DCPS exodus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The actually really rich people in DC already send their children to expensive private schools. Surveys show that the lower-income people don't want to send their students in person. So this issue largely affects the middle class and upper middle class people. Do those people have any political clout, do their tax dollars matter? I'm not sure, but there does seem to be a tipping point, especially now that people cannot responsibly call those in favor of open schools "teacher killers" since teachers (unlike most parents) have access currently to the highly effective vaccines.

Well, the UMC and MC do contribute the most to the income tax totals. According to the above posted link. So one would think their tax dollars do matter. It is convenient, though, to suggest that their desire to have their kids in person in public school is racist. That means they can't advocate for themselves in this highly Dem city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens to schools (in any/every) ward if families leave DCPS if schools do not open in the fall?

Hopefully the teachers union stops being ridiculous and forces teachers back in the classroom. I totally understand if they have a condition that makes them high risk, but otherwise students need to learn in person. Enough is enough, we have seen across the country that everyone is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The actually really rich people in DC already send their children to expensive private schools. Surveys show that the lower-income people don't want to send their students in person. So this issue largely affects the middle class and upper middle class people. Do those people have any political clout, do their tax dollars matter? I'm not sure, but there does seem to be a tipping point, especially now that people cannot responsibly call those in favor of open schools "teacher killers" since teachers (unlike most parents) have access currently to the highly effective vaccines.

Well, the UMC and MC do contribute the most to the income tax totals. According to the above posted link. So one would think their tax dollars do matter. It is convenient, though, to suggest that their desire to have their kids in person in public school is racist. That means they can't advocate for themselves in this highly Dem city.

+1. I desperately want schools to reopen full time, 5 days per week for every student who wants it. But here's the thing: the wealthy already have their kids in private schools, and the lower classes don't advocate for decent education. It's the MC/UMC who have turned around the schools and these are the people who will be forced to suburbs and exurbs to get decent public schools. DCPS is heading towards reverting back to 1990's levels of poor quality schools. DC doesn't care about us and many teachers actually preferred teaching to a predominantly LC community. The only people who will miss us is other MC/UMC people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The actually really rich people in DC already send their children to expensive private schools. Surveys show that the lower-income people don't want to send their students in person. So this issue largely affects the middle class and upper middle class people. Do those people have any political clout, do their tax dollars matter? I'm not sure, but there does seem to be a tipping point, especially now that people cannot responsibly call those in favor of open schools "teacher killers" since teachers (unlike most parents) have access currently to the highly effective vaccines.

Well, the UMC and MC do contribute the most to the income tax totals. According to the above posted link. So one would think their tax dollars do matter. It is convenient, though, to suggest that their desire to have their kids in person in public school is racist. That means they can't advocate for themselves in this highly Dem city.

+1. I desperately want schools to reopen full time, 5 days per week for every student who wants it. But here's the thing: the wealthy already have their kids in private schools, and the lower classes don't advocate for decent education. It's the MC/UMC who have turned around the schools and these are the people who will be forced to suburbs and exurbs to get decent public schools. DCPS is heading towards reverting back to 1990's levels of poor quality schools. DC doesn't care about us and many teachers actually preferred teaching to a predominantly LC community. The only people who will miss us is other MC/UMC people.

I don't agree. Your take is far too cynical for me, PP. Many people would miss an UMC exodus over schools remaining closed in this city. They would included parents all over the SES spectrum who'd see a drop in PTA funds, and the programs they support, at their DCPS, teachers who value teaching diverse classes, neighbors who are sorry to see neighbors flee sinking schools, city officials who worry that the tax base is shrinking etc. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The actually really rich people in DC already send their children to expensive private schools. Surveys show that the lower-income people don't want to send their students in person. So this issue largely affects the middle class and upper middle class people. Do those people have any political clout, do their tax dollars matter? I'm not sure, but there does seem to be a tipping point, especially now that people cannot responsibly call those in favor of open schools "teacher killers" since teachers (unlike most parents) have access currently to the highly effective vaccines.

