Recently, Montgomery County School Superintendent Dr. Weast recommended closing Monocacy Elementary School due to under enrollment. The parents of the approximately 175 students who attend Monocacy Elementary School do not want to see their school closed so they mobilized to block this recommendation. They attended BOE meetings where they very strongly expressed their opinions, they wrote letters to their political representatives on the county council and in Annapolis and they created a website to disseminate information.

On Thursday, November 19th, the Board of Education listened to their cries and rejected Dr. Weast’s recommendation to close the school. Instead, the Board of Education directed that a “round table” panel should be convened to identify, for presentation to the Board of Education, other options to address the underutilization of Monocacy Elementary School. The round table is to be comprised of representatives of the Poolesville, Northwest and Clarksburg clusters. The “round table” was not directed to rule out including a boundary study or change of all three of these clusters as a potential resolution to the underutilization of Monocacy Elementary School. This means that the boundaries of the Clarksburg and Northwest Clusters, our clusters, are going to be looked at, and possibly altered, in order to increase the population of Monocacy Elementary School. Do you want your child on a 40 minute, or more, bus ride every morning and afternoon? Do you want the schools your children attend to have split articulation?

Dr. Weast’s plan to close Monocacy Elementary School would move these approximately 175 students to Poolesville Elementary School, which is part of the Poolesville Cluster, as Monocacy Elementary School is. Under this plan, ALL of these children would remain with their friends and classmates through high school. Changing the boundaries of the Clarksburg and Northwest Clusters means that YOUR children may not be able to stay with their neighbors, friends and classmates through high school. The Clarksburg Cluster currently has about 6,330 students and the Northwest Cluster has over 9,000 students. We must use OUR VOICE to express OUR desires.

You can help by participating in OUR Call to Action, The Clarksburg Cluster is Paying Attention Campaign….

The Poolesville Cluster parents are mobilized and they have done a great job in advocating their position - we need to advocate for our children, too. This decision may affect elementary, middle and high school students in three clusters if the boundaries change. Now is the time to be heard, do not be complacent and let someone else speak for you, it is important to YOUR FAMILY that YOU are heard throughout this process.

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this issue.