Time to Stop Counting on Charters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Well, great that you can pay for school. Not everyone can do that.

I can't really pay for school, what the hell do you know? Catholic schools are pretty damn cheap for elementary and they will work with you on payment plans in ways that traditional privates won't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Yeah! 2 extra years of daycare - because you know, everyone can just pay for that.

Again, JERK - it would have meant putting off having a second child. I can't "just pay for that" either. I'd have to make choices and stay on BC. But thanks for pretending you know everything about my situation when you don't. My point is that everyone has to make tough choices. No one is guaranteed a spot for free PS3/PK4 and no one should act as though they are entitled to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Yeah! 2 extra years of daycare - because you know, everyone can just pay for that.

I totally agree with you guys who are frustrated with the blase "Well, you just do what you have to do. Move, Catholic or private school." attitude, as if those are real choices for all (or even most) famlies.

The thing that still frustrates me though, is that balance between those who are savvy and strategic about schools for their kids but until their kids were actually school-aged, never did anything towards improving the schools that exist, vs. those who care about access overall and in whatever way they could (and there are ways EVERYONE can contribute to local schools, no matter how little time or money you have) and who have done what they can to improve local schools,whether they ended up at them or not.

I think we (parents looking for slots in 2013-2014) are dealing with a weird in-between period, where there are enough promising schools to want in, but as OP and others have pointed out, not enough great schools have been improved (from bad schools) or developed new to satisfy the demand. Unfortunately, with changing demographics in DC, the kids of families who have been stuck with awful choices for generations will probably not be able to afford staying long enough to benefit from the eventual improvement of most DC schools. I think THAT is something that is grossly unfair.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Yeah! 2 extra years of daycare - because you know, everyone can just pay for that.

Again, JERK - it would have meant putting off having a second child. I can't "just pay for that" either. I'd have to make choices and stay on BC. But thanks for pretending you know everything about my situation when you don't. My point is that everyone has to make tough choices. No one is guaranteed a spot for free PS3/PK4 and no one should act as though they are entitled to it.

That's a good point to remember: sometimes matter-of-fact statements sound like it's an easy choice, but behind that are tough choices that the speaker has just come to terms with. It's not always blase.

[Anonymous]

God, PP - you know, I was not blase, so fuck you. I simply outlined what I would have HAD to do. B/C I am not so hoity-toity that I can afford to live in the neighborhoods with the best schools and I will not rent a place the size of a shoebox to be zoned there. My DH and I would have faced tough choices - stay where we are and forego or delay a second child, move and deal with a shitty commute to work in the city, or move out of the area altogether. Look - I GET THE FRUSTRATION. But I don't really get the point of this thread. We all know there are not enough good schools. Was this somehow NEWS for OP and others like you?

[Anonymous]

Why? The point is not that there is something wrong with charters/school choice. The point is that there aren't enough charters to go around and we need more of them for true choice.

actually, the point is the failure of DCPS to be an adequate system to meet the needs of its constituents. Very rarely do you have so much public funding for charter schools--there is much greater 'choice' in DC than in many, many other areas. the problem is that the defaults are so uneven and inadequate. Unfortunately, with so many middle and high SES, educated proactive parents sending their kids to charters, the DCPS schools are drained of intangible resources of involved parents. This can be a good thing--either forcing DCPS to imrpove its game or close its schools (and both are happening, I think), but I think the idea that you are entitled to a huge choice of publicly funded schools is pretty bizarre. Most public education systems do not work that way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Yeah! 2 extra years of daycare - because you know, everyone can just pay for that.

Universal PS and PK (all day) are fairly new. You can get into a PS or PK, there were plenty of spots open last year and there will be this year, just not a school you may consider worthy. Did you plan for your kid? If so, did you only plan for 3 years of daycare?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:God, PP - you know, I was not blase, so fuck you. I simply outlined what I would have HAD to do. B/C I am not so hoity-toity that I can afford to live in the neighborhoods with the best schools and I will not rent a place the size of a shoebox to be zoned there. My DH and I would have faced tough choices - stay where we are and forego or delay a second child, move and deal with a shitty commute to work in the city, or move out of the area altogether. Look - I GET THE FRUSTRATION. But I don't really get the point of this thread. We all know there are not enough good schools. Was this somehow NEWS for OP and others like you?

As you can see from the post right before your totally rude "F-U" post, I get it now, I read your post and I understand now that you weren't blase.

