Does anyone know the status of the Proposed BASIS Expansion

[Anonymous]

Wow I wasn't expecting this meeting to get so intense. Seems very weird to be digging in their heels so hard over a few years of ramp-up which is of course the norm in our city

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any news on building location? Obviously that's a huge cost factor.

Kinda. Politically, their answer to that question was that they hadn’t had serious conversations with anyone yet as they needed the board’s blessing first. This was the right answer in my opinion.

They got pushed and the Principals spoke up and said initial analysis had looked everywhere from south Ward 4 to Ward 7. They made it clear it would be difficult to get walking distance to Penn Quarter.

My real takeaway from that meeting is that the Board is still reacting to their failure as an organization to Eagle, and we’re trying not to look like a push over. I’d love to see their staff analysis because my guess is that it says if Basis opened at whatever they wanted the Board would be closing another school in a year or so. Just my two cents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any news on building location? Obviously that's a huge cost factor.

Kinda. Politically, their answer to that question was that they hadn’t had serious conversations with anyone yet as they needed the board’s blessing first. This was the right answer in my opinion.

They got pushed and the Principals spoke up and said initial analysis had looked everywhere from south Ward 4 to Ward 7. They made it clear it would be difficult to get walking distance to Penn Quarter.

My real takeaway from that meeting is that the Board is still reacting to their failure as an organization to Eagle, and we’re trying not to look like a push over. I’d love to see their staff analysis because my guess is that it says if Basis opened at whatever they wanted the Board would be closing another school in a year or so. Just my two cents.

Definitely they're embarrassed about Eagle and trying to play tough.

I think they'll be closing a few schools regardless-- now that I can see the CAPE scores, some of the schools up for review this year are looking quite iffy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any news on building location? Obviously that's a huge cost factor.

Kinda. Politically, their answer to that question was that they hadn’t had serious conversations with anyone yet as they needed the board’s blessing first. This was the right answer in my opinion.

They got pushed and the Principals spoke up and said initial analysis had looked everywhere from south Ward 4 to Ward 7. They made it clear it would be difficult to get walking distance to Penn Quarter.

My real takeaway from that meeting is that the Board is still reacting to their failure as an organization to Eagle, and we’re trying not to look like a push over. I’d love to see their staff analysis because my guess is that it says if Basis opened at whatever they wanted the Board would be closing another school in a year or so. Just my two cents.

If you look at the documentation and transcript from the June meeting and the analysis in the board book, it's clear that the Board was concerned about opening 5 new grades at once from the get-go. It predates the Eagle closure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any news on building location? Obviously that's a huge cost factor.

Kinda. Politically, their answer to that question was that they hadn’t had serious conversations with anyone yet as they needed the board’s blessing first. This was the right answer in my opinion.

They got pushed and the Principals spoke up and said initial analysis had looked everywhere from south Ward 4 to Ward 7. They made it clear it would be difficult to get walking distance to Penn Quarter.

My real takeaway from that meeting is that the Board is still reacting to their failure as an organization to Eagle, and we’re trying not to look like a push over. I’d love to see their staff analysis because my guess is that it says if Basis opened at whatever they wanted the Board would be closing another school in a year or so. Just my two cents.

If you look at the documentation and transcript from the June meeting and the analysis in the board book, it's clear that the Board was concerned about opening 5 new grades at once from the get-go. It predates the Eagle closure.

Well yes, but them being embarrassed doesn't make it any easier for BASIS. On the other hand, the oversupply for elementary seats is slightly lower without Eagle....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone watching the hearing tonight? How is it going?

It was a really weird meeting. One Board Member didn't seem to understand where the school was located.

More to the point, after a 90 minute back and forth BASIS was approved on a "conservative growth model", which I think means they can open one grade at a time.

Which BASIS then basically said they wouldn't open because it didn't make sense financially.

I imagine BASIS will still open given the approval, but it was weird that PCSB staff nor the Board didn't know BASIS might respond with that comment.

Hopefully it won't open. It's a terrible idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow I wasn't expecting this meeting to get so intense. Seems very weird to be digging in their heels so hard over a few years of ramp-up which is of course the norm in our city

What I think is weird is that Basis submitted a "conservative" proposal that they then acknowledged openly they had no interest in following. They said that they submitted it because the charter board made clear that it was the option they could consider approving. So did Basis submit it only in order to get another opportunity to present their case to the board and hope to persuade them to consider a different option? If I were a board member I would have pointed out to Basis that this is a disingenuous waste of the board's time.

The former HoS also made a bunch of laughable and untrue statements -- like that 10 students is "10% of the incoming class, because we admit only a little over 100 students in 5th grade." They admit 135 fifth graders, which is 35% more than 100. The Basis folks said plenty of reasonable things, but lying about the small stuff undercuts the credibility of the rest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow I wasn't expecting this meeting to get so intense. Seems very weird to be digging in their heels so hard over a few years of ramp-up which is of course the norm in our city

What I think is weird is that Basis submitted a "conservative" proposal that they then acknowledged openly they had no interest in following. They said that they submitted it because the charter board made clear that it was the option they could consider approving. So did Basis submit it only in order to get another opportunity to present their case to the board and hope to persuade them to consider a different option? If I were a board member I would have pointed out to Basis that this is a disingenuous waste of the board's time.

The former HoS also made a bunch of laughable and untrue statements -- like that 10 students is "10% of the incoming class, because we admit only a little over 100 students in 5th grade." They admit 135 fifth graders, which is 35% more than 100. The Basis folks said plenty of reasonable things, but lying about the small stuff undercuts the credibility of the rest.

Same poster: Scratch that, one of the board members DID ask that question: "You all put this proposal in front of us. ... So why did you put it in front of us if you weren't really ready to do it?"

[Anonymous]

The hearing is here, starting around 2:02:00. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAWnomirdis

[Anonymous]

It's very weird that they couldn't come up with a plan consistent with the normal, gradual way that schools expand in DC. I guess it's their way or the highway!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's very weird that they couldn't come up with a plan consistent with the normal, gradual way that schools expand in DC. I guess it's their way or the highway!

It's because $$$$$$$$$$. They want cash for all the grades at once.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's very weird that they couldn't come up with a plan consistent with the normal, gradual way that schools expand in DC. I guess it's their way or the highway!

It's because $$$$$$$$$$. They want cash for all the grades at once.

Yeah, I mean, I get that it's easier for them in some ways to start with all grades at once. Although they talked pretty tough on staffing despite their embarrassingly low teacher retention rate-- maybe so many of their teachers quitting has given them a lot of practice hiring new teachers? What's weird is that they didn't come up with a more "conservative" plan that they could actually implement. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that only the conservative version would be approved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's very weird that they couldn't come up with a plan consistent with the normal, gradual way that schools expand in DC. I guess it's their way or the highway!

It's because $$$$$$$$$$. They want cash for all the grades at once.

Yeah, I mean, I get that it's easier for them in some ways to start with all grades at once. Although they talked pretty tough on staffing despite their embarrassingly low teacher retention rate-- maybe so many of their teachers quitting has given them a lot of practice hiring new teachers? What's weird is that they didn't come up with a more "conservative" plan that they could actually implement. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that only the conservative version would be approved.

They said outright at the end that they only came up with it in order to get time on the board's agenda. If I were the board I would be super pissed at Basis for wasting everyone's time.

[Anonymous]

I’m lost. What comes next for BASIS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m lost. What comes next for BASIS?

Just going on with their current school as usual, I guess. What a giant waste of everyone's time. Or maybe they'll regroup and try to reach a compromise plan.