Ellington Field

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed by how much venom is aimed at Ellington and its students. Its neighbors are fortunate to have a city-wide school with committed students in its midst.

It’s almost like they can’t stand having a majority minority school in their backyard.

Eh, it's subset of neighbors that is literally dying off. The younger families in the neighborhood are happy that Ellington is here: we happily attend the musical performances, open houses, the Halloween festival, etc. Ellington is a great neighbor; I can't say the same for Georgetown University.

That said, something must be done about overcrowding at Wilson. I'm against the transfer of the Ellington field to DPR because I'd rather see DCPS use that plot of land to build another high school (either by-right or charter).

AFAIK, Ellington used the field for physical education classes and the marching band uses it each afternoon for practice.

Yes and no. Some of us have kids that wish they could walk to HS instead of taking the 15 min bus ride to Wilson. (Thankfully we are Zone 3, so next year they'll just drive themselves)

Why am I not surprised that you are prioritizing 4-5 minutes of time savings for your kid over the environment.

If it was that simple. The issue is the variance; often buses don't come for 35 min and then 3 come within 2 minutes. So it ends up being more like 45min. I take the D2 to work, so the family car is just sitting there. If the kid wants to pay for gas, they'll do so (on the condition they ferry kid 2). But hey, DC decided to put their HS halfway across down, almost in Maryland. I think Wilson has the largest catchment area of any DC school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed by how much venom is aimed at Ellington and its students. Its neighbors are fortunate to have a city-wide school with committed students in its midst.

It’s almost like they can’t stand having a majority minority school in their backyard.

Eh, it's subset of neighbors that is literally dying off. The younger families in the neighborhood are happy that Ellington is here: we happily attend the musical performances, open houses, the Halloween festival, etc. Ellington is a great neighbor; I can't say the same for Georgetown University.

That said, something must be done about overcrowding at Wilson. I'm against the transfer of the Ellington field to DPR because I'd rather see DCPS use that plot of land to build another high school (either by-right or charter).

AFAIK, Ellington used the field for physical education classes and the marching band uses it each afternoon for practice.

Yes and no. Some of us have kids that wish they could walk to HS instead of taking the 15 min bus ride to Wilson. (Thankfully we are Zone 3, so next year they'll just drive themselves)

Why am I not surprised that you are prioritizing 4-5 minutes of time savings for your kid over the environment.

If it was that simple. The issue is the variance; often buses don't come for 35 min and then 3 come within 2 minutes. So it ends up being more like 45min. I take the D2 to work, so the family car is just sitting there. If the kid wants to pay for gas, they'll do so (on the condition they ferry kid 2). But hey, DC decided to put their HS halfway across down, almost in Maryland. I think Wilson has the largest catchment area of any DC school.

It is that simple. You're selfish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed by how much venom is aimed at Ellington and its students. Its neighbors are fortunate to have a city-wide school with committed students in its midst.

It’s almost like they can’t stand having a majority minority school in their backyard.

Eh, it's subset of neighbors that is literally dying off. The younger families in the neighborhood are happy that Ellington is here: we happily attend the musical performances, open houses, the Halloween festival, etc. Ellington is a great neighbor; I can't say the same for Georgetown University.

That said, something must be done about overcrowding at Wilson. I'm against the transfer of the Ellington field to DPR because I'd rather see DCPS use that plot of land to build another high school (either by-right or charter).

AFAIK, Ellington used the field for physical education classes and the marching band uses it each afternoon for practice.

Yes and no. Some of us have kids that wish they could walk to HS instead of taking the 15 min bus ride to Wilson. (Thankfully we are Zone 3, so next year they'll just drive themselves)

Why am I not surprised that you are prioritizing 4-5 minutes of time savings for your kid over the environment.

If it was that simple. The issue is the variance; often buses don't come for 35 min and then 3 come within 2 minutes. So it ends up being more like 45min. I take the D2 to work, so the family car is just sitting there. If the kid wants to pay for gas, they'll do so (on the condition they ferry kid 2). But hey, DC decided to put their HS halfway across down, almost in Maryland. I think Wilson has the largest catchment area of any DC school.

Buy your high schooler a bike or one of the standing electric Bird scooters. It's crazy to have them drive a car to Wilson. Where the hell do they park the car?

[Anonymous]

I walked by Ellington field today and it looks fine. Why doesn’t Hardy use it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed by how much venom is aimed at Ellington and its students. Its neighbors are fortunate to have a city-wide school with committed students in its midst.

It’s almost like they can’t stand having a majority minority school in their backyard.

Eh, it's subset of neighbors that is literally dying off. The younger families in the neighborhood are happy that Ellington is here: we happily attend the musical performances, open houses, the Halloween festival, etc. Ellington is a great neighbor; I can't say the same for Georgetown University.