Well, the UMC and MC do contribute the most to the income tax totals. According to the above posted link. So one would think their tax dollars do matter. It is convenient, though, to suggest that their desire to have their kids in person in public school is racist. That means they can't advocate for themselves in this highly Dem city.

+1. I desperately want schools to reopen full time, 5 days per week for every student who wants it. But here's the thing: the wealthy already have their kids in private schools, and the lower classes don't advocate for decent education. It's the MC/UMC who have turned around the schools and these are the people who will be forced to suburbs and exurbs to get decent public schools. DCPS is heading towards reverting back to 1990's levels of poor quality schools. DC doesn't care about us and many teachers actually preferred teaching to a predominantly LC community. The only people who will miss us is other MC/UMC people.

I don't agree. Your take is far too cynical for me, PP. Many people would miss an UMC exodus over schools remaining closed in this city. They would included parents all over the SES spectrum who'd see a drop in PTA funds, and the programs they support, at their DCPS, teachers who value teaching diverse classes, neighbors who are sorry to see neighbors flee sinking schools, city officials who worry that the tax base is shrinking etc. etc.

I think the issue is that MC and UMC parents (who are disproportionately but by no means all white) don't feel like the government is listening to them. And furthermore that they are sneered at, called racist, and told to GTFO if they express a desire for kids to be in school in-person. So....the government doesn't listen or care, and this impacts their kids. What are you going to do, if you actually do care about your kids' education?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The actually really rich people in DC already send their children to expensive private schools. Surveys show that the lower-income people don't want to send their students in person. So this issue largely affects the middle class and upper middle class people. Do those people have any political clout, do their tax dollars matter? I'm not sure, but there does seem to be a tipping point, especially now that people cannot responsibly call those in favor of open schools "teacher killers" since teachers (unlike most parents) have access currently to the highly effective vaccines.

Well, the UMC and MC do contribute the most to the income tax totals. According to the above posted link. So one would think their tax dollars do matter. It is convenient, though, to suggest that their desire to have their kids in person in public school is racist. That means they can't advocate for themselves in this highly Dem city.

+1. I desperately want schools to reopen full time, 5 days per week for every student who wants it. But here's the thing: the wealthy already have their kids in private schools, and the lower classes don't advocate for decent education. It's the MC/UMC who have turned around the schools and these are the people who will be forced to suburbs and exurbs to get decent public schools. DCPS is heading towards reverting back to 1990's levels of poor quality schools. DC doesn't care about us and many teachers actually preferred teaching to a predominantly LC community. The only people who will miss us is other MC/UMC people.

I don't agree. Your take is far too cynical for me, PP. Many people would miss an UMC exodus over schools remaining closed in this city. They would included parents all over the SES spectrum who'd see a drop in PTA funds, and the programs they support, at their DCPS, teachers who value teaching diverse classes, neighbors who are sorry to see neighbors flee sinking schools, city officials who worry that the tax base is shrinking etc. etc.

I think the issue is that MC and UMC parents (who are disproportionately but by no means all white) don't feel like the government is listening to them. And furthermore that they are sneered at, called racist, and told to GTFO if they express a desire for kids to be in school in-person. So....the government doesn't listen or care, and this impacts their kids. What are you going to do, if you actually do care about your kids' education?

Thanks, you said it better than I did. I hope that I'm wrong and the optimistic pp is right, but it doesn't feel like anyone else cares.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our charter admin said they were hearing hybrid from osse for fall. Obviously things can change but they are planning for hybrid.

Time to recall Mayor Bowser

+1 She is the WORST.

[Anonymous]

People can talk a good game, but I doubt this will happen on any significant scale. The really rich already send their kids to private schools. The close-in suburbs aren't significantly better than DCPS at getting kids back to school. A few people have accelerated their timeline for private school/moving back to be near family but they were always going to leave. Maybe the pandemic will cause general flight from the cities in general?

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't say Mayor Bowser is the WORST. I mean the city is pretty well run. But on the school reopening issue, she has not been nearly as aggressive or effective as she could have been.

