JLG vs McDuffie on public schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She hates charters with a passion and supports a plan their funding by $9k+ per child.

I think it’s true that JLG as a mayor will negatively impact charters. There is a constituency of Ward 4 and 5 parents plus WTU who believe that charters are now threatening the progress that DCPS has made. They are smart enough to mostly keep their opinions off this message board, but they want EOTP students who are peeling off for the “good” charters to be rerouted into Wells, Coolidge, etc. They’re probably right, but it’s too
soon to unwind the charter school system in DC. And I say this as a gung ho DCPS parent, “low standards” and all.

OK but you cite no evidence other than “I think.”

Just more garbage posting.

JLG is very clear that she does not like charters. It’s fair to say, “I don’t think she can do that much damage to them, and I overall prefer her/her policies to McDuffie and will therefore still vote for her.” Fine. Perfectly legit stance. But pretending that she’s not actually and actively hostile to charters is delulu.

I’m a single issue voter (education) and very much in favor of charters so I really want to run this down. I’m also relatively new to DC politics so forgive my ignorance… What’s the evidence for the view that she’s hostile to charters?

Are you kidding? It's hard to think of anyone in the DC government who hates charters more. She thinks they shouldn't exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cannot vote for any candidate endorsed by the WTU.

So you hate teachers then?

NP. I hate the WTU. I think they are crooked. They are a detriment to our kids' education. I also love teachers.

If you can't differentiate between teachers and the WTU then...you probably collect a paycheck from the WTU.

Teachers are the WTU. So yes you hate teachers.

The self delusion of some people is really astonishing. To claim you don’t hate teachers but hate the WTU is not only wild, but completely divorced from reality. WTU represents 90-95% of DCPS teachers, so if said person is claiming they hate WTU, they definitely hate public school teachers at the very least.

This
This 100 percent. When posters say they hate the union, they mean they want the right to treat teachers like their servants, hover over them like the Gestapo, interfere with their ability to do their jobs, judge them for being successful or failing at what they do notwithstanding that they themselves are no more qualified to judge then vice-versa, and fire them at will. They want the right to be adverse to teachers and not to work in tandem with that. And that means they hate teachers, and that the WTU is necessary to protect teachers from their haters.

Even union people hate teachers unions. Them and police unions are the worst. I remember how the WTU cynically turned the pandemic into the world's longest paid vacation. Our kids are still paying the price.

Why is everyone talking as if DC was the only major city to go remote for so long? It wasn't by a long shot.

And the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were freedom fighters, right?

Please explain how that analogy makes any sense whatsoever.

Rewriting history that we all lived through. You're not fooling anyone. You just look like a huge liar.

I'm not re-writing history at all. I agree that in retrospect schools should have and could have opened earlier and that kids were hurt and still are by the decision.

But hindsight is 20/20, WTU wasn't the only union to make that mistake, and it's unfair and says a lot about you if you really think the WTU took the position that it did because "teachers didn't want to work." That just means you really do hate teachers.

Yes, except there were people who were advocating for schools to reopen at the time. And people were acting like it was heresy to even suggest it, and that if you did suggest it at the time you were told that you wanted teachers to die. Remember how people treated Emily Oster when she said Schools needed to reopen?

This. I think a lot of people think we can all just memory-hole everything that happened during Covid and pretend like no one is accountable for any of their behavior during that time. But especially during elections, I remember. JLG is choosing to tie herself very tightly to WTU, whose current leadership engaged in a campaign of bullying and shaming any parents who supported reasonable, science-based return to classrooms (including part-time returns, outdoor classes, and other suggestions aimed at keeping everyone safe while also meeting the needs of kids). I'm not going to forget that. WTU's decision to elect this particular leadership was frankly disturbing to me, and sent the message that the union was doubling down on their Covid positions. That's a hard no for me and makes me skeptical of JLG even though I have no love at all for McDuffie as a longtime Ward 5 resident who knows exactly what he is.

I won't be excited about our next mayor no matter what, at this point it's a question of minimizing negatives. JLG's position on schools and relationships with the WTU is a big negative for me.

Go ahead and tell me that means I hate teachers or makes me a bad person. It's the same thing you told me in 2020 and 2021. I'm over it. I know who I am and what my values are.

You must be exhausted.

That you, Laura? It's kind of sad you're still doing this, isn't it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She hates charters with a passion and supports a plan their funding by $9k+ per child.

