Posted August 31st, 2010 by Tom
The Washington Post ran this article today about problems of overcrowding in Maryland schools – with Montgomery County bearing the brunt as the state’s largest school system. As 200,000 Maryland students headed back to school, growth in classroom size has been pitched against funding difficulties meaning school’s have been unable to hire more teachers, leaving parents understandably anxious.
Concerning Bethesda:
At Ashburton Elementary School in Bethesda, enrollment has grown to 770 this year from 650 last year, mostly in kindergarten and first grade. Principal Charlene Eroh Garran said that she had hired two veteran teachers and two rookies in the past month and had to find new space in the school to accommodate all the students, but she was optimistic that things would work out. Any more and she’ll have to call in the trailers, she said.
Meanwhile, Superintendent Jerry D. Weast, who is retiring in June, undertook a “back-to-school-tour” yesterday marking the final of his 12 years as Superintendent. He began the day at Bethesda’s Walter Johnson High School.
Read the full article here.
Posted June 14th, 2010 by Raj
A worrying story about the local school which has been in the news due to the killing of a UVA student.
Posted May 5th, 2010 by Raj
Folks, we will have more information on this in the days ahead but thought it was worth noting that the 17th Annual Imagination Bethesda will be taking place on June 5th. The event is a festival for children that celebrates the arts and will go from 11am to 4pm. Our friend Victoria is a fan and suggested we post a note about it.
There are lots of fun things scheduled for the day and as Rachel points out it will “features face painters, costume characters, balloonists, jugglers and more.” So try and head out and enjoy the day — more info to follow!
Posted February 17th, 2010 by Raj
The quality of schools in the Bethesda are a big draw for folks who decide to live here. With that in mind, I wanted to let you know that Montgomery County Board of Education just approved a $2.3 billion dollar budget. It seems the MC Council has the final say in their May meeting but as this news was just breaking we wanted to let you know.
Stay tuned for more info.
Posted February 2nd, 2010 by Raj
Hi folks, just wanted to put an interesting Barnes and Nobles author event on your radar. Gregg Easterbrook, the author of Sonic Boom, is going to discuss his book in Bethesda on February 16th at 7pm. If you haven’t seen any of the buzz about his book you should check out this review by Daniel Drezner.
As Drezner notes
“In “Sonic Boom,” his principal thesis is that the 2008 financial crisis is merely a modest hiccup in a larger trend of “growth, change and transformation at unprecedented velocity.”
I am hoping to check out the event – it should be a lively evening!