A few things should have happened:
1. Communication blitz across the hardest hit wards in the city about learning loss, mitigation strategies, HVAC upgrades, nurse technicians and all the things they have done to make school safe. This includes communication on the hyper local level- at churches, rec centers, grocery stores, etc.
2. Mass teacher vaccinations beyond those working in Term 3- rebuild the trust with the teachers. Do virtual walk throughs in the schools with the teachers and staff to rebuild trust. Answer their questions.
3. Give parents and principals a goal for fall 2021- we will do everything in our power to make sure these kids are getting into regular in-person school and hope that it is full day everyday.
4. Ensure that they will revisit the 6 ft apart/cohort rules by June when nearly everyone who wants a vaccine has had an opportunity to be vaccinated.
5. Another communications blitz to everyone about getting vaccinated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't say Mayor Bowser is the WORST. I mean the city is pretty well run. But on the school reopening issue, she has not been nearly as aggressive or effective as she could have been.

A few things should have happened:
1. Communication blitz across the hardest hit wards in the city about learning loss, mitigation strategies, HVAC upgrades, nurse technicians and all the things they have done to make school safe. This includes communication on the hyper local level- at churches, rec centers, grocery stores, etc.
2. Mass teacher vaccinations beyond those working in Term 3- rebuild the trust with the teachers. Do virtual walk throughs in the schools with the teachers and staff to rebuild trust. Answer their questions.
3. Give parents and principals a goal for fall 2021- we will do everything in our power to make sure these kids are getting into regular in-person school and hope that it is full day everyday.
4. Ensure that they will revisit the 6 ft apart/cohort rules by June when nearly everyone who wants a vaccine has had an opportunity to be vaccinated.
5. Another communications blitz to everyone about getting vaccinated.

Bowser is pretty bad. She's basically a bystander in the school opening debate. It's hard to imagine another mayor being so passive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't say Mayor Bowser is the WORST. I mean the city is pretty well run. But on the school reopening issue, she has not been nearly as aggressive or effective as she could have been.

A few things should have happened:
1. Communication blitz across the hardest hit wards in the city about learning loss, mitigation strategies, HVAC upgrades, nurse technicians and all the things they have done to make school safe. This includes communication on the hyper local level- at churches, rec centers, grocery stores, etc.
2. Mass teacher vaccinations beyond those working in Term 3- rebuild the trust with the teachers. Do virtual walk throughs in the schools with the teachers and staff to rebuild trust. Answer their questions.
3. Give parents and principals a goal for fall 2021- we will do everything in our power to make sure these kids are getting into regular in-person school and hope that it is full day everyday.
4. Ensure that they will revisit the 6 ft apart/cohort rules by June when nearly everyone who wants a vaccine has had an opportunity to be vaccinated.
5. Another communications blitz to everyone about getting vaccinated.

I agree. DC has actually weathered the pandemic reasonably well, but the leadership on schools has been sorely lacking. They should have had a strategy and worked on communicating it effectively. Instead, it just feels like they are just making it up as they go along. If they had set the goal of returning in person, then made a checklist of what needed to happen for that to work, and set about tackling that, while reaching out to parents to provide information, answer questions, and reassure concerns, we might still be in the same place right now, but I think people would feel very differently about it.

[Anonymous]

That and they solicited input and then . . . nothing changed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't say Mayor Bowser is the WORST. I mean the city is pretty well run. But on the school reopening issue, she has not been nearly as aggressive or effective as she could have been.

A few things should have happened:
1. Communication blitz across the hardest hit wards in the city about learning loss, mitigation strategies, HVAC upgrades, nurse technicians and all the things they have done to make school safe. This includes communication on the hyper local level- at churches, rec centers, grocery stores, etc.
2. Mass teacher vaccinations beyond those working in Term 3- rebuild the trust with the teachers. Do virtual walk throughs in the schools with the teachers and staff to rebuild trust. Answer their questions.
3. Give parents and principals a goal for fall 2021- we will do everything in our power to make sure these kids are getting into regular in-person school and hope that it is full day everyday.
4. Ensure that they will revisit the 6 ft apart/cohort rules by June when nearly everyone who wants a vaccine has had an opportunity to be vaccinated.
5. Another communications blitz to everyone about getting vaccinated.

