision and live with civility . There's strength in diversity that benefits our community. Legislation and resolutions alone cannot solve socioeconomic challenges Rouse vision for Columbia has failed. People were to live together in harmony, no matter income level ,race or creed, nationality or religion. People were to attend the same school, worship at the same church, shop at the same shopping center in the village. It worked for about 15 years. I know because I lived in Columbia. But as more and more people from urban areas moved to Columbia that did not share Rouse's vision. Columbtia changed. Volience increased. Drugs entered schools and communities. The orginal Columbians moved to other areas of the County. Schools switched. Columbia schools (which were known for their high test scores) moved to the schools in other areas of Howard County. I remember when James Rouse and his committee were planning the new town of Columbia and how they were going to handle blacks. Some feared back then that Blacks were going to ruin Columbia. But Mr. Rouse was very firm that his city was going to be for ati people. Apparently, the others were right. Blacks ruin Columbia. Not all Blacks. The urban Blacks. The trashy Blacks. These are the type of people at Disneyland this past July that were fighting in toon town. I enourage you to read the Moniyhan Report which describes the urban blacks and look at Baltimore City's desegartion plan back in the 1960s. What you see Baltimore now will be Columbia in 20 years if you implement a deseregation plan. People will move out of Howard County. Test scores will continue to drop. School discipline will rise. Teachers will not be able to teach. Parents will home teach or put their children in private schools. I would love to see Columbia schools be like it was in early Columbia but it takes working with the families. Encourage these parents to PUT their children first. (Excuse my errors. My spellcheck isnt working) Linda^arlson Jones HO^F.0 COtJKTV COU;!P;1 x Columbia is a census-designated place in toward County, lylaryland. United States, -: . i i ' . ^ and is one of the principal cities of the Baltimore metropolitan area and the Washington metropolitan area. It is a planned community consisting of 10 self-contained villages. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values/ rather than merely economics and engineering. Opened in 1967, Columbia was intended to not only eliminate the inconveniences of then-current subdivision design/ but also eliminate racial, religious and class segregation. And it worked. Columbia's schools were the best in the nation. The village concept aimed to provide Columbia a small-town feel (like Easton, Maryland/ where James Rouse grew up). Each village comprises several neighborhoods. The village center may contain middle and high schools. All villages have a shopping center, recreational facilities, a community center, a system of bike/waUdng paths, and homes. Four of the villages have interfaith centers, common worship facilities which are owned and jointly operated by a variety of religious congregations working together. Most of Columbia's neighborhoods contain single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and apartments/ though some are more exclusive than others. The original plan, following the neighborhood concept of Clarence Perry, would have had all the children of a neighborhood attend the same school, melding neighborhoods into a community and ensuring that all of Columbia's children get the same high-quality education. Rouse marketed the city as being "color blind" as a proponent of Senator dark's fair housing legislation. If a neighborhood was filled with too many purchasers of a single race/ houses would be blocked until the desired ratio was met. The schools in Columbia, Maryland were top notch. Elementary, Middle and High School were in each of the villages where students went to go to learn and play together. What happen that the Howard County City Council feel that the schools have to desegregate? Why did the neighorhoods turn so that most of the elementary schools receive Title funds? It's the people. Parents who do not have the vision that Mr. Rouse did. Children who are being reared by Parents or caregivers who care nothing about the education of their children (How many show up at PTA meetings?) Look at the stats in crime. Most are done by Blacks. Blacks ( Coming from the urban areas) have desteoyed Columbia. Asians and Hispanics' test scores are higher than Blacks. Sodoeconomic is not the reason for poor Black performance. It is the Black family. Moniyhan Report. Look what happen when Baltimore City de-segregate the schools. Howard County will go much faster. All the Council is doing is DUMBING down all of Howard County Schools. Parents wiU move. Private Schools will love it. Neighboring Counties will live it. Howard County will suffer. Sincerely/ Latllda Wallace I am Black. It is not racism. It is a reality '^•^m^^m^W • '"f:;1'" MP August 23,2019 m /,— ^;.f Mf Howard County Government 3430 Courthouse Drive ElUcott City, Maryland 21043 Attention: The Howard County Council We read with interest your news release dated 8/13/19 about asking the School system to develop an mtegration Plan. We wish you would further explain what you mean about integrate the schools. The term intergrate in the dictionary means "To mix with and join society or a group of people, often changing to suit their way of life, habits, and customs: 2. to combine two or more things in order to become more effective: 3. to end the separation of people by race, sex, national origin, etc., in an organization...." Who are the group of people you want to integrate? I thought Rouse vision was to combine people of all races and creed to live, learn, work and play together. In the early 1970s to 1990s, Columbia had some of the best schools in the State. Now most of their schools are Title One. Why? A large influx ofurbamzed people moved m with their urbanized ways. You really believe that mixing the children of these people (especially in middle and high school) will change the achievement gap? Look at Baltimore City, which was the number 1 school system in the state or Montgomery County which took the crown from Baltunore City as the number 1 school system in the state. They had the same problems in trying to solve the achievement gap like Howard County is experiencing. You need to do a study to find out why it didn't work in those systems if you want success in Howard County because you will have the same problem. We will tell you why it is not working. Besides reading the Monihayn Report which forecast this problem over 50 years ago, you cannot put people together who don't want to be together and putting low income students in these schools will only cause them more fhistration because they wUl still score the lowest. We are talking about groups of people not individuals. There are always a few that achieve no matter where they attend. We think the Howard County School system is doing the best they can do. If the FARM children are not achieving, it has nofhing to do with the school. Start with the family. '^V^^Oi ByALMAJEAUSIQ I afausto@scng.com Orange County Register PUBLISHED: July 8,2019 at 2:38 pm UPDATED: July 8,2019 at 2:40 pm A family brawl that broke out in Disneyland's Toontown over the weekend was caught on video and is circling around on social media. In it, a man punches women as children in their group and other park guests watch, some of them trying to break up the Saturday, July 6 fight. The cussing-fill brawl appears to grow out of a group the included a halfdozen adults, most, if not all, family members. At various times, two women fight each other. Two men take boxing stances and face off for a bit. At one point, a woman in the group who is in a motorized cart gets out to intercede and is knocked down, apparently by mistake, and falls to the ground and is helped back up. "I'm ready to go to jail tonight!" says the man who hit the two women and was in the center of much of the conflict. Security staffers eventually respond, with one man subdued by park-goers. Eventually, the fight disperses and the participants seem to walk away. Anaheim Sgt. Daron Wyatt said officers responded and took a report, though the people involved were uncooperative. No arrests had been made. Family members scuffle as bystanders watch outside Goofy's Playhouse at Disney land on Saturday. (YouTube) \/\i6 ^^ ,5 ^ ^l/^ u ^ >/*/t ^^ h c <, iz ow ^'r^? (^w^ M'^' '.p'f,' ^^^'^'^'^J ^ N Q % u a. 0 I ,=! ^ •fv». .