That said, something must be done about overcrowding at Wilson. I'm against the transfer of the Ellington field to DPR because I'd rather see DCPS use that plot of land to build another high school (either by-right or charter).

AFAIK, Ellington used the field for physical education classes and the marching band uses it each afternoon for practice.

You’re wrong. We have young kids and would love to see Western HS reopen for relieve them pressure on Wilson. The present location doesn’t make sense at all for Ellington which draws students from around DC, mostly wards to the East. It would be better for Ellington to be in a more central location near Metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The takeaway from the meeting is that no one at Ellington has been asked how they use the field (they do use it for classes) or told what will be happening with its field.

ANC members and meeting attendees seemed stunned that everyone is in the dark.

DGS and DCPS are operating with zero transparency (shocking)

The takeaway is that no one asked the residents of west of the park whether they wanted another general academic high school at the Western HS/Ellington site, to relieve overcrowding at Wilson. Or whether they were fine with their taxpayer money used to cover $100 million of corrupt cost overruns to keep Ellington incongruously located in a corner of the District. There Ellington takes space that rightfully should be used for a reopened Western HS, instead of educating just 500 students, half of whom likely l live in Maryland not DC.

Oh cut the BS. Ellington now has there straight years of 100% compliance from OSSE on residency. That ship has sailed. And the city owns the building (not the school) and is responsible for the costs (not the school).

They still have a large amount of kids that live out of state on the books.

There is no "large amount". They are by law allowed to have 10% of the total student body as out of state tuition payers because of the unique offerings of the school.

1. An audit showed that DC often doesn’t follow through on collecting tuition.

2. The tuition fee, even if paid, doesn’t come close to covering costs. Why should DC taxpayers be subsidizing students who don’t live in the District, particularly when our public schools say they need more funding?

3. The tuition paying families (if they are paying) are a fraction of those who really don’t live in DC. Many families, particularly at Ellington, fraudulently use a DC address but live in PG. An audit found that this was problematic at Ellington Some fraudster may students may be the kids of DC government employees. Incredible.

[Anonymous]

The City Paper is reporting that the transfer is delayed until February:
https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/sports/article/21107060/dpr-postpones-takeover-of-ellington-field-until-next-february

At the December ANC 2E meeting DPR said that they were doing the transfer, they were just having the meeting because they had to but that nothing anyone said was going to change their mind. I guess something changed.

"I asked for three things at the ANC meeting," ANC 2E01 Commissioner Kishan Putta tells City Paper. "I asked for a big public meeting, I asked for an extension that the transfer wouldn't happen until after the meeting, and I asked for written assurances of the promises they were making verbally, such as no private partnerships on this field ... I've gotten two out of the three things so far."

Sounds like DPR is having trouble putting it into writing that they won't have private partnerships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed by how much venom is aimed at Ellington and its students. Its neighbors are fortunate to have a city-wide school with committed students in its midst.

It’s almost like they can’t stand having a majority minority school in their backyard.

Eh, it's subset of neighbors that is literally dying off. The younger families in the neighborhood are happy that Ellington is here: we happily attend the musical performances, open houses, the Halloween festival, etc. Ellington is a great neighbor; I can't say the same for Georgetown University.

That said, something must be done about overcrowding at Wilson. I'm against the transfer of the Ellington field to DPR because I'd rather see DCPS use that plot of land to build another high school (either by-right or charter).

AFAIK, Ellington used the field for physical education classes and the marching band uses it each afternoon for practice.

You’re wrong. We have young kids and would love to see Western HS reopen for relieve them pressure on Wilson. The present location doesn’t make sense at all for Ellington which draws students from around DC, mostly wards to the East. It would be better for Ellington to be in a more central location near Metro.

JFC. Why does every Ellington thread turn into this? The ship has sailed. The school is not going anywhere. The residency fraud allegations were a bunch of BS. Your precious child will not be attending Western HS at Ellington. GET OVER IT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am always amazed by how much venom is aimed at Ellington and its students. Its neighbors are fortunate to have a city-wide school with committed students in its midst.

It’s almost like they can’t stand having a majority minority school in their backyard.

Eh, it's subset of neighbors that is literally dying off. The younger families in the neighborhood are happy that Ellington is here: we happily attend the musical performances, open houses, the Halloween festival, etc. Ellington is a great neighbor; I can't say the same for Georgetown University.

That said, something must be done about overcrowding at Wilson. I'm against the transfer of the Ellington field to DPR because I'd rather see DCPS use that plot of land to build another high school (either by-right or charter).

AFAIK, Ellington used the field for physical education classes and the marching band uses it each afternoon for practice.

Yes and no. Some of us have kids that wish they could walk to HS instead of taking the 15 min bus ride to Wilson. (Thankfully we are Zone 3, so next year they'll just drive themselves)

Why am I not surprised that you are prioritizing 4-5 minutes of time savings for your kid over the environment.