I like this list. I would add include teachers who know how kids behave in the classroom (ES) on the return plans. And have teachers regress behavior. I.e. behavior you normally see in Kinder anticipate for 2nd grade; for 4th grade assume they will act like 2nd graders; etc.

For HS I would add no tolerance for behavior that threatens anyones safety vis a vis covid - taking off someone's mask; coughing in someones face; etc. I can see bullying about this that teachers can't control. BUT maybe the vaccine will work so well masks in school can be a thing of the past.

And communicate with parents weekly (short emails please) about what to talk to kids about regarding returning. Younger kids will be clingy and mom and dad can't come in. So talk about how you say good bye starting earlier so they are excited to go back; talk to kids about wearing masks; figure out which masks work best for your kid so they can wear it for longer periods without issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people apparently so certain that DCPS won't open in the fall? They're clearly going to have SOME distance learning for kids who can't or won't return to school; we know that. The fact that they're planning for that doesn't seem like reason to assume the worst.

There's also no way they're going to announce (or decide) in March what the plans for August or September are. We have no idea what the epidemic is going to look like in a few weeks, let alone a few months. Would you be happier if they promised open schools and then closed them? Or does it maybe make some sense to wait and see, given that this whole once-in-a-lifetime (I hope) situation continues to evolve?

This is the problem. We are sick AF of uncertainty. If I can gain some certainty back in my life by planning to move to a place with full time school already, why not?

This is certainly going to be a lot of people if they keep bungling things. I don’t know if anyone really cares and that’s part of why I want to leave. Feels like DC hates me and every other white MC or UMC person. It’s starting to really suck living here.

The uncertainty isn't D.C.'s fault, and it's not because you're white and middle class or upper middle class. I'm also white and upper middle class. The uncertainty is because of the pandemic! It's the same reason I don't know when I'll be allowed back in my office, or don't know when I'll be able to see my sibling who lives abroad.

Yeah, the situation sucks. But for my family, moving would make it exponentially worse, since we have friends and family here and not in most other cities, and at least one, or maybe both, working parents would have to find a new job somewhere else. And the schools will likely open for something closer to normal in the fall -- and if not, it won't be that much longer at any rate. So are we going to move to avoid another six months of what we've already been through for a year? And then what after that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The actually really rich people in DC already send their children to expensive private schools. Surveys show that the lower-income people don't want to send their students in person. So this issue largely affects the middle class and upper middle class people. Do those people have any political clout, do their tax dollars matter? I'm not sure, but there does seem to be a tipping point, especially now that people cannot responsibly call those in favor of open schools "teacher killers" since teachers (unlike most parents) have access currently to the highly effective vaccines.

Well, the UMC and MC do contribute the most to the income tax totals. According to the above posted link. So one would think their tax dollars do matter. It is convenient, though, to suggest that their desire to have their kids in person in public school is racist. That means they can't advocate for themselves in this highly Dem city.

+1. I desperately want schools to reopen full time, 5 days per week for every student who wants it. But here's the thing: the wealthy already have their kids in private schools, and the lower classes don't advocate for decent education. It's the MC/UMC who have turned around the schools and these are the people who will be forced to suburbs and exurbs to get decent public schools. DCPS is heading towards reverting back to 1990's levels of poor quality schools. DC doesn't care about us and many teachers actually preferred teaching to a predominantly LC community. The only people who will miss us is other MC/UMC people.

Aside from the obnoxious perspective you have here about "turning around" the schools and how bad they were years ago (which wasn't really true anyway for the schools in the neighborhoods where most DCUM posters live), this just doesn't ring true. You aren't being "forced" to the suburbs to get a decent education; MCPS just opened for the time in any capacity this week, and at any rate, if you don't think MCPS has big problems of its own these days, you should talk to some Montgomery County parents or teachers.

But more to the point, the pandemic is going to end, sooner than it feels like now. And are all the people who have moved to D.C. in recent decades really going to be happy that they've moved to the suburbs once it does? I doubt it.