&. Sk •!s\ ?A ^ ^ i 't tp tp Q U1 '^ >;.1- m 's 0 •l-l (\1 -A- •o c\ f-^ ^ < -^ -ft ^ ^ ;) j', 5,^ ? '^ Columbia is a census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States, and is one of the principal cities of the Baltimore metropolitan area and the Washington metropolitan area. It is a planned community consisting of 10 self-contained villages. It began with the idea that a city could enhance its residents' quality of life. Creator and developer James W. Rouse saw the new community in terms of human values, rather than merely economics and engineering. Opened in 1967, Columbia was intended to not only eliminate the inconveniences of then-current subdivision design/ but also eliminate racial, religious and class segregation. And it worked. Columbia's schools were the best in the nation. The village concept aimed to provide Columbia a small-town feel (like Easton, Maryland, where James Rouse grew up). Each village comprises several neighborhoods. The village center may contain middle and high schools. All villages have a shopping center, recreational facilities, a community center, a system of bike/walking paths, and homes. Four of the villages have interfaith centers, common worship facilities which are owned and jointly operated by a variety of religious congregations working together. Most of Columbia's neighborhoods contain single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and aparhnents, though some are more exclusive than others. The original plan, following the neighborhood concept of Clarence Perry, would have had all the children of a neighborhood attend the same school, melding neighborhoods into a community and ensuring that all of Columbia's children get the same high-quality education. Rouse marketed the city as being "color blind" as a proponent of Senator dark's fair housing legislation. If a neighborhood was filled with too many purchasers of a single race, houses would be blocked until the desired ratio was met. The schools in Columbia, Maryland were top notch. Elementary, Middle and High School were in each of the villages where shjdents went to go to learn and play together. What happen that the Howard County City Council feel that the schools have to desegregate? Why did the neighorhoods turn so that most of the elementary schools receive Title funds? It's the people. Parents who do not have the vision that Mr. Rouse did. Children who are being reared by Parents or caregivers who care nothing about 1 the education of their children (How many show up at PTA meetings?) Look at the stats in crime. Most are done by Blacks. Blacks ( Coming from the urban areas ) have desh-oyed Columbia. Asians and Hispanics' test scores are higher than Blacks. Sodoeconomic is not the reason for poor Black performance. It is the Black family. Moniyhan Report. Look what happen when Baltimore City de-segregate the schools. Howard County will go much faster. All the Council is doing is DUMBING down all of Howard County Schools. Parents will move. Private Schools will love it. Neighboring Counties will live it. Howard County will suffer. Sincerely, . :^t i' v ^/(L^W^^ t?^? ^f^v^r^v^l^j n ~^Tt^YLr vsn T; ^- ?di i?T!^e-130<.?' '~^. ZEZ Oilrt' :5yOKIQV3. '/ .^^r? ^^. tf7c - . .-~ — y' I V>. ».-»->—n c.n-> ;'y? j/ ^' August 20,2019 In Response to the news release by the Howard County Council in regards to the Howard County Schools Original housing concept for Columbia Maryland (James Rouse) was for Columbia to work, play team and worship together. It was an excellent concept and first residents of Columbia worked hard to achieved that goal. Schools in Columbia were the best not only in the county, state but country. If Rouse's vision failed, we have to look at what happen because it worked for many years. Columbia still has an excellent infrastructure. Neighborhoods are well kept with many amenities. So, if there is a problem with Howard County schools then it's coming from the home environment. The Moynihan report predicted this over 50 years ago. It is unfair the County Council to ask the schools to integrate when it is the Council and the government that failed to improper plan when it came to housing because Rouse made sure equity in housing was there for the new Columbia. Affordable housing became ghetto housing (especially in the many apartments in Columbia) Section 8 subsidized income vouchers allowed urbanized people with their urbanized manner get into apartments and housing market that turned many of Columbia's schools into Title one schools. People who have to pay full amount of rent are not going to units where certain people pay little or no rent due to the vouchers. So, you have a large number of these people in the apartments. This was result of improper planning by county officials and greed by apartment owners. Now Columbia and rest of Howard County are dealing with academic deficiencies and high rate of crime. Bad behavior and crime caused the village centers to have problems. Some are closed. Some remodeled and open again with a different demographics. The truth is Black people ruined Columbia. It's not racism. It is fact. Just look at the crime stats. And the academic Achievement gap? What a joke. Blacks score lowest of all people of color. Title One schools have more resources than non-Title one schools . Now, the Council thinks putting students of all incomes together will magically transform these low achievers to high achievers? Asians and Hispanics will still score higher than Blacks. School discipline and suspension will still be high among Blacks. Are the households going to take any responsibility? Why Council going to put blame on the schools to come up with a solution? Now you have the demographics in the various housing rental units that led to seven schools in Columbia to be title one. Prince Georges County, "/] / }-• Montgomery County, Baltimore County are dealing with the same problem as well as urban, ^'~y J V / ) Sayers, Margery From: Jahantab Siddiqui Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2019 7:25 PM Subject: Superintendent's Attendance Area Adjustment Recommendations [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Dear Elected Officials, I wanted to let you know that due to BGE power outages this evening, we are unable to stream or record video of the Board of Education meeting. As a result, due to the interest in the Superintendent's recommendations for attendance area adjustment and in keeping with our efforts to provide clear communications to the community, the Board and the Superintendent have decided to reschedule the presentation for Thursday, August 22 at 6pm. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you, Jahantab JahantabSiddiqui Chief Administrative Officer Howard County Public School System Office: 410-313-6680 Cell: 443-355-7562 Sayers, Margery From: Stacy Correll Sent: Friday, August 16, 2019 2:08 PM To: CouncilMail Subject: Comments on Boundary Study/Segregation Issues [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] I sent this to the Board of Education but received a reply that they are not accepting comments? I thought I would send it on to you as well since you were soliciting comments. Thank you - Stacy Correll Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: Stacy Correll Date: August 15,2019 at 3:03:12 PM EDT To: boe@hcpss.org Subject: Comments on Boundary Study I was not able to attend the session at Oakland Mills High School on July 10 due to a long-standing commitment. I did fill out the online survey but I felt like there was more that needed to be said about the proposed boundary changes. My daughter just finished Lake Elkhorn Middle School and will go to Oakland Mills High School in the fall. She will be a walker and we will not be moving schools as part of the proposed boundary changes. However, we obviously have a vested interest in the health ofOMHS, given that she is about to spend 4 years there. Let me state for the record that we do not qualify for FARMS and our ethnicity is white. I am going to focus my comments on the high school boundary changes since that is my area of concern. I have been more and more dismayed by what I read, both in official documentation like the feasibility report and in the various flyers that have been floating around. I could comment more on those flyers but I will refrain - although I do give props to the people who actually put their names on the flyers instead of hiding behind an anonymous label. It saddens me that people think that children born into a lower economic