Win-win solutions for Brent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with this whole "fighting the boundary changes" is that is it not motivated on what is best for Brent, Ward 6 or the entire school system. Rather the motivation is for a small number of families to get a seat at Brent.

What is best for Brent is a smaller boundary for a couple of reasons. First, Brent can accommodate more OOB families. Second, Brent can better control class sizes while keeping the playground and great specials spaces. And third, families who did not get seats at Brent can be motivated to put in some good hard work at other elementary schools.

Many families went to Brent when Brent was a Title 1 school (and not really all that well run) and worked tirelessly to improve the school. This new/current preschool cohort can certainly do the same.

This exact same thing could be said of the small group of families advocating for SWS proximity preference.

+1. at brent the advocating families include many who spent their lifesavings on down payments for 700k+ homes in the school district so their kids could attend

Newsflash: everyone spends their savings on down payments for the best houses they can afford. This is not a phenomenon only relevant to families near Brent.

Just goes to show that families renting IB may have outsmarted Brandon, Dave and all of their affluent white lawyer neighbors. The type A's at Lafayeete who are at norisk of being redistricted and thus losing their precious feeds to Deal and Wilson -- setting aside whether this is the gold standard to which to aspire -- are hardly a shing example to emulate. At least we are not being urged to sign meaningless petitions, yet.

2nd time I've read that on this thread and it continues to make no sense at all. For one thing, Lafayette is about a mile from Deal & Wilson. There is literally nowhere to redistrict them to, unless you can get Montgomery County to provide their feeder schools. There is only one other DCPS MS WotP, and that's Hardy, several miles away. There is no other HS. Before Lafayette were to lose Deal, both Shepherd and Eaton will be jettisoned first. And Wilson? The only schools closer to Wilson are Janney, Murch, and Hearst. EVERY other feeder will lose Wilson before Lafayette does.

I'm not a Lafayette parent, btw. I'm just baffled by someone's inability to look at a map and draw logical conclusions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with this whole "fighting the boundary changes" is that is it not motivated on what is best for Brent, Ward 6 or the entire school system. Rather the motivation is for a small number of families to get a seat at Brent.

What is best for Brent is a smaller boundary for a couple of reasons. First, Brent can accommodate more OOB families. Second, Brent can better control class sizes while keeping the playground and great specials spaces. And third, families who did not get seats at Brent can be motivated to put in some good hard work at other elementary schools.

Many families went to Brent when Brent was a Title 1 school (and not really all that well run) and worked tirelessly to improve the school. This new/current preschool cohort can certainly do the same.

This exact same thing could be said of the small group of families advocating for SWS proximity preference.

+1. at brent the advocating families include many who spent their lifesavings on down payments for 700k+ homes in the school district so their kids could attend

Newsflash: everyone spends their savings on down payments for the best houses they can afford. This is not a phenomenon only relevant to families near Brent.

Just goes to show that families renting IB may have outsmarted Brandon, Dave and all of their affluent white lawyer neighbors. The type A's at Lafayeete who are at norisk of being redistricted and thus losing their precious feeds to Deal and Wilson -- setting aside whether this is the gold standard to which to aspire -- are hardly a shing example to emulate. At least we are not being urged to sign meaningless petitions, yet.

2nd time I've read that on this thread and it continues to make no sense at all. For one thing, Lafayette is about a mile from Deal & Wilson. There is literally nowhere to redistrict them to, unless you can get Montgomery County to provide their feeder schools. There is only one other DCPS MS WotP, and that's Hardy, several miles away. There is no other HS. Before Lafayette were to lose Deal, both Shepherd and Eaton will be jettisoned first. And Wilson? The only schools closer to Wilson are Janney, Murch, and Hearst. EVERY other feeder will lose Wilson before Lafayette does.

I'm not a Lafayette parent, btw. I'm just baffled by someone's inability to look at a map and draw logical conclusions.

+1 . brought to you by the makers of the Wilson boundary line through a SW sliver of Cap Hill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with this whole "fighting the boundary changes" is that is it not motivated on what is best for Brent, Ward 6 or the entire school system. Rather the motivation is for a small number of families to get a seat at Brent.

What is best for Brent is a smaller boundary for a couple of reasons. First, Brent can accommodate more OOB families. Second, Brent can better control class sizes while keeping the playground and great specials spaces. And third, families who did not get seats at Brent can be motivated to put in some good hard work at other elementary schools.

Many families went to Brent when Brent was a Title 1 school (and not really all that well run) and worked tirelessly to improve the school. This new/current preschool cohort can certainly do the same.