I think it’s true that JLG as a mayor will negatively impact charters. There is a constituency of Ward 4 and 5 parents plus WTU who believe that charters are now threatening the progress that DCPS has made. They are smart enough to mostly keep their opinions off this message board, but they want EOTP students who are peeling off for the “good” charters to be rerouted into Wells, Coolidge, etc. They’re probably right, but it’s too
soon to unwind the charter school system in DC. And I say this as a gung ho DCPS parent, “low standards” and all.

OK but you cite no evidence other than “I think.”

Just more garbage posting.

JLG is very clear that she does not like charters. It’s fair to say, “I don’t think she can do that much damage to them, and I overall prefer her/her policies to McDuffie and will therefore still vote for her.” Fine. Perfectly legit stance. But pretending that she’s not actually and actively hostile to charters is delulu.

I’m a single issue voter (education) and very much in favor of charters so I really want to run this down. I’m also relatively new to DC politics so forgive my ignorance… What’s the evidence for the view that she’s hostile to charters?

My advice is to vote Lewis George. Neither Kenyan nor Janeese is going to make any serious changes to the charter system, it’s not worth it. Even if either of them have ever voiced skepticism about charters, I think that just shows they have a working brain; even if you are very pro-charter, a thoughtful person can see the pros and cons of having a large chunk of students and funding going to charter schools. What’s much more likely to happen is a focus on DCPS — that is what the mayor has true control over. McDuffie has largely seemed disinterested in DCPS throughout his career. I think it’s time to breathe some new life into DCPS (especially around truancy and middle school issues), and so I don’t think it’s the right time to have an education indifferent mayor. Lewis George has been engaged in a thoughtful way and I think she will continue to do so. I also don’t think she will be beholden to the union, because mayors have a lot of control to do innovative things with DCPS with or without the union. I personally don’t love or hate the WTU. I think she will get along fairly well with them, and that could be an advantage for improving schools — it’s easier to get big ideas done if the union and school leaders aren’t at odds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cannot vote for any candidate endorsed by the WTU.

So you hate teachers then?

NP. I hate the WTU. I think they are crooked. They are a detriment to our kids' education. I also love teachers.

If you can't differentiate between teachers and the WTU then...you probably collect a paycheck from the WTU.

Teachers are the WTU. So yes you hate teachers.

The self delusion of some people is really astonishing. To claim you don’t hate teachers but hate the WTU is not only wild, but completely divorced from reality. WTU represents 90-95% of DCPS teachers, so if said person is claiming they hate WTU, they definitely hate public school teachers at the very least.

This
This 100 percent. When posters say they hate the union, they mean they want the right to treat teachers like their servants, hover over them like the Gestapo, interfere with their ability to do their jobs, judge them for being successful or failing at what they do notwithstanding that they themselves are no more qualified to judge then vice-versa, and fire them at will. They want the right to be adverse to teachers and not to work in tandem with that. And that means they hate teachers, and that the WTU is necessary to protect teachers from their haters.

Even union people hate teachers unions. Them and police unions are the worst. I remember how the WTU cynically turned the pandemic into the world's longest paid vacation. Our kids are still paying the price.

Why is everyone talking as if DC was the only major city to go remote for so long? It wasn't by a long shot.

And the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were freedom fighters, right?

Please explain how that analogy makes any sense whatsoever.

Rewriting history that we all lived through. You're not fooling anyone. You just look like a huge liar.

I'm not re-writing history at all. I agree that in retrospect schools should have and could have opened earlier and that kids were hurt and still are by the decision.

But hindsight is 20/20, WTU wasn't the only union to make that mistake, and it's unfair and says a lot about you if you really think the WTU took the position that it did because "teachers didn't want to work." That just means you really do hate teachers.

Yes, except there were people who were advocating for schools to reopen at the time. And people were acting like it was heresy to even suggest it, and that if you did suggest it at the time you were told that you wanted teachers to die. Remember how people treated Emily Oster when she said Schools needed to reopen?