status are somehow less intelligent, less motivated and less desirable as classmates. A rising tide lifts all boats. We should want the best for ALL children and want them to have the highest chance for future success because our success as a nation depends on it. These are the future adults who will be doctors, teachers, policemen and voters in our country. As the adults in this scenario, we should be concerned about the fate of all Howard County children. But everything I read seems to somehow support the notion that FARMS = bad. We have created a segregated school system where the majority of lower income children are concentrated into 4 high 2 schools - Oakland Mills, Long Reach, Wilde Lake and Hammond - and the disparity is growing greater with every boundary exercise we engage in. These 4 schools currently have between 39-48% FARMS populations. The next highest high school percentage is over 10% lower (Reservoir at 26%). OMHS is surrounded by high schools that have significantly lower percentages - Howard at 14% and Atholton at 11%. To me, the message you are sending is FARMS students are "undesirable" so we are going to "contain" them in certain schools that most likely have parent populations that have less influence over elected officials and will not make as much noise (see the flyers referenced above). That is the message parents of those students are hearing and the students themselves are hearing. In some cases, our lower income students are struggling with other issues in the home or are homeless. Now they are being labeled as the children adults are actively trying to keep out of their schools. I recognize that the school system does not have control over where lower income housing is located but you do have control over how boundaries are drawn. You can stand up to the parents who are beating the "not in my school" drum over and over again. Lower income children deserve the same opportunities as their higher income counterparts and deserve to be an accepted part of EVERY school. If you are going to move high school students prior to the new high school opening (and as I said in my survey, I really question why that has to be done at all), why not consider taking the long view of creating a mix of students within a school that reflects the county and the country as a whole. Everyone benefits - schools, students, communities. Instead of going to a school where everyone is the same, we learn to accept differences, learn from each other, support those who need a hand and become closer as a community. I support the analysis that the Oakland Mills Board of Directors sent to you on August 12th. I hope you will take a hard look at all the information that has been presented from the Oakland Mills Community. Stacy Young Co rrell Sayers, Margery From: Beth Stolte Sent: Cc: Thursday, August 15, 2019 9:14 AM Beth Stolte; Rigby, Christiana CouncilMail; BoE Email Subject: Re: Desegregation To: [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] httDS://www.baltimoresun.com/marvland/howard/cnK-ho-council-calls-for-integration-plan-0822-20190815- i7m4vob3vzb65DQge26eianz4v-storv.html?fbclid=lwAROCCpJ9DjJJDLehnQV-sfhAR3qR6cULtmMNg4ixZObZD9dOzr39oSv-04 Howard council members: Balancing FARMs students, school capacity could 'improve education outcome' In a joint news release Tuesday, Council members Christiana Mercer Rigby, Opel Jones and Deb Jung announced they are introducing a resolution next month asking for the school system to create a county-wide integration plan to desegregate schools. www.baltimoresun.com Beth Stolte From: Beth Stolte Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2019 9:11 AM To: Rigby, Christians Cc: councilmail(a)howardcountymd.gov ; BoE Email Subject: Desegregation Councilperson Rigby, Thank you for bringing to light the segregation of Howard County schools. When looking at the demographics for schools east of 29 the disparity is clear. The neighborhoods of Owen Brown and Oakland Mills specifically are deeply segregated from the rest of the county. To someone not involved in the redistricting process, it looks as if FARMs students are concentrated in certain areas to maximize the number of Title 1 schools and therefore federal money. Also, looking at where FARMs students reside shows a segregation in the county itself. For years so called affordable housing has been allowed to be built in these same neighborhoods under the guise of caring about low income families. If the CC/ former and current, cared about low income families they'd stop allowing building in these areas. They'd provide incentives for building of affordable housing in places west of 29. Ellicott City, Gleneg, West Friendship. Other districts besides your district, my district, district 3. It is disingenuous to put all the onus on the board of education and superintendent, past and present. This County Council has come out in support of more building in these areas. More students to fill school slots that don't exist, further crowding these schools. I posted the following comments on a Facebook post about this issue. The article in from post is below. The first is a question - are the demographics of the schools listed in this article reflective of the surrounding neighborhood? Meaning draw 2 mile radius around the school. If it is reflective of the school's demo then so be it. Kids shouldn't have to be bused across the county for "quotas". The second is that the County Council is responsible for this as well. The places with affordable housing are concentrated in these same neighborhoods. Current laws allow for more affordable housing to be built in these same neighborhoods. Speaking out against that is portrayed by the Council Council as being against poor people. If the County Council wants the schools to be desegregated, then they need to desegregate the county. The County Executive, as a former long term County Council member, is just as guilty for this segregation as the former board of education members and superintendents. The County Council should look at the demographics of these neighborhoods. Look at the FARMs numbers for new affordable housing built in the last 10 years. What does that say about where new housing should be built? My family lives in district 3. My sons attended Guilford ES and my oldest will be a 6th grader at Lake Elkhorn MS in the fall. We love our area. We are looking to move in the spring and want to stay with Lake Elkhorn as our middle school. Owen Brown is the ideal neighborhood for us. It's probably one of the most walkable areas in the county. We want our sons to be able to leave the house and walk places like the corner store/ the pizza place in Owen Brown Village Center, the CA pools. But we also can't ignore the gerrymandering of the school attendance areas. We love the east side. It's so diverse and we are all better for it. I wouldn't want to live in the west where it's much more homogenous. Concentrating FARMs students in areas like Owen Brown and Oakland Mills only makes the problems these kids face worse. Allowing more and more development in these areas strains the schools in these areas and makes it impossible to desegregate. Everyone needs to work together to change this. The leaders we've voted for need to be leaders. Stand up to classism and racism when presented under the guise of not moving students to a "low ranked school". Stand up to developers and say "no, you can't build here anymore". Make the tough decisions. It's what we've elected you to do. Thanks for your time. Beth Stolte Sayers, Margery From: Beth Stolte Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2019 9:12 AM To: Rigby, Christiana Cc: CouncilMail; BoE Email Subject: Desegregation [Note; This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Councilperson Rigby, Thank you for bringing to light the segregation of Howard County schools. When looking at the demographics for schools east of 29 the disparity is clear. The neighborhoods of Owen Brown and Oakland Mills specifically are deeply segregated from the rest of the county. To someone not involved in the redistricting process, it looks as if FARMs students are concentrated in certain areas to maximize the number of Title 1 schools and therefore federal money. Also, looking at where FARMs students reside shows a segregation in the county itself. For years so called affordable housing has been allowed to be built in these same neighborhoods under the guise of caring about low income families. If the CC, former and current, cared about low income families they'd stop