You know, it's the internet, an anonymous message board. Sometimes it's not obvious from someone's post where they're coming from, but you should really drink some tea or take a walk if you are going to get that hot and cursing because people can't tell from your tone that this isn't an easy choice for you. Because, remember, this is DCUM: this IS an easy choice for many here, and there are examples daily on this and other DCUM forums where people take these choices for granted. I went to one lottery and heard a woman say of her older kids (so she's not paying just daycare costs) oh well, I guess I'll keep them in private then. I had hoped for this because it would be great to free up these funds, but their current school is great so we'll just stay there."

Chill out. We get where you're coming from now. No need to flip us all off.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Yeah! 2 extra years of daycare - because you know, everyone can just pay for that.

Universal PS and PK (all day) are fairly new. You can get into a PS or PK, there were plenty of spots open last year and there will be this year, just not a school you may consider worthy. Did you plan for your kid? If so, did you only plan for 3 years of daycare?

Thank you. I am the PP attacked for being "blase" when we were anything but. We went into parenthood with budget spreadsheets and did a shit ton of research on costs for daycare, maternity leave, and other expenses. We knew the school situation. We also knew that when the time came we would face some tough choices, one of which included not having a second child so we could transfer the money we'd already budgeted for daycare to more years of daycare than we'd hoped for or for Catholic school (which is generally "affordable" versus a traditional private) once we hit K. What I don't get are the parents on here who are shocked - SHOCKED - that getting a PS3 slot at a decent school in DC was so danged hard. This is not exactly news. Sadly, we live in a city where most people can't just jump willy-nilly into parenthood without giving some long, hard thought to the financial impact. I assume that like me, most others here have no family to help them, so everything has to be planned for financially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God, PP - you know, I was not blase, so fuck you. I simply outlined what I would have HAD to do. B/C I am not so hoity-toity that I can afford to live in the neighborhoods with the best schools and I will not rent a place the size of a shoebox to be zoned there. My DH and I would have faced tough choices - stay where we are and forego or delay a second child, move and deal with a shitty commute to work in the city, or move out of the area altogether. Look - I GET THE FRUSTRATION. But I don't really get the point of this thread. We all know there are not enough good schools. Was this somehow NEWS for OP and others like you?

As you can see from the post right before your totally rude "F-U" post, I get it now, I read your post and I understand now that you weren't blase.

You know, it's the internet, an anonymous message board. Sometimes it's not obvious from someone's post where they're coming from, but you should really drink some tea or take a walk if you are going to get that hot and cursing because people can't tell from your tone that this isn't an easy choice for you. Because, remember, this is DCUM: this IS an easy choice for many here, and there are examples daily on this and other DCUM forums where people take these choices for granted. I went to one lottery and heard a woman say of her older kids (so she's not paying just daycare costs) oh well, I guess I'll keep them in private then. I had hoped for this because it would be great to free up these funds, but their current school is great so we'll just stay there."

Chill out. We get where you're coming from now. No need to flip us all off.

10:55, my post wasn't directed toward you. It was in response to 10:33, you just beat me to posting. So YOU chill out. I was addressing all of the jerks that came before you to pile on. I'm not trying to free up funds to take fancier vacations, and I doubt most others are either. To assume that is just asinine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God, PP - you know, I was not blase, so fuck you. I simply outlined what I would have HAD to do. B/C I am not so hoity-toity that I can afford to live in the neighborhoods with the best schools and I will not rent a place the size of a shoebox to be zoned there. My DH and I would have faced tough choices - stay where we are and forego or delay a second child, move and deal with a shitty commute to work in the city, or move out of the area altogether. Look - I GET THE FRUSTRATION. But I don't really get the point of this thread. We all know there are not enough good schools. Was this somehow NEWS for OP and others like you?

As you can see from the post right before your totally rude "F-U" post, I get it now, I read your post and I understand now that you weren't blase.

You know, it's the internet, an anonymous message board. Sometimes it's not obvious from someone's post where they're coming from, but you should really drink some tea or take a walk if you are going to get that hot and cursing because people can't tell from your tone that this isn't an easy choice for you. Because, remember, this is DCUM: this IS an easy choice for many here, and there are examples daily on this and other DCUM forums where people take these choices for granted. I went to one lottery and heard a woman say of her older kids (so she's not paying just daycare costs) oh well, I guess I'll keep them in private then. I had hoped for this because it would be great to free up these funds, but their current school is great so we'll just stay there."

