SWS - as an IB School? L-T prospects?

[Anonymous]

It was never a Hill elementary school. It offered two years of early education. Elementary schools, and the lack of quality options District wide, is a very different thing and there are few resources. Same objections would be made I imagine for a new middle school (and yes, if SWS became a middle school it would be new). There are even fewer options for middle school and parents are eager for more middle school options that are high quality.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aaarrrggghh! It WAS a neighborhood school -- that's why the Hill parents are upset!

It wasn't a "school" at all; it was a PK4-K (1?) program within Peabody (hence the name). Just a couple of classrooms. That's it. DCPS is now expanding it to include PS3 and go up to 5 and making it its own school.

Exactly right. It was only PK4 and K classrooms that were one part of the early childhood campus (Peabody) in the Cluster. Both SWS and Peabody K classes were intended to feed to Watkins 1st. That's why it had in-bounds. Last year was the anomaly: SWS retained the Cluster boundaries for the transition but at the same time starting their expansion to having a separate 1st grade.

Both SWS and CHM are remnants from the pre-charter days. They can't be an in-bounds school of right for its immediate catchment because it would share that boundary with another existing school (mostly LT).

[Anonymous]

Ha. 14:59 touched a nerve...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ha. 14:59 touched a nerve...

"Aaarrrggghh! It WAS a neighborhood school -- that's why the Hill parents are upset!"

Yeah - her own, she sounds like a cat on a hot stove. Everyone else is rolling their eyes, wondering what it will take to shake some sense into someone so willfully blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aaarrrggghh! It WAS a neighborhood school -- that's why the Hill parents are upset!

It wasn't a "school" at all; it was a PK4-K (1?) program within Peabody (hence the name). Just a couple of classrooms. That's it. DCPS is now expanding it to include PS3 and go up to 5 and making it its own school.

More like 18 years, and it occupied a full floor in the Peabody building -- 4 classrooms with amazing views, aging facility, and no restrooms on its floor. And without getting into semantics, it functioned as an independent entity at Peabody. A "program" would suggest that it was somehow connected to Peabody beyond sharing the physical structure. SWS had its own administrative staff. SWS shared a few services with Peabody due to colocation (ie food service and librarian), but not much different than it does now with nurse for SWS and CHM @ Logan.

the new grade levels are no different in scale. Smallish classes of 2 per level eventually through 5th. It will max out around 350 students

[Anonymous]

I think that the issue isn't really one of feeling like something has been lost - whether that is a school or seats at PS or PK or K, etc. What the people from this neighborhood are saying is that they would like proximity preference going forward. Since this has never been a school before, the rules for attendance are up in the air and are, for the time being, negotiable. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past or what the school used to be or who used to have preference at it. That was all at a different location and with a different set of facts. Now that the school has found a permanent location, people are saying that they want that new location to operate like other city public schools. If if gets and IB area, great. If not, give the regular proximity preference that comes after OOB with sibling preference.

I think people are getting hung up on the history of this program because the name hasn't changed instead of realizing that it is actually something entirely new. A new school in any neighborhood is going to be something that people in the neighborhood want to go to and that they are, justifiably, going to feel like they should have a right to attend before people from farther away. I know that if a new DCPS school opened in my neighborhood I would want to have the opportunity to send my kid there, not that I necessarily would because the city offers other options. Its the same reason that people have been advocating for proximity (or neighborhood?) preference at charter schools. When there is a great school right by your house, you want to be able to send your kid there. With charters, it has been a city-wide policy choice not to give preference to neighbors at charter schools. With DCPS, there has always been a city-wide policy choice to give local preference at public schools. I can understand why these neighbors think that they should have preference at this NEW school because it is a public school and not a charter.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, oh Voice of Reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you, oh Voice of Reason.

I think it's the Voice of Emotion and Wishing, because DCPS is never going to give proximity to SWS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that the issue isn't really one of feeling like something has been lost - whether that is a school or seats at PS or PK or K, etc. What the people from this neighborhood are saying is that they would like proximity preference going forward. Since this has never been a school before, the rules for attendance are up in the air and are, for the time being, negotiable. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past or what the school used to be or who used to have preference at it. That was all at a different location and with a different set of facts. Now that the school has found a permanent location, people are saying that they want that new location to operate like other city public schools. If if gets and IB area, great. If not, give the regular proximity preference that comes after OOB with sibling preference.

I think people are getting hung up on the history of this program because the name hasn't changed instead of realizing that it is actually something entirely new. A new school in any neighborhood is going to be something that people in the neighborhood want to go to and that they are, justifiably, going to feel like they should have a right to attend before people from farther away. I know that if a new DCPS school opened in my neighborhood I would want to have the opportunity to send my kid there, not that I necessarily would because the city offers other options. Its the same reason that people have been advocating for proximity (or neighborhood?) preference at charter schools. When there is a great school right by your house, you want to be able to send your kid there. With charters, it has been a city-wide policy choice not to give preference to neighbors at charter schools. With DCPS, there has always been a city-wide policy choice to give local preference at public schools. I can understand why these neighbors think that they should have preference at this NEW school because it is a public school and not a charter.

