BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Location aside, who will be the principal? Isn't that more important than space?


Michelle Rhee-Johnson


Mary -- who else?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'm praying that BASIS will locate in an East of the River location. Please, please, please! Signed, Ward 6 parent.


The school wants to have kids from across DC. If the school locates in anything other than the very best building and neighborhood, that will not be possible. Metro accessible, yes. First-class space purchase, yes.


If it is a great school, people will travel for it. Ward 7 and 8 parents have been traveling to other wards to receive a better education for their kids-- I am sure parents in other wards have the wherewithal and means to make a simiLar effort. I know I would! We already go to that area for swiMming and ballet lessons (in fantasic buildings, by the way).
Anonymous
If it is a great school, people will travel for it. Ward 7 and 8 parents have been traveling to other wards to receive a better education for their kids-- I am sure parents in other wards have the wherewithal and means to make a simiLar effort. I know I would! We already go to that area for swiMming and ballet lessons (in fantasic buildings, by the way).


Actually, people with other good options won't travel into the heart of Ward 8 for a different good school, IMO. People with -few- or no options will travel, yes. People who are coming from upper NW and work on the Hill might overshoot the House side to swing thru Ward 7 for a drop off.

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:

The school wants to have kids from across DC. If the school locates in anything other than the very best building and neighborhood, that will not be possible. Metro accessible, yes. First-class space purchase, yes.



Don't most of the popular charters have students from across the city? It was my impression that say, Yu Ying, Haynes, etc have students from every Ward. I'm at Inspired Teaching -- brand new, not the 'very best building and neighborhood' and a bit far from Metro -- and know that there are students from every Ward. Surely the more established popular charters do as well! People will travel for a good school, as PP said.
Anonymous
17:59: why is everyone so funny-jocular about the principal of this new charter school? Personally I find Michelle Rhee disgusting, and Mary Siddall an ungodly option. If this BASIS is to have a real chance at success and attracting families to travel wherever, they need to get serious and announce a leader and create a DC web site. All this insider Mary worshiping weirdness is so amateur.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:17:59: why is everyone so funny-jocular about the principal of this new charter school? Personally I find Michelle Rhee disgusting, and Mary Siddall an ungodly option. If this BASIS is to have a real chance at success and attracting families to travel wherever, they need to get serious and announce a leader and create a DC web site. All this insider Mary worshiping weirdness is so amateur.


Idea for you: Start your own charter school. You can then pick a principal you like more than Mary (and launch a DC web site too).
Anonymous
Somebody explain this Michelle Rhee/ Mary Siddall / Basis connection for me. Last I knew, Mary and Michelle were NOT chummy at all.
Anonymous
They are very chummy. But I don't have details...
Anonymous
Whoever said above that people will not travel to Ward 8 for a good school, must had a merlot-meltdown. Your second largest comprehensive high-school for the Distrtict is in Ward 8 and the most prestigious charter high-school school is in Ward 8.

Anonymous
I live in Ward 6 and if you gave me a good middle school option in Ward 7 or 8 (or 5) and we’ll be there in a heartbeat.

We travel east of the river for play-dates, dinner at a friend’s house, skating at Ft. DuPont and the pavilion at Anacostia Park, birding in Ft. DuPont Park, dinner at Ray's, and more. Some may perceive a barrier, but for our family it’s just another neighborhood.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Bible, no. DC charter law from 1996, yes. The only way a charter school can give address preference is for it to be a conversion of a DCPS. (The first charter school in the city was a DCPS conversion.)




But who makes that law? The Council. Who has expressed interest in doing things differently? A couple of council-members. Hmm, how might that work... Maybe the councilmembers could change the law ?

Naw, crazy talk.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I live in Ward 6 and if you gave me a good middle school option in Ward 7 or 8 (or 5) and we’ll be there in a heartbeat.

We travel east of the river for play-dates, dinner at a friend’s house, skating at Ft. DuPont and the pavilion at Anacostia Park, birding in Ft. DuPont Park, dinner at Ray's, and more. Some may perceive a barrier, but for our family it’s just another neighborhood.


we don't have a car. so that is a barrier that is not perceived.
Anonymous
We are talking middle and high school. And do you know how many hundreds of even elementary school kids make it from ward 8 to ward 3 or charters with no car everyday?

Perceived barrier ( convenient excuse ) for sure
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Bible, no. DC charter law from 1996, yes. The only way a charter school can give address preference is for it to be a conversion of a DCPS. (The first charter school in the city was a DCPS conversion.)




But who makes that law? The Council. Who has expressed interest in doing things differently? A couple of council-members. Hmm, how might that work... Maybe the councilmembers could change the law ?

Naw, crazy talk.


Yes, it is crazy talk. Change the law for one school and you change it for all of them. This means that some of the more desirable charter schools in more expensive neighborhoods could effectively screen out poorer applicants, who would also be disproportionately AA. For example, Washington Latin would become even more wealthy and white relative to its peers. This is not going to happen.


Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I live in Ward 6 and if you gave me a good middle school option in Ward 7 or 8 (or 5) and we’ll be there in a heartbeat.

We travel east of the river for play-dates, dinner at a friend’s house, skating at Ft. DuPont and the pavilion at Anacostia Park, birding in Ft. DuPont Park, dinner at Ray's, and more. Some may perceive a barrier, but for our family it’s just another neighborhood.


we don't have a car. so that is a barrier that is not perceived.


Subway? Bus? Bike? Hike?
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