This exact same thing could be said of the small group of families advocating for SWS proximity preference.

+1. at brent the advocating families include many who spent their lifesavings on down payments for 700k+ homes in the school district so their kids could attend

Newsflash: everyone spends their savings on down payments for the best houses they can afford. This is not a phenomenon only relevant to families near Brent.

Just goes to show that families renting IB may have outsmarted Brandon, Dave and all of their affluent white lawyer neighbors. The type A's at Lafayeete who are at norisk of being redistricted and thus losing their precious feeds to Deal and Wilson -- setting aside whether this is the gold standard to which to aspire -- are hardly a shing example to emulate. At least we are not being urged to sign meaningless petitions, yet.

2nd time I've read that on this thread and it continues to make no sense at all. For one thing, Lafayette is about a mile from Deal & Wilson. There is literally nowhere to redistrict them to, unless you can get Montgomery County to provide their feeder schools. There is only one other DCPS MS WotP, and that's Hardy, several miles away. There is no other HS. Before Lafayette were to lose Deal, both Shepherd and Eaton will be jettisoned first. And Wilson? The only schools closer to Wilson are Janney, Murch, and Hearst. EVERY other feeder will lose Wilson before Lafayette does.

I'm not a Lafayette parent, btw. I'm just baffled by someone's inability to look at a map and draw logical conclusions.

Hey smartass, which part of "at no risk" didn't you understand? I suppose if you graduated from some DCPS schools reading comprehension might be a challenge.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with this whole "fighting the boundary changes" is that is it not motivated on what is best for Brent, Ward 6 or the entire school system. Rather the motivation is for a small number of families to get a seat at Brent.

What is best for Brent is a smaller boundary for a couple of reasons. First, Brent can accommodate more OOB families. Second, Brent can better control class sizes while keeping the playground and great specials spaces. And third, families who did not get seats at Brent can be motivated to put in some good hard work at other elementary schools.

Many families went to Brent when Brent was a Title 1 school (and not really all that well run) and worked tirelessly to improve the school. This new/current preschool cohort can certainly do the same.

This exact same thing could be said of the small group of families advocating for SWS proximity preference.

Sorry to go off topic, but you initiated it. I don't agree that it is the same as SWS. SWS will still be a city-wide school with a few slots going to people living within a few hundred feet of the school. That is NOT the case with Brent.

Proximity Preference for SWS is a perfectly reasonable way to balance a city-wide draw with the neighborhood/community element that is a big part of the school's history and culture.

[Anonymous]

If you knew SWS you'd see how ridiculous this commentary is. That little square would skyrocket property values and there'd be no citywide slots left in two years with sib preference.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you knew SWS you'd see how ridiculous this commentary is. That little square would skyrocket property values and there'd be no citywide slots left in two years with sib preference.

This. Absolutely true. I declined to sign Phil's petition and actually wrote Wells to voice my support for a citywide draw.

[Anonymous]

I hope more folks are like 13:40. DCPS and the DC Council need to hear from those who are opposed to SWS proximity preference. Otherwise, they'll mistakenly think that no one opposes it.

[Anonymous]

This thread may be all over the place but let's not let it be hijacked by SWS. If the topic is so important, start a new thread. Thx.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The problem with this whole "fighting the boundary changes" is that is it not motivated on what is best for Brent, Ward 6 or the entire school system. Rather the motivation is for a small number of families to get a seat at Brent.

What is best for Brent is a smaller boundary for a couple of reasons. First, Brent can accommodate more OOB families. Second, Brent can better control class sizes while keeping the playground and great specials spaces. And third, families who did not get seats at Brent can be motivated to put in some good hard work at other elementary schools.

Many families went to Brent when Brent was a Title 1 school (and not really all that well run) and worked tirelessly to improve the school. This new/current preschool cohort can certainly do the same.

This exact same thing could be said of the small group of families advocating for SWS proximity preference.

+1. at brent the advocating families include many who spent their lifesavings on down payments for 700k+ homes in the school district so their kids could attend

Newsflash: everyone spends their savings on down payments for the best houses they can afford. This is not a phenomenon only relevant to families near Brent.

Just goes to show that families renting IB may have outsmarted Brandon, Dave and all of their affluent white lawyer neighbors. The type A's at Lafayeete who are at norisk of being redistricted and thus losing their precious feeds to Deal and Wilson -- setting aside whether this is the gold standard to which to aspire -- are hardly a shing example to emulate. At least we are not being urged to sign meaningless petitions, yet.