allowing building in these areas. They'd provide incentives for building of affordable housing in places west of 29. Ellicott City, Gleneg, West Friendship. Other districts besides your district, my district, district 3. It is disingenuous to put all the onus on the board of education and superintendent, past and present. This County Council has come out in support of more building in these areas. More students to fill school slots that don't exist, further crowding these schools. I posted the following comments on a Facebook post about this issue. The article in from post is below. The first is a question - are the demographics of the schools listed in this article reflective of the surrounding neighborhood? Meaning draw 2 mile radius around the school. If it is reflective of the school's demo then so be it. Kids shouldn't have to be bused across the county for "quotas". The second is that the County Council is responsible for this as well. The places with affordable housing are concentrated in these same neighborhoods. Current laws allow for more affordable housing to be built in these same neighborhoods. Speaking out against that is portrayed by the Council Council as being against poor people. If the County Council wants the schools to be desegregated/ then they need to desegregate the county. The County Executive, as a former long term County Council member/ is just as guilty for this segregation as the former board of education members and superintendents. The County Council should look at the demographics of these neighborhoods. Look at the FARMs numbers for new affordable housing built in the last 10 years. What does that say about where new housing should be built? My family lives in district 3. My sons attended Guilford ES and my oldest will be a 6th grader at Lake Elkhorn MS in the fall. We love our area. We are looking to move in the spring and want to stay with Lake Elkhorn as our middle school. Owen Brown is the ideal neighborhood for us. It's probably one of the most walkable areas in the county. We want our sons to be able to leave the house and walk places like the corner store, the pizza place in Owen Brown Village Center/ the CA pools. But we also can't ignore the gerrymandering of the school attendance areas. We love the east side. It's so diverse and we are all better for it. I wouldn't want to live in the west where it's much more homogenous. Concentrating FARMs students in areas like Owen Brown and Oakland Mills only makes the problems these kids face worse. Allowing more and more development in these areas strains the schools in these areas and makes it impossible to desegregate. Everyone needs to work together to change this. The leaders we've voted for need to be leaders. Stand up to classism and racism when presented under the guise of not moving students to a "low ranked school". Stand up to developers and say "no, you can't build here anymore". Make the tough decisions. It's what we've elected you to do. Thanks for your time. Beth Stolte Oakland Mills Community Association The Other Barn • 5851 Robert Oliver Place Columbia, MD 21045 410-730-4610 • oaklandmills.org V/T value LonneLliuns ^^ . •i 'c". m s August 12,2019 Dr. Martirano, Superintendent, Howard County Public School System Howard County Board of Education 10910ClarksvillePike Ellicott City, MD 21042 Dear Superintendent Dr. Martirano and Members of the Howard County Board of Education: The Oakland Mills Community Association is submitting the following feedback on the area boundary adjustment "Feasibility Study" options on behalf of its 10,000 residents in anticipation of the August 20 recommendations from the Superintendent to the Board of Education. We are sending this as we believe the process for input and the survey options provided to date do not provide for enough flexibility to state our concerns to their full extent. The Feasibility Study options cannot be fixed with commentary on a few polygons here and there, which is the direction in which the public survey effectively guides respondents. Furthermore, the encouragement of such feedback over the years has led us to a situation where we believe the school system is segregated by income, race, and ethnicity and continuing to move in a negative direction should current options be pursued. We have concerns throughout the system, but our responsibility is to the children of Oakland Mills, so our commentary will be limited to the impact on schools our community attends. The current Feasibility Study options unfairly target Oakland Mills High School, and frankly, are immoral. HCPSS Policy 6010 is supposed to direct the school district to consider such factors as community stability, demographics, diversity, socioeconomic status (measured based on participation in the federal free and reduced meals program, or FARMs), numbers of students moved, and academic performance. By multiple critical measures, apparently this policy does not seem to apply to Oakland Mills High School in the current options. We fear that while the public message has been that these options are not "proposals," the reality is these are being used as very biased starting points that depend heavily on past trends toward segregation rather than a fresh start. Currently, Oakland Mills High School is already the most challenged high school in Howard County. It has the highest percentage of students who receive FARMs (48%), the lowest percentage of students with math proficiency (26%), and the third lowest percentage of students with reading proficiency (47%). It is one of the few schools in Howard County with capacity to receive more students, so it is not surprising that this capacity is being utilized to help relieve over-crowding at other high schools, which we welcome. However, we did not anticipate that the district would make so many favorable changes to other high schools largely at the expense of Oakland Mills HS. Let us consider how each of the two high school redistricting proposals in the feasibility study negatively impacts Oakland Mills HS and further exacerbates the existing differences in socioeconomic status and academic performance between Oakland Mills HS and the rest of Howard County. First, in High School Redistricting Option #1, 383 students will be transferred from Oakland Mill HS to other high schools, which is 29% of the projected 2019 enrollment, more than any other high school, even overcrowded Howard HS (19%) and Centennial HS (22%). In other words, inexplicably, the high school with capacity to spare is losing a larger percentage of its student population than the over-crowded high schools that are the reason for the redistricting in the first place. Another 512 students will be transferred into Oakland Mills HS, which is 39% of 2019 projected enrollment and again highest in the county. Altogether, as a proportion of the 2019 projected enrollment, a gross change of 68% would occur at Oakland Mills HS, again more than any other high school in the county. If such a drastic change in the student population at Oakland Mills HS were truly necessary,it would only be logical (and would follow Policy 6010) to take this opportunity to bring the demographics and academic performance measures of the school more in line with the rest of the county. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Rather, the FARMs percentage would increase (49%, by far highest in county), and math proficiency (25%, lowest in county) and reading proficiency (45%, 2nd lowest in county) both would decrease relative to current levels. Furthermore, other neighborhoods around Oakland Mills Village, which have been part of the Oakland Mills HS community for more than 40 years, would be transferred to Wilde Lake HS, which should be considered a major detriment to community stability, and effectively creates an "island" community East of Route 29 from the rest of Wilde Lake HS. In their place, communities in the I-95/Route 1 corridor would be transferred into Oakland Mills HS. These also effectively become "island" communities because they are only connected to the rest of the Oakland Mills HS area via Polygon 45, which is not a residential neighborhood but rather a retail/industrial area along Route 175/Columbia Gateway with few (less than the reportable number) or no students. One particular move in HS Option #1 is an especially troubling example of the larger problem of concentration and segregation. Polygon 1081 is a highly impoverished neighborhood and by far has the largest numbers of students who receive FARMs compared to any other polygon