It's only a benefit to a few hill families who don't want to support their IB schools to give proximity preference. As previously stated, that's an undue benefit for a tiny few and an undue burden to the vast majority.

There's a very good reason DCPS and everyone else in the city is glad it's going to be a city-wide school with no neighborhood preference. You can't support the schools you have, you certainly don't need an advantage at any more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that the issue isn't really one of feeling like something has been lost - whether that is a school or seats at PS or PK or K, etc. What the people from this neighborhood are saying is that they would like proximity preference going forward. Since this has never been a school before, the rules for attendance are up in the air and are, for the time being, negotiable. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past or what the school used to be or who used to have preference at it. That was all at a different location and with a different set of facts. Now that the school has found a permanent location, people are saying that they want that new location to operate like other city public schools. If if gets and IB area, great. If not, give the regular proximity preference that comes after OOB with sibling preference.

I think people are getting hung up on the history of this program because the name hasn't changed instead of realizing that it is actually something entirely new. A new school in any neighborhood is going to be something that people in the neighborhood want to go to and that they are, justifiably, going to feel like they should have a right to attend before people from farther away. I know that if a new DCPS school opened in my neighborhood I would want to have the opportunity to send my kid there, not that I necessarily would because the city offers other options. Its the same reason that people have been advocating for proximity (or neighborhood?) preference at charter schools. When there is a great school right by your house, you want to be able to send your kid there. With charters, it has been a city-wide policy choice not to give preference to neighbors at charter schools. With DCPS, there has always been a city-wide policy choice to give local preference at public schools. I can understand why these neighbors think that they should have preference at this NEW school because it is a public school and not a charter.

Sorry -- the new school argument is a straw man. By that logic the city could erase decades of failure by closing poorly performing schools and replacing with shiny new ones. SWS's brand has value. It has a history of success with early childhood education. Many of it's biggest supporters believe it can succeed with this mission through elementary, which obviously remains to be seen. Many families took a leap of faith this year to an uncertain future (trailers, no permanent future home) because of a belief in the program and it's record of success.

It isn't something entirely new, but it is evolving. If you were as familiar with the program as some of the thoughtful commentators here you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss it (I'm guessing at least a few fellow current SWS parents represented here) . Its tradition of family engagement is probably what most distinguishes SWS, much moreso than lines on a map. Don't worry -- no one is excluding you from our club. We were never as IB centric as some believe anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that the issue isn't really one of feeling like something has been lost - whether that is a school or seats at PS or PK or K, etc. What the people from this neighborhood are saying is that they would like proximity preference going forward. Since this has never been a school before, the rules for attendance are up in the air and are, for the time being, negotiable. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past or what the school used to be or who used to have preference at it. That was all at a different location and with a different set of facts. Now that the school has found a permanent location, people are saying that they want that new location to operate like other city public schools. If if gets and IB area, great. If not, give the regular proximity preference that comes after OOB with sibling preference.

I think people are getting hung up on the history of this program because the name hasn't changed instead of realizing that it is actually something entirely new. A new school in any neighborhood is going to be something that people in the neighborhood want to go to and that they are, justifiably, going to feel like they should have a right to attend before people from farther away. I know that if a new DCPS school opened in my neighborhood I would want to have the opportunity to send my kid there, not that I necessarily would because the city offers other options. Its the same reason that people have been advocating for proximity (or neighborhood?) preference at charter schools. When there is a great school right by your house, you want to be able to send your kid there. With charters, it has been a city-wide policy choice not to give preference to neighbors at charter schools. With DCPS, there has always been a city-wide policy choice to give local preference at public schools. I can understand why these neighbors think that they should have preference at this NEW school because it is a public school and not a charter.

If it makes you feel any better, I'll post to the neighborhood listserv (Brookland) to remind everyone to be sure and wave and be polite when they do their drop-off/pick-ups with Ward 5 stickers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that the issue isn't really one of feeling like something has been lost - whether that is a school or seats at PS or PK or K, etc. What the people from this neighborhood are saying is that they would like proximity preference going forward. Since this has never been a school before, the rules for attendance are up in the air and are, for the time being, negotiable. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past or what the school used to be or who used to have preference at it. That was all at a different location and with a different set of facts. Now that the school has found a permanent location, people are saying that they want that new location to operate like other city public schools. If if gets and IB area, great. If not, give the regular proximity preference that comes after OOB with sibling preference.

I think people are getting hung up on the history of this program because the name hasn't changed instead of realizing that it is actually something entirely new. A new school in any neighborhood is going to be something that people in the neighborhood want to go to and that they are, justifiably, going to feel like they should have a right to attend before people from farther away. I know that if a new DCPS school opened in my neighborhood I would want to have the opportunity to send my kid there, not that I necessarily would because the city offers other options. Its the same reason that people have been advocating for proximity (or neighborhood?) preference at charter schools. When there is a great school right by your house, you want to be able to send your kid there. With charters, it has been a city-wide policy choice not to give preference to neighbors at charter schools. With DCPS, there has always been a city-wide policy choice to give local preference at public schools. I can understand why these neighbors think that they should have preference at this NEW school because it is a public school and not a charter.