If it was that simple. The issue is the variance; often buses don't come for 35 min and then 3 come within 2 minutes. So it ends up being more like 45min. I take the D2 to work, so the family car is just sitting there. If the kid wants to pay for gas, they'll do so (on the condition they ferry kid 2). But hey, DC decided to put their HS halfway across down, almost in Maryland. I think Wilson has the largest catchment area of any DC school.

It is that simple. You're selfish.

Agreed - it is very simple. I've been regularly using the Wisconsin Ave buses for years and have never had a 35 minute wait, even on weekends. Having said that most of the time it is not going to be a 15 minute bus ride either so again I wonder if you or your kids have ever actually ridden the bus from Georgetown to Tenleytown.

But it is ridiculous to have teens driving on our congested roads to a school that doesn't even have student parking or available street parking and coming from Georgetown you won't even have Ward 3 RPP stickers to be able to park on an adjacent residential street.

[Anonymous]

NIMBYs and other criticism may want to reconsider their opposition to DPR taking over this field. The alternative, proposed by some in the Office of Planning as well as housing advocates, is to build dense subsidized public housing on the Ellington field site if it is underused for recreational purposes. The site is near several bus lines and Georgetown hospital. And the mayor really wants to add significant affordable housing west of Rock Creek Park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NIMBYs and other criticism may want to reconsider their opposition to DPR taking over this field. The alternative, proposed by some in the Office of Planning as well as housing advocates, is to build dense subsidized public housing on the Ellington field site if it is underused for recreational purposes. The site is near several bus lines and Georgetown hospital. And the mayor really wants to add significant affordable housing west of Rock Creek Park.

If this is the alternative, I think it is a great idea. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The City Paper is reporting that the transfer is delayed until February:
https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/sports/article/21107060/dpr-postpones-takeover-of-ellington-field-until-next-february

At the December ANC 2E meeting DPR said that they were doing the transfer, they were just having the meeting because they had to but that nothing anyone said was going to change their mind. I guess something changed.

"I asked for three things at the ANC meeting," ANC 2E01 Commissioner Kishan Putta tells City Paper. "I asked for a big public meeting, I asked for an extension that the transfer wouldn't happen until after the meeting, and I asked for written assurances of the promises they were making verbally, such as no private partnerships on this field ... I've gotten two out of the three things so far."

Sounds like DPR is having trouble putting it into writing that they won't have private partnerships.

Well right now Georgetown University maintains the track. So if the contract has not expired hard to give a promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NIMBYs and other criticism may want to reconsider their opposition to DPR taking over this field. The alternative, proposed by some in the Office of Planning as well as housing advocates, is to build dense subsidized public housing on the Ellington field site if it is underused for recreational purposes. The site is near several bus lines and Georgetown hospital. And the mayor really wants to add significant affordable housing west of Rock Creek Park.

You can not use the field because they will not let anyone reserve the field and the neighbors do not want anyone of “those” type of people in their neighborhood. So no way in hell will the space be used for a new high school or developed for housing. The neighborhood will not let it happen. Now jeffell field is a prefect location for development.

The current state and use of the field shows why the field should not remain with DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NIMBYs and other criticism may want to reconsider their opposition to DPR taking over this field. The alternative, proposed by some in the Office of Planning as well as housing advocates, is to build dense subsidized public housing on the Ellington field site if it is underused for recreational purposes. The site is near several bus lines and Georgetown hospital. And the mayor really wants to add significant affordable housing west of Rock Creek Park.

You can not use the field because they will not let anyone reserve the field and the neighbors do not want anyone of “those” type of people in their neighborhood. So no way in hell will the space be used for a new high school or developed for housing. The neighborhood will not let it happen. Now jeffell field is a prefect location for development.

The current state and use of the field shows why the field should not remain with DCPS.

The mayor and the OP are trying to roll a lot of Northwest neighborhoods right now, to pack them with added density and more affordable housing. They’re even targeting historic districts. A few people in modest little row houses in Berleith or bunkered in their gated community across the street are not going to dissuade them easily. And Ward 2 council member Cracker Jack won’t be of any help going forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NIMBYs and other criticism may want to reconsider their opposition to DPR taking over this field. The alternative, proposed by some in the Office of Planning as well as housing advocates, is to build dense subsidized public housing on the Ellington field site if it is underused for recreational purposes. The site is near several bus lines and Georgetown hospital. And the mayor really wants to add significant affordable housing west of Rock Creek Park.

You can not use the field because they will not let anyone reserve the field and the neighbors do not want anyone of “those” type of people in their neighborhood. So no way in hell will the space be used for a new high school or developed for housing. The neighborhood will not let it happen. Now jeffell field is a prefect location for development.

The current state and use of the field shows why the field should not remain with DCPS.

The field is way too small for a new high school. The high school should be at the Western HS site currently occupied by Duke Ellington. Move Ellington downtown or even out to PG (where is seems a lot of it’s students live already).