So impressed by Fillmore

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you all need to think of another plan then - because this isn't sustainable.

Shouldnt DCPS help develop a plan for schools with no space?

What makes you think they aren't? This is on DCPS and the principals. Push them for a solution. You have 10 months to figure it out.

I know they arent because our principal has made it clear they are not and that it will be completely up to the schools to find a resolution . In fact, DCPS seems oblivious and/or ambivalent to the amount of overcrowding at some of yhese schools.

So ask DCPS to shrink your school's boundaries. The schools don't have to be overcrowded.
Also, ask your principal if he or she took any OOB kids this year. I bet the answer's yes. Key made 17 spaces available for OOB kids in K and up in the lottery. Hyde-Addison had 10 spaces for OOB kindergarteners in the lottery, and made waitlist offers for grades 1-5 as well. Ross made waitlist offers for every grade but 3rd. Marie Reed took a bunch too, but they'll have art space soon. Stoddert is the exception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you all need to think of another plan then - because this isn't sustainable.

Shouldnt DCPS help develop a plan for schools with no space?

What makes you think they aren't? This is on DCPS and the principals. Push them for a solution. You have 10 months to figure it out.

I know they arent because our principal has made it clear they are not and that it will be completely up to the schools to find a resolution . In fact, DCPS seems oblivious and/or ambivalent to the amount of overcrowding at some of yhese schools.

So ask DCPS to shrink your school's boundaries. The schools don't have to be overcrowded.
Also, ask your principal if he or she took any OOB kids this year. I bet the answer's yes. Key made 17 spaces available for OOB kids in K and up in the lottery. Hyde-Addison had 10 spaces for OOB kindergarteners in the lottery, and made waitlist offers for grades 1-5 as well. Ross made waitlist offers for every grade but 3rd. Marie Reed took a bunch too, but they'll have art space soon. Stoddert is the exception.

That ship has sailed; next.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you all need to think of another plan then - because this isn't sustainable.

Shouldnt DCPS help develop a plan for schools with no space?

What makes you think they aren't? This is on DCPS and the principals. Push them for a solution. You have 10 months to figure it out.

I know they arent because our principal has made it clear they are not and that it will be completely up to the schools to find a resolution . In fact, DCPS seems oblivious and/or ambivalent to the amount of overcrowding at some of yhese schools.

So ask DCPS to shrink your school's boundaries. The schools don't have to be overcrowded.
Also, ask your principal if he or she took any OOB kids this year. I bet the answer's yes. Key made 17 spaces available for OOB kids in K and up in the lottery. Hyde-Addison had 10 spaces for OOB kindergarteners in the lottery, and made waitlist offers for grades 1-5 as well. Ross made waitlist offers for every grade but 3rd. Marie Reed took a bunch too, but they'll have art space soon. Stoddert is the exception.

That ship has sailed; next.

Not sailed. Recommendation #35 from the DME indicates DCPS should look at all schools each year and do a boundary review if any "has been utilized at 90 percent or more and has had an in-boundary percentage of enrollment greater than 75 percent for three consecutive years" (or is underenrolled).

Politically, it would be hard to redistrict. But if people are so unhappy with giant class sizes and no room for extras, then they should be open to a boundary adjustment...or at least understand that by being unwilling to change boundaries, they are forcing a situation where the school is overcrowded.

I also have to wonder what DCPS wants to do with the Fillmore building. It's listed on the "school profiles" page, which makes me wonder if #29 of the DME's recommendations would allow Fillmore to be converted to a school:

"When DCPS needs capacity for in-zone students in a particular attendance zone, then DCPS may require a DCPS city-wide school — lottery or selective — located within the attendance zone to:
• Relocate to provide capacity for students in a boundary;
• Convert to a neighborhood school and offer a non-specialized strand;
• Convert to a neighborhood school and pair with a non-specialized school to offer the
traditional grade level program; or
• Provide neighborhood priority in citywide lottery."

[Anonymous]

For key, getting rid of a few oob students to shift class sizes from 25 to 22 doesnt free up any room for art/music. There will still be trailers. Its not like all 17 oob kids are in the same grade.

[Anonymous]

1 out of 4 kids at Stoddert is OOB.

Eaton is packed to the gills, less square footage and has art. Amazing they can do it. Well they have to because they don't have Fillmore. Schools that have access to Fillmore have no incentive to actually do right by their students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you all need to think of another plan then - because this isn't sustainable.

Shouldnt DCPS help develop a plan for schools with no space?

What makes you think they aren't? This is on DCPS and the principals. Push them for a solution. You have 10 months to figure it out.

I know they arent because our principal has made it clear they are not and that it will be completely up to the schools to find a resolution . In fact, DCPS seems oblivious and/or ambivalent to the amount of overcrowding at some of yhese schools.

So ask DCPS to shrink your school's boundaries. The schools don't have to be overcrowded.
Also, ask your principal if he or she took any OOB kids this year. I bet the answer's yes. Key made 17 spaces available for OOB kids in K and up in the lottery. Hyde-Addison had 10 spaces for OOB kindergarteners in the lottery, and made waitlist offers for grades 1-5 as well. Ross made waitlist offers for every grade but 3rd. Marie Reed took a bunch too, but they'll have art space soon. Stoddert is the exception.