in the county (96 students on FARMs, 74% of all students at the high school level). At the elementary school level, there are 223 students who receive FARMs (83%), which means the number high school students receiving FARMs will almost certainly increase over time. Both Howard HS (3 miles via Rt. 108, 8 minutes according to Google Maps) and Long Reach HS (2.6 miles via Rt. 108, Snowden River Pkwy and Tamar Dr., 7 minutes according to Google Maps) are geographically closer and more convenient for transportation to/from this neighborhood compared to Oakland Mills HS (4.8 miles via Rt. 175, Tamar Dr., and Kilimanjaro Rd., 13 minutes according to Google Maps). Yet in this proposal the students will be bused further to Oakland Mills HS, which is already the most socioeconomically disadvantaged school in the county. This is wrong, plain and simple, and it will be harmful both for students currently at Oakland Mills HS and also students residing within Polygon 1081. It is hard to imagine a clearer example ofsocioeconomic segregation in the 21 century. High School Redistricting Option #2 is not an improvement over Option #1 in terms of its impact on Oakland Mills HS. Again, despite being the school with capacity, Oakland Mills HS would have the greatest gross change in population in the county, with 178 (14%) students transferred from, and 297 (23%) transferring into Oakland Mills HS, representing a 36% gross change in population based on 2019 projected enrollment, more than any other high school in the county. Again, much like Option #1, despite the major change in student population at Oakland Mills HS with Option #2, there is apparently no effort to consider demographics and academic performance measures in the proposed reassignments. The percentage of students receiving FARMs would be unchanged (48%), still highest by far in the county with only one other high school greater than 40%. Reading proficiency would actually decrease from the current level to 45%, 2" worst in the county. Similarly, math proficiency would decrease to 24%, worst in the county. This option is also detrimental to community stability, as the Thunder Hill neighborhood (part of the Oakland Mills Village and well connected by walking/biking paths) will be transferred to Wilde Lake HS, essentially becoming an "island" community East ofRt. 29. Oddly, this proposal consolidates all of Thunder Hill ES to attend Oakland Mills MS, which currently feeds 100% into Oakland Mills HS, so this could have been beneficial to the community if they did not then have to cross Route 29 to attend Wilde Lake HS. Again, similar to Option #1, the Allview neighborhood (part of the Oakland Mills HS community for more than 40 years) will be transferred to Atholton HS and again essentially will become an East-of-29 island. While Polygon 1081 (discussed above) and surrounding communities are not assigned to Oakland Mills HS in HS Option #2, they are proposed for Oakland Mills HS in the New HS #13 Option, so all of the same concerns noted above would also apply in that scenario. These analyses are compiled and summarized in the attachment to this letter. In summary, there is no evidence that HCPSS Policy 6010 is being appropriately followed in the proposed high school attendance areas when one considers the negative impact on Oakland Mills HS, which is already the most challenged high school in Howard County. The Oakland Mills Community Association has very serious concerns about long-term trends toward segregation in the school system and specifically about what will be proposed during this round of area attendance adjustments. We are consulting with experts in the field should further action be necessary to protect our residents and strongly urge you to consider much better options by August 20th than what we have seen to date. We also strongly encourage the members of the Board of Education to reject any proposal presented to you on August 20 that does not reverse these trends. Sincerely, Jonathan L. Edelson, Chairman Oakland Mills Board of Directors Cc: County Executive Dr. Calvin Ball Councilman Dr. Opel Jones, District 2 ATTACHMENTS ON FOLLOWING PAGES Attachment: Oakland Mills High School Characteristics Relevant to HCPSS Policy 6010 Current • Projected 2019 enrollment =1318 (94% utilization) • Highest FARM Rate in Howard County (48%) • Worst PSAT Math Proficiency in Howard County (26%) • Third Worst PSAT Reading Proficiency in Howard County (47%) HS Option #1 Scenario • 383 students transferred out ofOMHS (29% of 2019 projected enrollment, highest in county), despite being a school w/capacity • 512 students transferred into OMHS (39% of 2019 enrollment, highest in county), all from Long Reach (splitting up these students across multiple receiving schools would be an opportunity to balance demographics and academic performance measures) • Gross change of 895 students, 68% of 2019 projected enrollment; highest in the county • Projected FARM rate 49% (increased from current, highest in county, with only 1 other HS greater than 40%) • 25% PSAT Math Proficiency (decreased from current, worst in county) • 45% PSAT Reading Proficiency (decreased from current, 2" worst in county) • Howard HS and Centennial HS are the most over-crowded high schools in the county, yet there are fewer students transferring out: o Howard HS: 359 (19% of 2019 projected enrollment) o Centennial HS: 366 (22% of 2019 projected enrollment) • Polygon 1081, which has the largest numbers of socioeconomically disadvantaged students in the county (and growing), is transferred from Long Reach HS and bussed further to Oakland Mills HS: 96 (74%) students at the HS level, 104 (86%) students at the MS level, and 223 (83%) at the ES level are all on FARMs. • Polygons in the I-95/Rt.l corridor are effectively "islands" in this proposal. They are connected to other Oakland Mills HS polygons via Polygon 45, which is a commercial/industrial region with few or no students. • Allview and other neighborhoods, historically part of the Oakland Mills HS community, will be transferred out of OMHS and will become and East-of-29 island communities at Wilde Lake HS. USOption #2 Scenario • 178 students transferred from Oakland Mills HS (14% of 2019 projected enrollment) • 297 students, all from Long Reach HS, transferred into Oakland Mills HS (23% of 2019 projected enrollment) • 475 total students transferred into/out of Oakland Mills HS, a 36% gross change based on 2019 projected enrollment (highest in county) • Changes at Oakland Mills HS greater in comparison to Howard HS and Centennial HS: o Howard HS: 230 (12%) students redistricted to Long Reach HS, will receive no new students o Centennial HS: 246 (15%) students transferred out, 117 (7%) transferred in FARMs rate 48% (unchanged, highest in county) P SAT Reading proficiency decreased from current level to 45% (2nd worst in county) P SAT Math proficiency decreased from current level to 24% (worst in county) Consolidates all of Thunder Hill ES to attend Oakland Mills MS, but then sends these same students across Route 29 to attend Wilde Lake HS (essentially creating an island) and removes the Thunder Hill neighborhood, part of Oakland Mills Village, from Oakland Mills HS. Allview neighborhood, historically part of the Oakland Mills HS community, will be transferred out ofOMHS and will become and East-of-29 island community at Atholton HS. As in Option #1, polygons in the I-95/Rt.l corridor are effectively "islands" in this proposal. They are connected (and only in a catty-cornered manner) to other Oakland Mills HS polygons via Polygon 45, which is a commercial/industrial region with few or no students. Table: Overall Impact of Proposed High School Attendance Adjustments on Oakland Mills High School HCPSS 6010 Factor Considered HS Option #1 HS Option #2 Negative (>110% utilization in 2021- Facility Utilization 2022) Negative (>110% utilization in 2022-2023) Community Stability Overall Negative Negative Feeds Negative Negative commercial/industrial Polygon 45 separate communities) Negative Negative Frequency of reassignment N/A Racial/ethnic composition N/A N/A Socioeconomic composition/FARMs percentage Negative Neutral1 Academic performance-Math Negative Negative2 Academic performance-Reading Negative Negative3 % of English learners Negative1 Neutral Number of students moved Negative4 Negative4 Contiguous Communities (considering the reality that Route 29 and Highest in county 2Worst performance in county 3Second worst performance in county 4Highest in county as a proportion of school size N/A, not