This. I think a lot of people think we can all just memory-hole everything that happened during Covid and pretend like no one is accountable for any of their behavior during that time. But especially during elections, I remember. JLG is choosing to tie herself very tightly to WTU, whose current leadership engaged in a campaign of bullying and shaming any parents who supported reasonable, science-based return to classrooms (including part-time returns, outdoor classes, and other suggestions aimed at keeping everyone safe while also meeting the needs of kids). I'm not going to forget that. WTU's decision to elect this particular leadership was frankly disturbing to me, and sent the message that the union was doubling down on their Covid positions. That's a hard no for me and makes me skeptical of JLG even though I have no love at all for McDuffie as a longtime Ward 5 resident who knows exactly what he is.

I won't be excited about our next mayor no matter what, at this point it's a question of minimizing negatives. JLG's position on schools and relationships with the WTU is a big negative for me.

Go ahead and tell me that means I hate teachers or makes me a bad person. It's the same thing you told me in 2020 and 2021. I'm over it. I know who I am and what my values are.

You must be exhausted.

That you, Laura? It's kind of sad you're still doing this, isn't it?

She’s not here, we have a WTU meeting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cannot vote for any candidate endorsed by the WTU.

So you hate teachers then?

NP. I hate the WTU. I think they are crooked. They are a detriment to our kids' education. I also love teachers.

If you can't differentiate between teachers and the WTU then...you probably collect a paycheck from the WTU.

Teachers are the WTU. So yes you hate teachers.

The self delusion of some people is really astonishing. To claim you don’t hate teachers but hate the WTU is not only wild, but completely divorced from reality. WTU represents 90-95% of DCPS teachers, so if said person is claiming they hate WTU, they definitely hate public school teachers at the very least.

This 100 percent. When posters say they hate the union, they mean they want the right to treat teachers like their servants, hover over them like the Gestapo, interfere with their ability to do their jobs, judge them for being successful or failing at what they do notwithstanding that they themselves are no more qualified to judge then vice-versa, and fire them at will. They want the right to be adverse to teachers and not to work in tandem with that. And that means they hate teachers, and that the WTU is necessary to protect teachers from their haters.

Sorry, but Covid exposed a lot of teacher's unions - including WTU - for what they really are. This is all a lot of BS. And I support unions in general.

Oh please. The teacher's union exists to protect teachers, not students, and teachers didn't want to die. It's not that complicated.

You sound like Trump trying to re-write the history of Jan. 6.

I'm not saying that their fear was justified. Not in hindsight, at least. But lots of people lost their minds in the once-in-100-years pandemic. My real point was that the teachers' union looks out for teachers, not students, and that shouldn't be a surprise to you.

DP. It's not a surprise anymore but this is EXACTLY why many parents have decided to hate the WTU.

During the pandemic, the WTU advocated for teachers over the interests of kids and families. That's their right, but as a parent, I don't have like an organization that advocated for policies that actively hurt my kids. I can hate that organization if I want. And I do! See how that works.

You can't have it both ways. Why would I like or care about an organization that will happily throw my child under the bus?

This is why I can't support JLG. The conduct of WTU during the pandemic was nothing short of evil, and JLG bent over backwards to do WTU's bidding. We need a mayor who will stand up to them.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:


I’m a single issue voter (education) and very much in favor of charters so I really want to run this down. I’m also relatively new to DC politics so forgive my ignorance… What’s the evidence for the view that she’s hostile to charters?


My advice is to vote Lewis George. Neither Kenyan nor Janeese is going to make any serious changes to the charter system, it’s not worth it. Even if either of them have ever voiced skepticism about charters, I think that just shows they have a working brain; even if you are very pro-charter, a thoughtful person can see the pros and cons of having a large chunk of students and funding going to charter schools. What’s much more likely to happen is a focus on DCPS — that is what the mayor has true control over. McDuffie has largely seemed disinterested in DCPS throughout his career. I think it’s time to breathe some new life into DCPS (especially around truancy and middle school issues), and so I don’t think it’s the right time to have an education indifferent mayor. Lewis George has been engaged in a thoughtful way and I think she will continue to do so. I also don’t think she will be beholden to the union, because mayors have a lot of control to do innovative things with DCPS with or without the union. I personally don’t love or hate the WTU. I think she will get along fairly well with them, and that could be an advantage for improving schools — it’s easier to get big ideas done if the union and school leaders aren’t at odds.

Untrue since JLG wants to significantly reduce funding to charters and impose more onerous requirements on them. She hates charters. Why do you think that JLG "has been engaged in a thoughtful way". Do you mean parroting WTU positions? She (and the other progressives) are incredibly beholden to organized labor---that's who is getting them elected. She's not going against the WTU.