Chill out. We get where you're coming from now. No need to flip us all off.

10:55, my post wasn't directed toward you. It was in response to 10:33, you just beat me to posting. So YOU chill out. I was addressing all of the jerks that came before you to pile on. I'm not trying to free up funds to take fancier vacations, and I doubt most others are either. To assume that is just asinine.

Um, since I'm the only one who used the word "blase" in a post, how were you not talking to me? And I'm going to leave it alone after this, but seriously, you aren't even reading clearly now. I just said that I get that YOU aren't freeing up funds for vacations, my point (which I couldn't have said anymore clearly) is that there are MANY here who ARE just as easily going private or doing charters, it's clear from the posts here and on other forums. NO ONE IS ASSUMING YOU HAVE TONS OF FUNDS PP.

But from experience, your way over the top defensiveness is much bigger than this thread, so I'll just leave it at that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Yeah! 2 extra years of daycare - because you know, everyone can just pay for that.

Maybe you should consider moving to Alexandria, Arlington, fairfax, PG or Montgomery. Oh, that's right, they don,t offer PS.

[Anonymous]

Good God People. Could everyone please pretend for just a minute that everyone can see who you are when you post in hopes that everyone can stop sniping at one another? Enough. Let's play nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, somebody gets in, because there are tons of people with kids in charter schools, including me. I understand your frustration, and yes, the odds are low but just like the Powerball somebody's number is going to come up. It just sucks when it isn't yours. The fact that lots of people don't get in doesn't mean that charters are a waste of time. We all play the hand we're dealt. If I hadn't gotten a slot, we simply would have left our child in daycare until K and then enrolled him at a Catholic school.

Yeah! 2 extra years of daycare - because you know, everyone can just pay for that.

Maybe you should consider moving to Alexandria, Arlington, fairfax, PG or Montgomery. Oh, that's right, they don,t offer PS.

Thank you for pointing this out. At least in DC you have SOME CHANCE of free PS/PK. Why would anyone "count" on charters or anything else prior to K, or for an alternative to their in-bounds for K and beyond? No one is entitled to these slots and to fund slots for every child would create a tax burden such that no one could afford to live in DC anyway. We already pay a ton of money to fund our utterly mediocre K-12 programs; I seriously doubt we can fund universal PS/PK too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:God, PP - you know, I was not blase, so fuck you. I simply outlined what I would have HAD to do. B/C I am not so hoity-toity that I can afford to live in the neighborhoods with the best schools and I will not rent a place the size of a shoebox to be zoned there. My DH and I would have faced tough choices - stay where we are and forego or delay a second child, move and deal with a shitty commute to work in the city, or move out of the area altogether. Look - I GET THE FRUSTRATION. But I don't really get the point of this thread. We all know there are not enough good schools. Was this somehow NEWS for OP and others like you?

As you can see from the post right before your totally rude "F-U" post, I get it now, I read your post and I understand now that you weren't blase.

You know, it's the internet, an anonymous message board. Sometimes it's not obvious from someone's post where they're coming from, but you should really drink some tea or take a walk if you are going to get that hot and cursing because people can't tell from your tone that this isn't an easy choice for you. Because, remember, this is DCUM: this IS an easy choice for many here, and there are examples daily on this and other DCUM forums where people take these choices for granted. I went to one lottery and heard a woman say of her older kids (so she's not paying just daycare costs) oh well, I guess I'll keep them in private then. I had hoped for this because it would be great to free up these funds, but their current school is great so we'll just stay there."

Chill out. We get where you're coming from now. No need to flip us all off.

10:55, my post wasn't directed toward you. It was in response to 10:33, you just beat me to posting. So YOU chill out. I was addressing all of the jerks that came before you to pile on. I'm not trying to free up funds to take fancier vacations, and I doubt most others are either. To assume that is just asinine.

Um, since I'm the only one who used the word "blase" in a post, how were you not talking to me? And I'm going to leave it alone after this, but seriously, you aren't even reading clearly now. I just said that I get that YOU aren't freeing up funds for vacations, my point (which I couldn't have said anymore clearly) is that there are MANY here who ARE just as easily going private or doing charters, it's clear from the posts here and on other forums. NO ONE IS ASSUMING YOU HAVE TONS OF FUNDS PP.

But from experience, your way over the top defensiveness is much bigger than this thread, so I'll just leave it at that.

Oh but they did. Yes, they did. And that is my problem. It is rude beyond belief.