analyzed or considered in this assessment N/A Sayers, Margery From: karenlgray@verizon.net Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 1:59 PM To: CouncilMail Subject: I support the resolution calling for public school integration plan [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] I fully support the Council Resolution calling for the Howard County Public School System to develop an integration plan. The recent proposals for redistricting are, frankly, insulting in a county that claims to promote diversity and acceptance. Oakland Mills High School is very heavily impacted by the proposed plans, more than almost any other high school. Yet, the economic and racial segregation will be worse under this plan rather than better. It is absolutely appalling. I suggest taking a look at the following blogposts from a county resident for further information on this issue and a potential plan to redistrict that would help integrate the schools with the same amount of bussing that is currently proposed. https://howardcounty640805081.wordpress.com/2019/02/02/how-did-howard-countv-schools-become-the-mostsegregated-county-in-marvland/ https://howardcounty640805081.wordpress.com/2019/07/13/howard-countv-plans-to-continue-bussing-students-tokeep-schools-segregated/ Since county policies over the years have helped to create this segregation, I sincerely hope the County Council will support this resolution and that the Howard County Public School System will significantly revise its proposals. If not, I fear Howard County is setting itself up for a serious civil rights lawsuit. Sincerely, Karen Gray 5951 Camelback Lane Columbia, MD 21045 410-730-7941 Sayers, Margery Rigby, Christiana Wednesday, August 14, 2019 11:08 AM CouncilMail From: Sent: To: Subject: Fwd: Councilmembers Mercer Rigby, Jones, and Jung Call on Howard County Public School System to Develop Integration Plan Wanted to make sure everyone received this public testimony... Get Outlook for iOS From: Lois Patrick Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 9:09:28 AM To: Rigby, Christiana ; Jones, Opel ; Jung, Deb Subject: Fw: Councilmembers Mercer Rigby, Jones, and Jung Call on Howard County Public School System to Develop Integration Plan [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Dear Howard County Council Members: The article below was posted yesterday regarding desegregation in our school system. I am a resident of Howard County and have grandchildren attending the Howard County Public School System schools, and I am appalled at the idea of redistricting our children to attend schools out of their school district. This was tried many years ago in Prince George's County for the same reasons, and their program failed. I am a taxpayer and lived in this county for over 25 years, and I am totally against this desegregation plan. The bottom line is, all children have access to the same education, some children want to learn and some children are just don't have the same interest. Do not take away from the children that are willing to learn from their school of record because others do not have the same interest. I am very angry that this is even a suggestion and I will be one of the taxpayers that tries to block this resolution. Lois Patrick 9510 Whiskey Bottom Road Laurel, MD 20723 443-278-5424 Media Contact: Felix Facchine ffacchine@howardcountvmd.gov [410)313-2001 For Immediate Release: Councilmembers Mercer Rigby, Jones, and Jung Call on Howard County Public School System to Develop Integration Plan Ellicott City, MD (August 13, 2019)- Howard County Councilmembers Christiana Mercer Rigby, Dr. Opel Jones, and Deb Jungwill introduce a council resolution in September calling on the Howard County Public School System CHCPSS) to develop a county-wide integration plan to desegregate its schools. Currently, school district boundaries in Howard County are drawn in a manner that concentrate students participating in the Free and Reduced Meals program (FARMs) into certain elementary, middle, and high schools. This socioeconomic and racial segregation in the school system is contributing to increasing achievement gaps and decreasing graduation rates for low-income students and students of color. Historic systems have created these achievements gaps and it is incumbent on the County to introduce new systems that foster necessary change. "I'm extremely proud of this resolution because it recognizes the past and promotes a fair and balanced future for our Howard County Public School System students," said Dr. Jones. "We are working together to resolve the problematic and systematic inconsistencies that lower-income students face every day. This resolution helps to enhance, promote, and encourage a unified and socioeconomic blended education system for all." "While we often claim to prioritize diversity and inclusion in Howard County, our school districts do not reflect the values of integration and community that we have built our county on," said Councilwoman Mercer Rigby. "For decades, Howard County public schools have become increasingly segregated by race and socioeconomic status. Redistricting is a civil rights issue here in Howard County, and it's time to take meaningful strides toward integration in our education system." In the last three years alone, graduation rates for students participating in the FARM program have dropped from 83% to 78%, which is 17% lower than the graduation rates for non-FARM students. During the same time frame, FARM program students have become increasingly concentrated in the same elementary, middle, and high schools in Howard County. These disparities in student outcomes can be found in the Howard County Public School System's 2019 Feasibility Study and 2019 Equity Report presented to the Board of Education. "As Chair of the Howard County Board of Education, capable of casting only one vote, I support this resolution that focuses on the socioeconomic and racial desegregation of Howard County Public Schools," said Mavis Ellis. "Many have called for equity, and it's the Board of Education's hard decisions that will make equity happen for all students in Howard County." "There's a strength in diversity that benefits our community. Legislation and resolutions alone cannot solve socioeconomic challenges or promote true racial integration; however, they can provide platforms that allow us to correct past errors," said Candace Dodson-Reed, founder of the African American Community Roundtable of Howard County and education advocate. "I applaud Councilwoman Mercer Rigby's and Councilman Jones' leadership and effort as they work with the community to ensure that each child in our public school system has everything they need to be successful." "Let's reclaim Columbia's dream of equal opportunity for all by rebalancing the socioeconomic and racial profiles of Howard County's public schools," said Councilwoman Jung. "We know what we have to do, and we know the time is now." Numerous academic studies indicate that diverse, integrated classrooms lead to better academic outcomes for all students, while increased segregation leads to greater achievement gaps for low-income students and students of color. While the school system undergoes its School Boundary Review Process, Councilmembers Mercer Rigby, Jones, and Jung call on HCPSS to comprehensively address the socioeconomic and racial segregation in Howard County Public Schools through a meaningful redistricting process. The proposed resolution will be pre-filed on August 23, 2019 and will be introduced at the Council's legislative session on Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Testimony will be accepted at the legislative public hearing on Monday, September 16, 2019. To sign up to testify, visit https://apps.howardcountymd.gov/otestimony/. If you would like to submit your testimony electronically, email councilmail@howardcountymd.gov. ### Howard County Council ph: 410-313-20011 web: cc.howardcountvmd.gov Howard County Council, 3430 Court House Dr., Ellicott City, MD 21043 SafeUnsub_scribe™ brianboor@verizon.net Forward this email Update_Profile About our service provider Sent by cgelwicks(5)howardcountvmd.gov in collaboration with Constant Contact'^ Try email marketing for free today! Sayers, Margery From: no-reply@howardcountymd.gov Sent: Wednesday, August 14, 2019 10:37 AM To: Todes.judith@gmail.com Subject: District 4 - School desegregation First Name: Judith Last Name: Todes Email: Todes.iudith@amail.com Street Address: 10738 SYMPHONY WAY City: COLUMBIA Subject: School desegregation