[Anonymous]

She’s against at teen curfews. That’s why I support Kenyon “GDS” McDuffie.

[Anonymous]

This thread doesn’t seem very productive due to the person/people that just keeps repeatedly posting that Lewis George “hates charters.” You are not interested in real debate or conversation, you’re wrong, and it’s annoying.

Anyone engaged on the issue of education in DC should have nuanced takes on charters; you clearly don’t, and so I suspect your motive here is not to encourage anyone to have a thoughtful debate nor is it to share accurate information.

[Anonymous]

As a DC voter I’m more interested in hearing about Goodyear and Hope.
Both JLG and McDuffie just give “similar sh*%, different flavor”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread doesn’t seem very productive due to the person/people that just keeps repeatedly posting that Lewis George “hates charters.” You are not interested in real debate or conversation, you’re wrong, and it’s annoying.

Anyone engaged on the issue of education in DC should have nuanced takes on charters; you clearly don’t, and so I suspect your motive here is not to encourage anyone to have a thoughtful debate nor is it to share accurate information.

I think the problem is that apparently no one is allowed to criticize anything JLG has ever said or done, lest they be MAGA. JLG and her supporters seem remarkably thin skinned, and prone to dumb, personal attacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cannot vote for any candidate endorsed by the WTU.

So you hate teachers then?

NP. I hate the WTU. I think they are crooked. They are a detriment to our kids' education. I also love teachers.

If you can't differentiate between teachers and the WTU then...you probably collect a paycheck from the WTU.

Teachers are the WTU. So yes you hate teachers.

The self delusion of some people is really astonishing. To claim you don’t hate teachers but hate the WTU is not only wild, but completely divorced from reality. WTU represents 90-95% of DCPS teachers, so if said person is claiming they hate WTU, they definitely hate public school teachers at the very least.

This
This 100 percent. When posters say they hate the union, they mean they want the right to treat teachers like their servants, hover over them like the Gestapo, interfere with their ability to do their jobs, judge them for being successful or failing at what they do notwithstanding that they themselves are no more qualified to judge then vice-versa, and fire them at will. They want the right to be adverse to teachers and not to work in tandem with that. And that means they hate teachers, and that the WTU is necessary to protect teachers from their haters.

Even union people hate teachers unions. Them and police unions are the worst. I remember how the WTU cynically turned the pandemic into the world's longest paid vacation. Our kids are still paying the price.

Why is everyone talking as if DC was the only major city to go remote for so long? It wasn't by a long shot.

And the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were freedom fighters, right?

Please explain how that analogy makes any sense whatsoever.

Rewriting history that we all lived through. You're not fooling anyone. You just look like a huge liar.

I'm not re-writing history at all. I agree that in retrospect schools should have and could have opened earlier and that kids were hurt and still are by the decision.

But hindsight is 20/20, WTU wasn't the only union to make that mistake, and it's unfair and says a lot about you if you really think the WTU took the position that it did because "teachers didn't want to work." That just means you really do hate teachers.

Yes, except there were people who were advocating for schools to reopen at the time. And people were acting like it was heresy to even suggest it, and that if you did suggest it at the time you were told that you wanted teachers to die. Remember how people treated Emily Oster when she said Schools needed to reopen?

This. I think a lot of people think we can all just memory-hole everything that happened during Covid and pretend like no one is accountable for any of their behavior during that time. But especially during elections, I remember. JLG is choosing to tie herself very tightly to WTU, whose current leadership engaged in a campaign of bullying and shaming any parents who supported reasonable, science-based return to classrooms (including part-time returns, outdoor classes, and other suggestions aimed at keeping everyone safe while also meeting the needs of kids). I'm not going to forget that. WTU's decision to elect this particular leadership was frankly disturbing to me, and sent the message that the union was doubling down on their Covid positions. That's a hard no for me and makes me skeptical of JLG even though I have no love at all for McDuffie as a longtime Ward 5 resident who knows exactly what he is.

I won't be excited about our next mayor no matter what, at this point it's a question of minimizing negatives. JLG's position on schools and relationships with the WTU is a big negative for me.

Go ahead and tell me that means I hate teachers or makes me a bad person. It's the same thing you told me in 2020 and 2021. I'm over it. I know who I am and what my values are.