DCPS is the push for these schools to take the OOB kids - requiring set asides ... So, on top of not shrinking the boundaries, it is DCPS that is doing the opposite of pushing for more kids in the school as it is. Key's younger grade class sizes are bigger as a result, but PP was correct that if you took out the OOB kids, you'd still have 3 classes per grade through 4th - and then still have 2 5th grades ALREADY IN TRAILERS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's so much more expensive to do arts at Fillmore -- this article in the Current lays out the costs and the equity argument DCPS is making.

http://www.currentnewspapers.com/admin/uploadfiles/NW%2009-28-2016.pdf

Would take a significant budget increase to make it available to all. And of course if they increase the DCPS per pupil allocation to make it available to all, the charters would be entitled to a similar increase for every student.

OP here. I get the equity argument, although the bus contract was pretty ridiculous in the past and certainly contributed to that. However, in terms of equity, are they factoring in what it would cost to remodel the schools so each of the Fillmore-supported schools has an art room? Obviously that could be incredibly costly. Space is completely maxed out at these bursting schools so how is equity applied when Fillmore closes and some DCPS schools have a measly art-on-a-cart program and others have a standard art-room program?

SO "equity" means no art for my kid because there's no space...

[Anonymous]

How long will these schools continue to accept OOB students, take the money, and cry about "lack of space"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you all need to think of another plan then - because this isn't sustainable.

Shouldnt DCPS help develop a plan for schools with no space?

What makes you think they aren't? This is on DCPS and the principals. Push them for a solution. You have 10 months to figure it out.

I know they arent because our principal has made it clear they are not and that it will be completely up to the schools to find a resolution . In fact, DCPS seems oblivious and/or ambivalent to the amount of overcrowding at some of yhese schools.

So ask DCPS to shrink your school's boundaries. The schools don't have to be overcrowded.
Also, ask your principal if he or she took any OOB kids this year. I bet the answer's yes. Key made 17 spaces available for OOB kids in K and up in the lottery. Hyde-Addison had 10 spaces for OOB kindergarteners in the lottery, and made waitlist offers for grades 1-5 as well. Ross made waitlist offers for every grade but 3rd. Marie Reed took a bunch too, but they'll have art space soon. Stoddert is the exception.

DCPS is the push for these schools to take the OOB kids - requiring set asides ... So, on top of not shrinking the boundaries, it is DCPS that is doing the opposite of pushing for more kids in the school as it is. Key's younger grade class sizes are bigger as a result, but PP was correct that if you took out the OOB kids, you'd still have 3 classes per grade through 4th - and then still have 2 5th grades ALREADY IN TRAILERS.

The set-aside recommendation has not been implemented. There is no at-risk preference or set-aside. There is a preference for children whose siblings attend the school but it's still up to the principal how many seats to make available to OOB kids.

Hyde-Addison is only 42% IB. Ross is 63%, Stoddert is 73%, Key is 83%. You're telling me there is no way to find a single classroom for art at any of these schools?

[Anonymous]

At key they have converted the broom closets into offices for the social workers/spec ed teachers/etc. So no, absolutely no room. No room at stoddert also. It seems like such a difficult concept for people to understand. Not all of dcps is an empty castle like Dunbar, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At key they have converted the broom closets into offices for the social workers/spec ed teachers/etc. So no, absolutely no room. No room at stoddert also. It seems like such a difficult concept for people to understand. Not all of dcps is an empty castle like Dunbar, etc.

Why can't the stoddert students take the D2 metrobus and continue to use space at Hardy? Just hire a 2 dedicated Stoddert teachers to run the class. Would cost much less all around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you all need to think of another plan then - because this isn't sustainable.

Shouldnt DCPS help develop a plan for schools with no space?

I'm not sure why your school has no plan. We are at a Fillmore school, and last year when the Fillmore closure was rumored, our principal knew exactly what our additional allocation would be, and she had begun interviewing art teachers. If your principal's plan consists of hand wringing, that's a leadership failure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well you all need to think of another plan then - because this isn't sustainable.

Shouldnt DCPS help develop a plan for schools with no space?

I'm not sure why your school has no plan. We are at a Fillmore school, and last year when the Fillmore closure was rumored, our principal knew exactly what our additional allocation would be, and she had begun interviewing art teachers. If your principal's plan consists of hand wringing, that's a leadership failure.

Bingo!!! Fillmore served a purpose a long time ago when DCPS couldn't hire arts educators for any school and there were no charter schools. Those days are long gone. Thank you for your service, Fillmore. Now move on and create a financially sustainable arts education nonprofit like the many others in the city. If school leaders want to partner with you, they will.

In the meantime, there are amazing arts educators across the city in schools and nonprofits. Fillmore does not have the monopoly on excellent teachers. If they do, then all kids should have access to Fillmore via lottery and not zip code.

As to trailers, there is no evidence that trailers in any way harms academic achievement. Some of the highest performing public schools in DC, MoCo, and NoVa have been using trailers for years.

If people want to send their kids to Fillmore, they are free to use the afterschool and summer classes. If they want their kids to go to Fillmore during school hours, they need to work with their principals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1 out of 4 kids at Stoddert is OOB.

Eaton is packed to the gills, less square footage and has art. Amazing they can do it. Well they have to because they don't have Fillmore. Schools that have access to Fillmore have no incentive to actually do right by their students.

I don't know about previous years but this year Stoddert took zero OOB kids in all grades. Zero. And even with IB and sibling-preference we are 20+ on the PK4 WL.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long will these schools continue to accept OOB students, take the money, and cry about "lack of space"?

NP: Would you listen?! These schools are overcrowded because "Downtown" told them they have to take more kids. DCPS wants OOB kids to be anle to go to the good NW schools even though there is no space. As mentioned already, these schools have done things like make offices out of partial stairwell landings. It's absurd and uncomfortable. But the schools have been coerced.