Message: I applaud your efforts to desegregate the Howard County schools. For too long the school boundary lines have been drawn to concentrate low income and minority students in some of the schools. I feel self conscious saying this, but, I want you to know that I am white, so you know that concern about this issue crosses racial lines. Sayers, Margery From: Vick Sent: Tuesday, August 13,2019 10:18 PM To: Yungmann, David Subject: Re: For your consideration Re: Integration Plan [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Hello David, Thank you for your reply, hope all is well. The concern is If redistricting opens an area for residential development due to the capacity being below APFO limits, will that area stay closed to new residential development? The question is will our county council introduce and pass legislation that keeps areas closed to new residential development if they fall below APFO school capacity dictates for closing as a result ofredistricting? https://www.howardcountvmd.gov/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=xXEqbRD9rTA%3d&portalid=0 It is in the best interest of all to break the cycle of school overcrowding (we have students in trailers). Howard County doesn't have the budget to build schools required to meet the needs of our citizens today. Sincerely, Vick ps Please vote yes to CB 38-2019. On 8/13/2019 8:38 PM, Yungmann, David wrote: Is the question whether if, after redistricting, we will keep a school closed if it was previously closed and now open? David Yungmann Howard County Council - District 5 (410)313-2001 https://cc.howardcountvmd.qov/Districts/District-5 From: Vick Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 8:26 PM To: CouncilMail ; Walsh, Elizabeth ; Jones, Opel ; Rigby, Christiana ; Jung, Deb ; Yungmann, David Subject: For your consideration Re: Integration Plan [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Hello All, How soon will you write and pass legislation that bans new residential development or disallows 8 continuing development in areas that have been brought down to under capacity for building by redistricting? Answer please, all 5 of you. Do you want people to get on board with your call for an integration plan? I'm on board as soon as you write and pass legislation that says development cannot start or continue in areas that have been brought down to under capacity for building by redistricting. Anything less will continue the cycle of school overcrowding. 2 council people on the press release today are the very same council people who refused to vote or voted against to extending the wait time for new residential developments in areas closed to development due to school overcrowding. Somehow Howard county has this belief if we just put people in the right place things will magically happen. Not exactly your purview but we're willing to spend millions on subsidized housing (not actually spending but giving in tax incentives to developers, when have developers ever done anything with the long term best interest of Howard county in mind) but it's hard to get $100,000 to help people achieve financial literacy and career advancement and change. What's going to be done for the fourth grade student that isn't at grade level in reading or in math? Putting them in a new school isn't going to change where they are in their learning path. What's going to be done for the first grader who didn't have opportunities to enter kindergarten as prepared as their peers to learn? I liked the recent backpack give away as resources beyond the physical school supplies were they for those who may need them. Yes I understand these are HCPSS issues but you are inserting yourself into the work of the HCPSS and the BOE. Most Sincerely, Vick ps Please vote yes to CB 38-2019. Sayers, Margery From: Vick Sent: Tuesday, August 13,2019 8:26 PM To: CouncilMail; Walsh, Elizabeth; Jones, Opel; Rigby, Christiana; Jung, Deb; Yungmann, David Subject: For your consideration Re: Integration Plan [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Hello All, How soon will you write and pass legislation that bans new residential development or disallows continuing development in areas that have been brought down to under capacity for building by redistricting? Answer please, all 5 of you. Do you want people to get on board with your call for an integration plan? I'm on board as soon as you write and pass legislation that says development cannot start or continue in areas that have been brought down to under capacity for building by redistricting. Anything less will continue the cycle of school overcrowding. 2 council people on the press release today are the very same council people who refused to vote or voted against to extending the wait time for new residential developments in areas closed to development due to school overcrowding. Somehow Howard county has this belief if we just put people in the right place things will magically happen. Not exactly your purview but we're willing to spend millions on subsidized housing (not actually spending but giving in tax incentives to developers, when have developers ever done anything with the long term best interest of Howard county in mind) but it's hard to get $100,000 to help people achieve financial literacy and career advancement and change. What's going to be done for the fourth grade student that isn't at grade level in reading or in math? Putting them in a new school isn't going to change where they are in their learning path. What's going to be done for the first grader who didn't have opportunities to enter kindergarten as prepared as their peers to learn? I liked the recent backpack give away as resources beyond the physical school supplies were they for those who may need them. Yes I understand these are HCPSS issues but you are inserting yourself into the work of the HCPSS and the BOE. Most Sincerely, Vick ps Please vote yes to CB 38-2019. 10 Sayers, Margery From: Lisa Schlossnagle Sent: Tuesday, August 13, 2019 4:31 PM To: CouncilMail Subject: Re: Councilmembers Mercer Rigby, Jones, and Jung Call on Howard County Public School System to Develop Integration Plan [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Dear Ms. Mercer Rigby, Dr. Jones, and Ms.Jung, Thank you. This is important to me as an HCPSS graduate, parent, and AAC 2019 member. Thank you for your leadership. Best regards, Lisa Schlossnagle On Tue, Aug 13, 2019, 4:19 PM Howard County Council wrote: JVIedia Contact: Felix Facchine ffacchine(%howardcountymd. gov (410)313-2001 For Immediate Release: Councilmembers Mercer Rigby, Jones, and Jung Call on Howard County Public School System to Develop Integration Plan Ellicott City, MD (August 13, 2019)- Howard County Councilmembers Christiana Mercer Rigby, Dr. Opel Jones, and Deb Jung will introduce a council resolution in September calling on the Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) to develop a county-wide integration plan to desegregate its schools. Currently, school district boundaries in Howard County are drawn in a manner that concentrate students participating in the Free and Reduced Meals program (FARMs) into certain elementary, middle, and high schools. This socioeconomic and racial segregation in the school system is contributing to increasing achievement gaps and decreasing graduation rates for low-income students and students of color. Historic systems have created these achievements gaps and it is incumbent on the County to introduce new systems that foster necessary change. "I'm extremely proud of this resolution because it recognizes the past and promotes a fair and balanced future for our Howard County Public School System students," said Dr. Jones. "We are working together to resolve the problematic and systematic inconsistencies that lowerincome students face every day. This resolution helps to enhance, promote, and encourage a unified and socioeconomic blended education system for all." "While we often claim to prioritize diversity and inclusion in Howard County, our school districts do not reflect the values of integration and community that we have built our county on," said Councilwoman Mercer Rigby. "For decades, Howard County public schools have become increasingly segregated by race and socioeconomic stalls. Redistricting is a civil rights issue here in Howard County, and it's time to take meaningful strides toward integration in our education system." In the last three years alone, graduation rates for students participating in the FARM program have dropped from 83% to 78%, which