You must be exhausted.

I wonder if you think responding over and over in this non-substantive, trolling way is compelling. It's not. Here's a substantive post talking about objections to both WTU and JLG's adherence to their dogma. Rather than engaging it and refuting it, you troll. This indicates you don't have meaningful responses. Do you think that will be compelling to someone who has thought deeply about these issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cannot vote for any candidate endorsed by the WTU.

So you hate teachers then?

NP. I hate the WTU. I think they are crooked. They are a detriment to our kids' education. I also love teachers.

If you can't differentiate between teachers and the WTU then...you probably collect a paycheck from the WTU.

Teachers are the WTU. So yes you hate teachers.

The self delusion of some people is really astonishing. To claim you don’t hate teachers but hate the WTU is not only wild, but completely divorced from reality. WTU represents 90-95% of DCPS teachers, so if said person is claiming they hate WTU, they definitely hate public school teachers at the very least.

This
This 100 percent. When posters say they hate the union, they mean they want the right to treat teachers like their servants, hover over them like the Gestapo, interfere with their ability to do their jobs, judge them for being successful or failing at what they do notwithstanding that they themselves are no more qualified to judge then vice-versa, and fire them at will. They want the right to be adverse to teachers and not to work in tandem with that. And that means they hate teachers, and that the WTU is necessary to protect teachers from their haters.

Even union people hate teachers unions. Them and police unions are the worst. I remember how the WTU cynically turned the pandemic into the world's longest paid vacation. Our kids are still paying the price.

Why is everyone talking as if DC was the only major city to go remote for so long? It wasn't by a long shot.

And the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were freedom fighters, right?

Please explain how that analogy makes any sense whatsoever.

Rewriting history that we all lived through. You're not fooling anyone. You just look like a huge liar.

I'm not re-writing history at all. I agree that in retrospect schools should have and could have opened earlier and that kids were hurt and still are by the decision.

But hindsight is 20/20, WTU wasn't the only union to make that mistake, and it's unfair and says a lot about you if you really think the WTU took the position that it did because "teachers didn't want to work." That just means you really do hate teachers.

Yes, except there were people who were advocating for schools to reopen at the time. And people were acting like it was heresy to even suggest it, and that if you did suggest it at the time you were told that you wanted teachers to die. Remember how people treated Emily Oster when she said Schools needed to reopen?

This. I think a lot of people think we can all just memory-hole everything that happened during Covid and pretend like no one is accountable for any of their behavior during that time. But especially during elections, I remember. JLG is choosing to tie herself very tightly to WTU, whose current leadership engaged in a campaign of bullying and shaming any parents who supported reasonable, science-based return to classrooms (including part-time returns, outdoor classes, and other suggestions aimed at keeping everyone safe while also meeting the needs of kids). I'm not going to forget that. WTU's decision to elect this particular leadership was frankly disturbing to me, and sent the message that the union was doubling down on their Covid positions. That's a hard no for me and makes me skeptical of JLG even though I have no love at all for McDuffie as a longtime Ward 5 resident who knows exactly what he is.

I won't be excited about our next mayor no matter what, at this point it's a question of minimizing negatives. JLG's position on schools and relationships with the WTU is a big negative for me.

Go ahead and tell me that means I hate teachers or makes me a bad person. It's the same thing you told me in 2020 and 2021. I'm over it. I know who I am and what my values are.

You must be exhausted.

I wonder if you think responding over and over in this non-substantive, trolling way is compelling. It's not. Here's a substantive post talking about objections to both WTU and JLG's adherence to their dogma. Rather than engaging it and refuting it, you troll. This indicates you don't have meaningful responses. Do you think that will be compelling to someone who has thought deeply about these issues?

Sorry, I just happen to be a person who doesn't obsess over the past. I prefer to look towards the future. I'm also not a big fan of tar and feathering.

On top of that, I'm not a one-issue voter like you. I care about the broader community, not just my own kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cannot vote for any candidate endorsed by the WTU.

So you hate teachers then?

NP. I hate the WTU. I think they are crooked. They are a detriment to our kids' education. I also love teachers.

If you can't differentiate between teachers and the WTU then...you probably collect a paycheck from the WTU.

Teachers are the WTU. So yes you hate teachers.

