Michelle McGeogh Polygon 1064 Board Members, Thankyou for your discussion at the work session last night. I think I sensedthat all board members would like to keep walkers walking. I wanted to remind the board that Polygons 64, 1064, 129 md 1129, although not technically walkers, we are "near walkers. " Residents in these polygons walk or bike to school often (you may have seen a few tweets about this). If the board adopts the Superintendent's plan and moves us to Swansfiled our walking days are over (see attached). Pleasekeep Polygons 64, 1064, 129 and 1129 united at Pointers Run where we can continue walking and riding bikes to school. In addition, it does not make sense to move the new development of affordable housing (Robinson Overlook) out of Pointers Run Elementary School. Thank you againfor all the time you have devoted to this important decision. Let's keep walkers and near walkers walking and hiking to school. Michelle McGeogh Polygon 1064 DMEAST #39138044 v1 Polygon 1064 to Pointers Run Elementary Polygon 1064toSwansfield Elementary Kathleen V. Hanks From: Star and Todd <starntodd@hotmail. com> Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 10:18 AM To: Hcpss Redistricting Subject: [External] Redistricting Goodmorning! Thanksfor reading my input regarding redistricting. I havelived in the Dunloggin neighborhoodfor 8 years Thisis the kindest and most involved community we have lived in (mid we previously moveda lot!) Dunlogginhas many family activities includinga 4thof July parade with the fire department, Halloweenand Christmas parties, play groups, bookclubs and socials for the grownups to name a fewneighborhood events. Weknow each other's kidsand celebrate whenthey graduate. Feasibility study#1 would split (and change) our neighborhood. on![ast?atto m7 childhoodneighborhood inVA where we were split into two high schools. Kidsgrew up togetherplaying fromhouse to house, carpooling to dance/sporting events, andparents knew each o&er other. This changedin ninth grade when kids who lived next door or across the street from eachother were separated. Therewas no longerinteraction between families and it felt liketwo differentneighborhoods. Pleaseconsider Feasibility #2 and keep Dunloggin together at Centennial HighSchool. Thank you. Sincerely, Star Dolbier 9119NorthfieldRoad Ellicott City Sent from my iPhone Kathleen V. Hanks From: Beth Stolte <elizabeth. stolte@hotmail. com> Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 10:02 AM To: Hcpss Redistricting Subject: [External] Walkers think that a community school where as many students and families that can walk attend is important. It would build a sense of community, allow parents without transportation to be involved in school activities and just better for health andthe environment. But I do understand the possible reasonsfor not just acrossthe board not moving walkers. Stephens Forest, for example, wouldn't move anyone to balance FARMS or future capacity issues becausethey are all walkers. However I think that there should be a distance from the school set that would not be moved from that school. Even make it part of the policy. Beth Stolte Becky Hadeed 12443 Petrillo Drive Highland, MD 20777 Polygon1114 October 22, 2019 To the Elected Officials on the Board of Education. I am in Polygon 1 114 and, while I understand the need for redistricting, I oppose the superintendent's current plan. In particular, I askthat the school board consider implementing the plan incrementally, so that only rising high school students will be affected. I note that Ms. Taj expressed a desireto implement this strategy in hercampaign platform, "/would also have the redisthcting apply beginning with the rising 9th graders, whowill already be at a natural transition point, rather than disrupting kids already settled in their high schools." As a resident ofpolygon 1114, 1 find it unnecessary to ask such a very small section ofkids to leave Reservoir HighSchool next year to attend RiverHill HighSchool. RHS is notprojected to be critically overcapacity next year. There is no practical reasonto askthe small segment of freshman and sophomores in our related polygons to leave a school that they're desperately trying Qust like every other 9th and 10th grader across the county) to make their home. Id liketo sharean anecdote I vividly remember, although it occurred over 15years ago. I was a very recent graduate of University of Maryland and had secured a position as a math teacher here in Howard County. I shared my excitement with an acquaintance, another graduate, who hadattended HowardCounty schools. Shesaid she thought there was something I should know: "Kidsin that Howard County aren't happy. " I wasshocked, as I had heard nothing but great things about the schools. She explained that many students, like herself, had felt Insecure andundervalued