Bowser's Latest on School Boundaries

[Anonymous]

She sounds like she IS a crony.

[Anonymous]

So, let me guess, those who fill out applications in December will have to redo them once she tweaks the boundaries?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So, let me guess, those who fill out applications in December will have to redo them once she tweaks the boundaries?

No way that can happen. What she's trying to do is back away from her bluster about undoing the plan and claiming "it's not ready." She's realizing she can't really touch it at this point. She's comes into office after the lottery launches and the high school lotteries end in February. No way she can invalidate everyone's lottery applications (which include almost all charters too) so that she can tweak. Not gonna happen.

[Anonymous]

Bowser's Clown Car Cavalcade officially hits the road.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:So, let me guess, those who fill out applications in December will have to redo them once she tweaks the boundaries?

If she wants to change the boundaries, she is required by law to give notice a year in advance. The mayor's plan has not yet changed boundaries (that takes effect at the end of August). So, Bowser could announce in January that the current boundaries (pre-DME recomendations) would remain in effect. That would really only be a problem for those trying to get into pre-k because otherwise you don't have to lottery for your inbounds school. Charters don't have boundaries, so it wouldn't impact them either. I'm sure that there are some other cases in which someone's plans would be upset, but I think a delay would be more of a publicity problem than anything. Then, she would have until the end of August to announce her new boundaries.

But, the PR problem is of such magnitude that I find it hard to believe she will actually do it. She might be able to tweak grandfathering. The Crestwood/16th Street Heights situation is easy because Unicorn won't be open for a while. She can easily allow for a longer grandfathering period and kick that down the road a ways. Allowing EotR kids to keep going to Eastern might be more difficult, but there might still be room for them at Eastern if she simply grandfathers them as well. That leaves the students in SW who are getting booted from Wilson to Eastern in the lurch. It's not clear to me that anyone cares about them (and maybe not even them). But grandfathering could kick that problem down the road as well. But, maybe she does want to take the heat for stopping the new boundaries. We'll see.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, let me guess, those who fill out applications in December will have to redo them once she tweaks the boundaries?

If she wants to change the boundaries, she is required by law to give notice a year in advance. The mayor's plan has not yet changed boundaries (that takes effect at the end of August). So, Bowser could announce in January that the current boundaries (pre-DME recomendations) would remain in effect. That would really only be a problem for those trying to get into pre-k because otherwise you don't have to lottery for your inbounds school. Charters don't have boundaries, so it wouldn't impact them either. I'm sure that there are some other cases in which someone's plans would be upset, but I think a delay would be more of a publicity problem than anything. Then, she would have until the end of August to announce her new boundaries.

But, the PR problem is of such magnitude that I find it hard to believe she will actually do it. She might be able to tweak grandfathering. The Crestwood/16th Street Heights situation is easy because Unicorn won't be open for a while. She can easily allow for a longer grandfathering period and kick that down the road a ways. Allowing EotR kids to keep going to Eastern might be more difficult, but there might still be room for them at Eastern if she simply grandfathers them as well. That leaves the students in SW who are getting booted from Wilson to Eastern in the lurch. It's not clear to me that anyone cares about them (and maybe not even them). But grandfathering could kick that problem down the road as well. But, maybe she does want to take the heat for stopping the new boundaries. We'll see.

I think you're being way to flip about the potential impact of undoing the plan that has been approved and how it impacts families and how reverting to the old boundaries might effect the careful calculations families perform to select and rank their lottery picks. And yes, the PR fallout of undoing the plan which many people invested in would be disastrous and would demonstrate out completely out of touch she is. Please tell me she has at least someone on staff who has the pulse on that and will advise her. I don't love the plan and in all honesty it doesn't impact our family because we are already at the school we want to be at and are in a good MS and HS path that won't change regardless if the plan is upheld or revoked. But overall I think it's a solid plan that takes many necessary steps and I devoted many hours to attend focus groups and meetings and reading proposals and plans and if Bowser doesn't recognize the political necessity of honoring that work and commitment, she truly is a lost cause.

[Anonymous]

4 years of this..... I am almost sorry to see Gray go

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, let me guess, those who fill out applications in December will have to redo them once she tweaks the boundaries?

If she wants to change the boundaries, she is required by law to give notice a year in advance. The mayor's plan has not yet changed boundaries (that takes effect at the end of August). So, Bowser could announce in January that the current boundaries (pre-DME recomendations) would remain in effect. That would really only be a problem for those trying to get into pre-k because otherwise you don't have to lottery for your inbounds school. Charters don't have boundaries, so it wouldn't impact them either. I'm sure that there are some other cases in which someone's plans would be upset, but I think a delay would be more of a publicity problem than anything. Then, she would have until the end of August to announce her new boundaries.