The self delusion of some people is really astonishing. To claim you don’t hate teachers but hate the WTU is not only wild, but completely divorced from reality. WTU represents 90-95% of DCPS teachers, so if said person is claiming they hate WTU, they definitely hate public school teachers at the very least.

This
This 100 percent. When posters say they hate the union, they mean they want the right to treat teachers like their servants, hover over them like the Gestapo, interfere with their ability to do their jobs, judge them for being successful or failing at what they do notwithstanding that they themselves are no more qualified to judge then vice-versa, and fire them at will. They want the right to be adverse to teachers and not to work in tandem with that. And that means they hate teachers, and that the WTU is necessary to protect teachers from their haters.

Even union people hate teachers unions. Them and police unions are the worst. I remember how the WTU cynically turned the pandemic into the world's longest paid vacation. Our kids are still paying the price.

Why is everyone talking as if DC was the only major city to go remote for so long? It wasn't by a long shot.

And the people who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were freedom fighters, right?

Please explain how that analogy makes any sense whatsoever.

Rewriting history that we all lived through. You're not fooling anyone. You just look like a huge liar.

I'm not re-writing history at all. I agree that in retrospect schools should have and could have opened earlier and that kids were hurt and still are by the decision.

But hindsight is 20/20, WTU wasn't the only union to make that mistake, and it's unfair and says a lot about you if you really think the WTU took the position that it did because "teachers didn't want to work." That just means you really do hate teachers.

Yes, except there were people who were advocating for schools to reopen at the time. And people were acting like it was heresy to even suggest it, and that if you did suggest it at the time you were told that you wanted teachers to die. Remember how people treated Emily Oster when she said Schools needed to reopen?

This. I think a lot of people think we can all just memory-hole everything that happened during Covid and pretend like no one is accountable for any of their behavior during that time. But especially during elections, I remember. JLG is choosing to tie herself very tightly to WTU, whose current leadership engaged in a campaign of bullying and shaming any parents who supported reasonable, science-based return to classrooms (including part-time returns, outdoor classes, and other suggestions aimed at keeping everyone safe while also meeting the needs of kids). I'm not going to forget that. WTU's decision to elect this particular leadership was frankly disturbing to me, and sent the message that the union was doubling down on their Covid positions. That's a hard no for me and makes me skeptical of JLG even though I have no love at all for McDuffie as a longtime Ward 5 resident who knows exactly what he is.

I won't be excited about our next mayor no matter what, at this point it's a question of minimizing negatives. JLG's position on schools and relationships with the WTU is a big negative for me.

Go ahead and tell me that means I hate teachers or makes me a bad person. It's the same thing you told me in 2020 and 2021. I'm over it. I know who I am and what my values are.

You must be exhausted.

I wonder if you think responding over and over in this non-substantive, trolling way is compelling. It's not. Here's a substantive post talking about objections to both WTU and JLG's adherence to their dogma. Rather than engaging it and refuting it, you troll. This indicates you don't have meaningful responses. Do you think that will be compelling to someone who has thought deeply about these issues?

McDuffie took in more than twice as much in campaign donations from utility interests than any of his current council peers, and from 2018–2025 met with paid utility lobbyists five times more often than any other councilmember.

A nonprofit that filed an ethics complaint against JLG had a board member connected to a firm that McDuffie’s campaign paid $20,000 for “research services” the week before the complaint was filed and McDuffie’s campaign didn’t respond to questions about the payment.


In 2019, McDuffie was a crucial vote in favor of awarding a $215 million no-bid contract to lottery operator Intralot.  The problem: a document obtained by the Washington Post through a FOIA request showed McDuffie’s cousin listed as chief executive of a subcontracting company that stood to receive $3 million from the deal. 

It gets messier. McDuffie’s cousin Keith McDuffie was linked to a lottery subcontractor who had also organized a fundraiser for him… before the ink on the contract was dry.  And McDuffie had originally opposed the no-bid shortcut but changed his vote the same day he received a prized committee assignment from Council Chairman Mendelson, leading colleagues to label it back-room dealmaking.

Yes, I'm a Ward 5 resident, I know all about McDuffie. But this is not responsive to a discussion about JLG's position on schools and whether her tight relationship with WTU will result in good education policy.

I'm not advocating for McDuffie, but I believe in telling the truth about all the candidates. I have serious reservations about both of them and haven't decided who I will be voting for. I'm just saying that trolling me when I explain my concerns doesn't make me more likely to vote for JLG. It makes me question if her supporters even understand the issues.

