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Superintendent Joshua Starr
Montgomery County Public Schools
850 Hungerford Drive
Room 122
Rockville, MD 20850
Dear Superintendent Starr:
We wish to bring a timely and unique Environmental Educational Opportunity for the students of Montgomery County to your attention.
Earlier this year, the State Board of Education approved a statewide Environmental Literacy Graduation Requirement, often referred to as No Child Left Inside. Maryland is the first state in the country to pass such a requirement for graduation, ensuring that every student receives a comprehensive, diverse environmental education that meets the approval of the State Superintendent of Schools. Governor Martin O'Malley praised the Maryland State Board of Education for approving an Environmental Literacy Graduation Requirement.
Under the graduation requirement, public schools will be required to infuse core subjects with lessons about conservation, smart growth and the health of our natural world. Local school systems will have the ability to shape their programs to be relevant to their county, but all will align with standards set by the State.
Just as Maryland was the first state to approve No Child Left Inside, Montgomery County has a unique educational environmental resource to help make our county the best in our state and even nationwide. With no or little public expense, and with its existing ties to the research community and other private non-profits, the Chesapeake Sustainability Institute in cooperation with the existing Nick's Organic Farm could be of tremendous educational value to the students of our public schools. Located on 20 acres of property owned by the Montgomery County Board of Education (MCBOE) on Brickyard Road, this organic farm is already up and running with a 30-year track record—a known quantity requiring no lead time to develop. The irreplaceable organically-tended soil has had more than three decades to foster the organic matter and microorganisms that are key to supporting healthy plants.
As such, this land is not only a model for how organic farming can exist on the urban fringe, but it is also a highly unusual research tool given its 30 years of organic cultivation. It also carries a unique history that is significant for people in the County and State as well as at the national level.
There is strong community support to develop the working organic farm into an educational resource for the children of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS). Over 38,000 people have signed a petitions in support of this concept. The time for this idea is now.
We believe the Chesapeake Sustainability Institute, in cooperation with other partners, could provide MCPS with the following:
This site could become part of a cooperation with appropriate non-profit organizations in the County and in the region to become an ideal educational opportunity, reaching out to demonstrate the origin of food, the connection of local food to food safety and security, the USDA "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative, as well as becoming a unique educational facility for our school children.
We urge you to consider the environmental educational opportunity before you, and we respectfully request a meeting to explore this proposal in more detail. Additionally, we would like to provide you with the 38,000 signature petitions supporting this concept. We know this site has been suggested for soccer fields by a private vendor, but MCBOE can request this school site be returned to them at any time for educational purposes.
Sincerely,
Alvin A. Carlos
Chair, Montgomery County Sierra Club