2nd time I've read that on this thread and it continues to make no sense at all. For one thing, Lafayette is about a mile from Deal & Wilson. There is literally nowhere to redistrict them to, unless you can get Montgomery County to provide their feeder schools. There is only one other DCPS MS WotP, and that's Hardy, several miles away. There is no other HS. Before Lafayette were to lose Deal, both Shepherd and Eaton will be jettisoned first. And Wilson? The only schools closer to Wilson are Janney, Murch, and Hearst. EVERY other feeder will lose Wilson before Lafayette does.

I'm not a Lafayette parent, btw. I'm just baffled by someone's inability to look at a map and draw logical conclusions.

Hey smartass, which part of "at no risk" didn't you understand? I suppose if you graduated from some DCPS schools reading comprehension might be a challenge.

Just because you can't maintain a continuous thought for a mere 4 pages, doesn't give you a pass to be a raging bitch to those of us who can.

"IB parents on the PreS3 waiting list are getting organized because we're the ones likely to be cut out of Brent for K if boundaries change. At Lafayette, parents from PreK to the upper grades are organizing because their feed to Deal (and Wilson) is on the chopping block."

In the event you were not aware, a swath of the Brent district is actually zoned for Wilson, which like the Lafayette feed, likely will be on the chopping block. The same can be said for middle school. Will VanNess feed to Jefferson, EH or both? Even though neither is a viable option for most Brent parents at this point, the spaces at Latin and BASIS are not finite, and many cannot afford privates. Forest for the trees.

*Lafayette's school boundaries working group is the model. The difference between the Brent and Lafayette on the school boundaries front is that at the former, it's mainly rising families who are concerned about possible changes, while at the latter, it's the whole school (because of the threat to the Deal and Wilson feeds).

Nobody expects DCPS to tell parents anything special, but it couldn't hurt to learn from Lafayette's working group. They've collected more than 1,000 signatures on a petition asking for their boundaries to stay the same (although their school is at least 300 kids over capacity). They've also met with half the DC City Council in search of more info/insight.

Obviously it's better to be a smartass than a dumbass, dumbass.

[Anonymous]

Comments in which there is an assertion that Lafayette is somehow on the "chopping block," references both positive and negative to the Lafayette parent group, and a comment about Lafayette not at risk of being redistricted do not constitute a "continuous thought." Perhaps you need to check your meds.

[Anonymous]

. . . or lay off the Stoli before dinner. Sounds like an angry drunk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Comments in which there is an assertion that Lafayette is somehow on the "chopping block," references both positive and negative to the Lafayette parent group, and a comment about Lafayette not at risk of being redistricted do not constitute a "continuous thought." Perhaps you need to check your meds.

The fact that it is a continuous thread, and the subject was mentioned more than once does, in fact, indicate a continuous thought - obviously one too challenging for the angry drunk accusing people of being smartasses. Yes, a dumbass, indeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Comments in which there is an assertion that Lafayette is somehow on the "chopping block," references both positive and negative to the Lafayette parent group, and a comment about Lafayette not at risk of being redistricted do not constitute a "continuous thought." Perhaps you need to check your meds.

The fact that it is a continuous thread, and the subject was mentioned more than once does, in fact, indicate a continuous thought - obviously one too challenging for the angry drunk accusing people of being smartasses. Yes, a dumbass, indeed.

Yes, the thread is continuous, by its very definition. The fact that Lafayette, and more specificaaly the subject of whether or not it is on the metaphorical chopping block, happens to be referenced several times within the thread, by different posters who have differing points of view does not constitute a continuous thought unless perhaps there is some variant of a mind meld at play. Are you always this ill-mannered or just on special occasions when you need to try to feel better about yourself?

[Anonymous]

Who uses the term "dumbass," much less three times in serial postings? My therapist would love to explore those insecurities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Van Ness will have no trouble filling up--there are a ton of families in SW who don't see Amidon as an option, and don't have any closer OOB schools or charters starting in kindergarten. And since those homes are (at least currently) zoned for Wilson, they won't be particularly worried about feeder patterns out of Van Ness.

I would not count Amidon out since they have a very strong PTA this year. I know several families who are opting for Amidon and it appears that there is a contingency of folks in SW who want to see Amidon become a great neighborhood school.

Hey, that's great to hear about Amidon. Are these kids ones that were already at Appletree and are giving kindergarten a try there? Certainly between the new playground and library, it seems like some nice resources are going into the school but I never get a sense of whether there was a critical mass of parents with the bandwidth to be really engaged like in other parts of the city.