is 17% lower than the graduation rates for non-FARM shidents. During the same time frame, FARM program students have become increasingly concentrated in the same elementary, middle, and high schools in Howard County. These disparities in student outcomes can be found in the Howard County Public School System's 2019 Feasibility Study and 2019 Equity Report presented to the Board of Education. "As Chair of the Howard County Board of Education, capable of casting only one vote, I support this resolution that focuses on the socioeconomic and racial desegregation of Howard County Public Schools," said Mavis Ellis. "Many have called for equity, and it's the Board of Education's hard decisions that will make equity happen for all students in Howard County." "There's a strength in diversity that benefits our community. Legislation and resolutions alone cannot solve socioeconomic challenges or promote true racial mtegration; however, they can provide platforms that allow us to correct past errors," said Candace Dodson-Reed, founder of the African American Community Roundtable of Howard County and education advocate. "I applaud Councilwoman Mercer Rigby's and Councilman Jones' leadership and effort as they work with the community to ensure that each child in our public school system has everything they need to be successful." "Let's reclaim Columbia's dream of equal opportunity for all by rebalancing the socioeconomic and racial profiles of Howard County's public schools," said Councilwoman Jung. "We know what we have to do, and we know the time is now." Numerous academic studies indicate that diverse, integrated classrooms lead to better academic outcomes for all students, while increased segregation leads to greater achievement gaps for low-income shidents and students of color. While the school system undergoes its School Boundary Review Process, Councilmembers Mercer Rigby, Jones, and Jung call on HCPSS to comprehensively address the socioeconomic and racial segregation in Howard County Public Schools through a meaningful redistricting process. The proposed resolution will be pre-filed on August 23, 2019 and will be introduced at the Council's legislative session on Tuesday, September 3, 2019. Testimony will be accepted at the legislative public hearing on Monday, September 16, 2019. To sign up to testify, visit https://apps.howardcountyind.gov/otestimony/. If you would like to submit your testimony electronically, email councilmail(3;howardcounfrymd.gov. ### Howard County Council ph: 410-313-2001 web: cc.howardcountymd.gov Howard County Council, 3430 Court House Dr., Ellicott City, ND 21043 SafeUnsubscribe™ lisabmrss@qmail.com Forward this email Update Profile About our service provider Sent by cqelwicks@howardcountvmd.gov in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today! 13 Sayers, Margery From: Rick Kohn Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2019 8:33 AM To: Renee Kamen Cc: Hcpss Redistricting; School Planning; Scott Washington; Daniel Lubeley; Brian W. Bassett; Kathleen V. Hanks; BoE Email; CouncilMail Subject: Re: [External] Redistricting proposals [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Dear Ms. Kamen, As you know, the website you cited which was open for a short time did not permit submission of school-wide redistricting plans. The school system solicited only input about individual polygons in an attempt to justify what they are doing or to consider piecemeal changes to the current plans. As a resident who is opposed to the widespread segregation by race and income that the current districts enforce, and the proposed plans exacerbate, I developed an example plan that shows it is quite easy to meet all of the criteria outlined in Policy 6010. The Office of Planning and Office of Superintendent are being dishonest when they claim that they cannot develop such a plan even with all the resources at their disposal. Sincerely, Richard A. Kohn, Ph.D. On Aug 9, 2019, at 4:06 PM, Renee Kamen wrote: Dear Mr. Kohn: Thank you for contacting the Office of School Planning regarding a redistricting proposal. It appears that much effort has been devoted to the development of an alternative boundary scenario. The boundary review process is much different than in past years and includes the use of a consultant. The consultant accepted alternative scenarios through August 1 via an online option (https://www.hcpss.orR/schoolplanninR/boundary-review/#online-input). I hope that you took advantage of this opportunity to submit your scenario via the mechanism offered. The consultant is analyzing the results of the general feedback survey as well as the alternative scenario submissions. Please note the AAC responsibilities have changed in this process. The AAC did not take community input, nor develop alternative scenarios. For additional information on the AAC roles and responsibilities, please refer to the Boundary Review website at https://www.hcpss.orR/school-planning/boundaryreview/ftaac-meetings. I hope you remain involved through the remainder of the process. The Board of Education will be receiving public testimony after the presentation of the Superintendent's recommendation 8/20/19. Thank you in advance, -icftee 14 Renee M. Kamen,AICP Manager, Office of School Planning Howard County Public School System 410.313.7184 (office) Renee Kamen@hcpss.org From: Rick Kohn Sent: Thursday, August 8, 2019 2:48 PM To: Renee Kamen ; Hcpss RedistrictinR; School Planning Subject: [External] Redistricting proposals Greetings: As you are probably aware, I have shown that it is feasible to meet all objectives of Policy 6010 including balancing enrollments with capacity, minimizing distance to schools, balancing demographics, minimizing small feeds,not moving most walking students, etc. If you would like to have the example districts I developed in spreadsheet form, please request them and make an email address available that can receive them. I can also meet to explain the methods and results. I can show objectively that the HOPS S is bussing students further than necessary to maintain a high level of segregation by race and income. Members of the Office of School Planning, AAC, and the Superintendent have shown no interest in evaluating the districts I developed as examples. Thank you to the members of the Board of Education who have discussed these results with me. Richard Kohn, Ph.D. https://howardcounty640805081 .wordpress.com 15 Sayers, Margery From: Kathleen V. Hanks Sent: Monday, July 15, 2019 1:03 PM To: Richard Kohn; opel@opeljones.com; Bailey, Najee; Jones, Opel; CouncilMail; BoE Email Subject: RE: [External] Community and School segregation [Note: This email originated from outside of the organization. Please only click on links or attachments if you know the sender.] Good Afternoon, Thank you for contacting the Board of Education. The Board is not receiving input at this time regarding boundary review. However, I am providing the link to the website where it states how the community can be involved and share input with the Superintendent as he develops his recommendation. The Feasibility Study is the beginning of the process and is not the Superintendent's recommendation. The Superintendent's recommendation will be presented to the Board on Tuesday, August 20. Once that recommendation is received, the Board will begin receiving testimony and input from the community. Again, thank you for your email, and we encourage you to be involved in the boundary review process. Kind regards, Kathy Hanks Administrator Board of Education Phone: 410-313-7194 Fax: 410-313-6633 Email: kathleen hanksfflihcpss.org From: Richard Kohn Sent: Monday, July 15, 2019 11:44 AM To: opel@opeljones.com; nbailey@howardcountymd.gov; Councilman Opel Jones ; councilmail@howardcountymd.gov; BoE Email Subject: [External] Community and School segregation I posted a new blog item about the HCPSS redistricting options. I used high schools as an example to show that the proposed options will increase travel time to schools by an average of about 0.3 miles per student compared to sending students to the closest school, and will increase segregation by income. I also show example districts that completely integrate 10 out of 12 high schools for income demographics without increasing travel time to school compared to the Feasibility Study options. There may be important implications that the school system is segregating students by race and income level, when in fact it would be quite feasible to integrate the schools. https://howardcounty640805081.wordpress.com 16