because of the constant redistricting foisted upon them. expressedsympathy for her frustrating experience and filed it away in my mind. HereI am 15years later, with a freshmanin highschool, andthree more children coming up through the system. When I shared with my son that hewill possibly have to leave Resen/oir next year to attend River Hill, his face fell and he went silent. Since then, we've talked about this quite a bit and he's expressed many reasons why he doesn't want to switch schools. None of those reasons involve any assumptions about the teachers orthe peers he is likely to encounter at a new school. rd liketo askyou to putyourself in the shoes of a young manwho has started overmultiple times in the last 4 years. Yet, in the last sixweeks, he has made a good faith attempt to involve himselfand make a newset of friends - again. He'ssigned upfor orchestra and Cross Country. Likeevery otherfreshmen, hesits with newpeople at lunch andworks hard atturning strangers into friends, which is more uncomfortable for an introvert that some may understand or acknowledge. But now, he's told there is a real likelihood that he will be forced out of Reservoir next year. He can't help but think: "This effort is... for what?" Every day, as he goes to class, he considers that these people may not be his peers next year. He worries that the respect and admiration he's already gained for his cross country coach will not blossom into a mentoring relationship over the next 4 years. As his orchestra learns to play in unison, in the back of his mind, he knows he will have to go through the process of learning to gel with another group of musicians all over again next year. And so, he asks himself: Is it really even worth trying - again?This is whathe has to grapple with when he goes to school every day of his freshman year. I have to wonder - when my son graduates from college and a peer tells him that he or she has been hired to teach in Howard County Public Schools, what will my son say to that peer? No doubt he will say he received a wonderful education at any school. But will he say he was happy? Will he say he felt secure and valued? And what responsibilitywill you bearfor that? I know this is a hard decision and I do understand many issues are at play. I wish you wisdom, compassion, and an open mind as you listen and consider. Becky Hadeed Polygon 1114 beckyhadeed@gmail. com Kathleen V. Hanks From: joni nuetzel <jokath1996@gmail. com> Sent: Wednesday, October 23, 2019 9:08 AM To: Hcpss Redistricting Subject: [External] Polygon 1184 October 23, 2019 Dear Members of the BOE, Thank you for your service to the Howard County Public School System. As you consider school boundary adjustments for tne zuzO-2021 school year, I ask that you also recognize the importance of maintaining established, contiguous neighborhoods. Though not proposed in the boundary adjustment released in June or with the superintendent's recommendation released in August, polygon 1184 has previously been proposed to move. Polygon 1184 is part of the larger established community of Font Hill and consists of polygons 184, 1184, 2184, and 156. The Font Hill neighborhood is defined by the following geographical boundaries: Frederick Road to the north. Centennial Lane to the west, and Old Annapolis Road to the south. There is no obvious geographical boundary to the east. Looking at the polygon map, you would not know what areas comprise a contiguous community so a map of the Font Hill neighborhood is attached for increased understanding. Though the students are not walkers to high school, according to Google maps, polygon 1184 is 1.7 miles from the present high school and thus students are able to easily walk home from after school activities. This is of vital importance to our family since as a registered nurse I am routinely gone from home for 12-14 hours a day and my husband often travels out of state during the work week for business. If moved to a high school farther away, our children would lose the walkability, increasing or eliminating the ability to participate in after school activities. In addition, as parents, we often rely on other parents in the neighborhood to transport our children when needed; fracturing polygon 1184 from the rest our the neighborhood would eliminate our support system. In addition, I am concerned about the decrease sleep my children would receive if moved to a school a greater distance. My children already arise at 5:50 am to catch the bus at 6:45 am to arrive at a high school 1. 7 miles away. I have grave concerns regarding the wake up times and bus travel times for a school that is five times farther. In closing, I ask that you thoughtfully consider Policy 6010. "Community Stability. Where reasonable, school attendance ares should promote a sense of community in both the geographic place (e.