As for the accusation that I'm "living in the past"... the past is prologue. The Covid pandemic was a crucible that revealed a lot of unfortunate things about our education system. I'd be most responsive to a candidate who wanted to honestly and pragmatically address those problems. So far, that is NOT JLG (it's not McDuffie either, though I did like his recent position statement on screens in schools even if I understand he's taking this position cynically to win a constituency -- I'm okay with politicians doing the right thing for the wrong reasons if I get the policy I like in the end).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reasons I’m Not Voting for McDuffie

1. He’s the establishment candidate and his donors show it

McDuffie has positioned himself as the “pragmatic” choice, but what that really means is he’s the candidate backed by DC’s business class. His campaign has also taken contributions from Trump donors, which his opponent Janeese Lewis George has called out directly, arguing she’d be tougher on the administration. For those of us whose schools are already navigating federal pressure, that’s not a small thing.



2. The sports betting mess - and it *was* a mess

This one deserves its own thread honestly. McDuffie chaired the committee that was supposed to oversee DC’s sports betting rollout. The program generated *zero dollars* for the District in its first year of legal wagering, and lost $4 million the year after that. Original projections had the city making over $90 million by now.

He did eventually push for reform -but not until early 2024. Years late. And here’s the part that really bothers me: former staffers from his own council office were working on **both sides** of the sports betting lobby - one with Intralot (the failing vendor), one with the private companies trying to break in. Meanwhile, a businessman who had partnered with Intralot spent $45,000 supporting McDuffie’s mayoral campaign. Make it make sense.



3. Campaign finance irregularities - under active review

A formal challenge has been filed with DC’s Office of Campaign Finance questioning whether McDuffie’s 2022 campaign complied with the rules for the city’s public financing program. His team called it “politically motivated,” but the challenge was filed by a longtime fiscal watchdog — not a rival campaign. It’s unresolved heading into the primary.

4. His own supporters aren’t confident in him

Even Mayor Bowser -who endorsed him - reportedly expressed concern about his campaign strategy earlier this year. That’s a strange look when your top backer is publicly worried about whether you can run a race.


5. His education record doesn’t inspire confidence for DC public school families

McDuffie has not been a strong advocate for DCPS or charter schools. For those of us in Title I schools especially, that matters - given the ongoing fight over per-pupil funding equity between DCPS and charter sectors. His business-aligned positions don’t suggest he’d go to bat for neighborhood public schools or the educators in them.



If you’re someone who wants a mayor with a clean record and real accountability, I’d encourage you to look hard at Janice Lewis George for mayor.

What does this have to do with anything? This is not remotely relevant to this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread doesn’t seem very productive due to the person/people that just keeps repeatedly posting that Lewis George “hates charters.” You are not interested in real debate or conversation, you’re wrong, and it’s annoying.

Anyone engaged on the issue of education in DC should have nuanced takes on charters; you clearly don’t, and so I suspect your motive here is not to encourage anyone to have a thoughtful debate nor is it to share accurate information.

I think the problem is that apparently no one is allowed to criticize anything JLG has ever said or done, lest they be MAGA. JLG and her supporters seem remarkably thin skinned, and prone to dumb, personal attacks.

McDuffie took in more than twice as much in campaign donations from utility interests than any of his current council peers, and from 2018–2025 met with paid utility lobbyists five times more often than any other councilmember.

A nonprofit that filed an ethics complaint against JLG had a board member connected to a firm that McDuffie’s campaign paid $20,000 for “research services” the week before the complaint was filed and McDuffie’s campaign didn’t respond to questions about the payment.


In 2019, McDuffie was a crucial vote in favor of awarding a $215 million no-bid contract to lottery operator Intralot.  The problem: a document obtained by the Washington Post through a FOIA request showed McDuffie’s cousin listed as chief executive of a subcontracting company that stood to receive $3 million from the deal. 

It gets messier. McDuffie’s cousin Keith McDuffie was linked to a lottery subcontractor who had also organized a fundraiser for him… before the ink on the contract was dry.  And McDuffie had originally opposed the no-bid shortcut but changed his vote the same day he received a prized committee assignment from Council Chairman Mendelson, leading colleagues to label it back-room dealmaking.

Can you kindly stop spamming this thread with this weird nonsense? Try to stay on topic.