But, the PR problem is of such magnitude that I find it hard to believe she will actually do it. She might be able to tweak grandfathering. The Crestwood/16th Street Heights situation is easy because Unicorn won't be open for a while. She can easily allow for a longer grandfathering period and kick that down the road a ways. Allowing EotR kids to keep going to Eastern might be more difficult, but there might still be room for them at Eastern if she simply grandfathers them as well. That leaves the students in SW who are getting booted from Wilson to Eastern in the lurch. It's not clear to me that anyone cares about them (and maybe not even them). But grandfathering could kick that problem down the road as well. But, maybe she does want to take the heat for stopping the new boundaries. We'll see.

About 6700 of the 17300 in the lottery last year were trying to get into pre-k, so about 38%. Also, though, people don't know whether the new policies on set-asides, principal's discretion for those who move out of bounds etc. are in effect. Those issues will also determine whether people enter the lottery at all in some cases.

I suspect also that the local realtors' associations will have something to say about the fact that certain neighborhoods will be frozen until there are some definitive decisions about boundaries. They might carry the most weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Make of this what you will:

"We’re going to tweak the plan, and we’ll tweak the plan at the beginning of the year. We’ll put the right team in place to focus on how we look at the boundaries. And so anything that happens in December, if it doesn’t work with the new plan, we’ll have to work to undo it," she said on Thursday afternoon after touring Kelly Miller Middle School with D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson.

http://wamu.org/news/14/11/13/bowser_wants_tweaks_to_school_boundary_changes_but_doesnt_offer_specifics

She sounds dumb. Is she dumb?

Enough with this crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Make of this what you will:

"We’re going to tweak the plan, and we’ll tweak the plan at the beginning of the year. We’ll put the right team in place to focus on how we look at the boundaries. And so anything that happens in December, if it doesn’t work with the new plan, we’ll have to work to undo it," she said on Thursday afternoon after touring Kelly Miller Middle School with D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson.

http://wamu.org/news/14/11/13/bowser_wants_tweaks_to_school_boundary_changes_but_doesnt_offer_specifics

She sounds dumb. Is she dumb?

Enough with this crap.

Seems to me that the dumb ones are those that voted for her.

[Anonymous]

. . . who voted for her.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorry if you don't like how democracy works, suckers.

* Sponsored by Parents for Incoherent Education Policies

Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard, Mr. Steele. I view the upcoming Bowser regime as a fascinating lesson in applied civics. I wonder what people will learn?

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, let me guess, those who fill out applications in December will have to redo them once she tweaks the boundaries?

If she wants to change the boundaries, she is required by law to give notice a year in advance. The mayor's plan has not yet changed boundaries (that takes effect at the end of August). So, Bowser could announce in January that the current boundaries (pre-DME recomendations) would remain in effect. That would really only be a problem for those trying to get into pre-k because otherwise you don't have to lottery for your inbounds school. Charters don't have boundaries, so it wouldn't impact them either. I'm sure that there are some other cases in which someone's plans would be upset, but I think a delay would be more of a publicity problem than anything. Then, she would have until the end of August to announce her new boundaries.

But, the PR problem is of such magnitude that I find it hard to believe she will actually do it. She might be able to tweak grandfathering. The Crestwood/16th Street Heights situation is easy because Unicorn won't be open for a while. She can easily allow for a longer grandfathering period and kick that down the road a ways. Allowing EotR kids to keep going to Eastern might be more difficult, but there might still be room for them at Eastern if she simply grandfathers them as well. That leaves the students in SW who are getting booted from Wilson to Eastern in the lurch. It's not clear to me that anyone cares about them (and maybe not even them). But grandfathering could kick that problem down the road as well. But, maybe she does want to take the heat for stopping the new boundaries. We'll see.

I think you probably nailed it with the primary "tweak" being to the grandfathering clauses. That way she can say that they reviewed things, didn't want to disrupt what had been a long public process, but felt there was some inequity, etc.

[Anonymous]

Settle down everybody. I didn't vote for Bowser. But she's not stupid, and she's not ill-prepared.

You can disagree with her about her position (or lack of position) on the boundary changes without disparaging her competence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:Make of this what you will:

"We’re going to tweak the plan, and we’ll tweak the plan at the beginning of the year. We’ll put the right team in place to focus on how we look at the boundaries. And so anything that happens in December, if it doesn’t work with the new plan, we’ll have to work to undo it," she said on Thursday afternoon after touring Kelly Miller Middle School with D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson.

http://wamu.org/news/14/11/13/bowser_wants_tweaks_to_school_boundary_changes_but_doesnt_offer_specifics

She sounds dumb. Is she dumb?

Yup. Dumb as a door nail. An empty suit.