It's only a benefit to a few hill families who don't want to support their IB schools to give proximity preference. As previously stated, that's an undue benefit for a tiny few and an undue burden to the vast majority.

There's a very good reason DCPS and everyone else in the city is glad it's going to be a city-wide school with no neighborhood preference. You can't support the schools you have, you certainly don't need an advantage at any more.

How is it an undue burden on the vast majority of DC residents? Don't they all have IB schools to go to as well?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
There's a very good reason DCPS and everyone else in the city is glad it's going to be a city-wide school with no neighborhood preference. You can't support the schools you have, you certainly don't need an advantage at any more.

If you wish to make an overly simplistic argument, sure. By support, are you talking about the uniformly fully subscribed early childhood programs plus IB waitlists or the inconsistently IB enrolled upper ES? Worlds of difference between these two groups.

Not " everyone else in the city is glad it's going to be a city-wide school with no neighborhood preference". Do you have a point regarding SWS or are you just mocking PP? I disagreed with PP on proximity rights, but your statement just doesn't jibe with the school community's perspective. There's a broad range of opinions on this within the SWS community. I don't try to speak for anyone other than myself, and perhaps you should try the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that the issue isn't really one of feeling like something has been lost - whether that is a school or seats at PS or PK or K, etc. What the people from this neighborhood are saying is that they would like proximity preference going forward. Since this has never been a school before, the rules for attendance are up in the air and are, for the time being, negotiable. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past or what the school used to be or who used to have preference at it. That was all at a different location and with a different set of facts. Now that the school has found a permanent location, people are saying that they want that new location to operate like other city public schools. If if gets and IB area, great. If not, give the regular proximity preference that comes after OOB with sibling preference.

I think people are getting hung up on the history of this program because the name hasn't changed instead of realizing that it is actually something entirely new. A new school in any neighborhood is going to be something that people in the neighborhood want to go to and that they are, justifiably, going to feel like they should have a right to attend before people from farther away. I know that if a new DCPS school opened in my neighborhood I would want to have the opportunity to send my kid there, not that I necessarily would because the city offers other options. Its the same reason that people have been advocating for proximity (or neighborhood?) preference at charter schools. When there is a great school right by your house, you want to be able to send your kid there. With charters, it has been a city-wide policy choice not to give preference to neighbors at charter schools. With DCPS, there has always been a city-wide policy choice to give local preference at public schools. I can understand why these neighbors think that they should have preference at this NEW school because it is a public school and not a charter.

It's only a benefit to a few hill families who don't want to support their IB schools to give proximity preference. As previously stated, that's an undue benefit for a tiny few and an undue burden to the vast majority.

There's a very good reason DCPS and everyone else in the city is glad it's going to be a city-wide school with no neighborhood preference. You can't support the schools you have, you certainly don't need an advantage at any more.

How is it an undue burden on the vast majority of DC residents? Don't they all have IB schools to go to as well?

No. Some of them don't, because their IB schools have been closed. And since SWS is city-wide, they deserve exactly the preference that the neighbors do. In fact, perhaps they deserve more - I'd be willing to lobby for giving preference to any family whose IB school was closed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
There's a very good reason DCPS and everyone else in the city is glad it's going to be a city-wide school with no neighborhood preference. You can't support the schools you have, you certainly don't need an advantage at any more.

If you wish to make an overly simplistic argument, sure. By support, are you talking about the uniformly fully subscribed early childhood programs plus IB waitlists or the inconsistently IB enrolled upper ES? Worlds of difference between these two groups.

Not " everyone else in the city is glad it's going to be a city-wide school with no neighborhood preference". Do you have a point regarding SWS or are you just mocking PP? I disagreed with PP on proximity rights, but your statement just doesn't jibe with the school community's perspective. There's a broad range of opinions on this within the SWS community. I don't try to speak for anyone other than myself, and perhaps you should try the same.

There's nothing overly simplistic about the fact that a significant majority of DCPS schools on the Hill are largely OOB. The one right around the corner from Prospect/SWS (LT) is one of them. None - absolutely none, even Brent - are full of IB students all the way through 5th. So, since SWS is expanding up to 5th, giving proximity preference would only result in the same lack of support that every other school on the Hill "enjoys." Far better to make it city-wide so that the same children who enter in PS/PK will actually stay all the way through. If the Hill really needs another ES, it should prove it by maxing out the ones it has.

Neither Ward 3 nor any other WotP school is lobbying for a brand new ES with preference just for them - and those schools are so packed to the gills that it could actually be justified. There's just no logical reason to give undue preference to the Hill families who've decided they don't like the school they have, and they want a larger slice of the collective pie.