Proximity Preference 0.5 mile for charters

[Anonymous]

This is a feature, not a bug. Charters aren't for poor families.

For folks who disagree, look at what happened when Nevada created a statewide voucher program. Anyone who's familiar with the actual goals of the privatization movement won't be the least surprised, but since there are a lot of people who aren't here... http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2017/02/nevadas-voucher-fail.html

And, as the Sun reports, the majority of ESA applicants live within walking distance of the highest-ranked schools in the state.

It's shocking, isn't it, that the majority of people applying for vouchers are the ones who can walk to the best schools in the state, indicating they live in the best neighborhoods in the state, indicating they are the richest parents in the state.

[Anonymous]

One of the dumber things people do on this board is compare the apples of the D.C. Charter system to oranges in other states and cities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Far too many families are dashing around the city to reach charters many miles from home to make drop-off and pick-up, contributing to traffic snarls, particularly in Ward 5. Proximity preference would be good for the environment, and give a leg-up to parent associations. When families live near schools, parents are more likely to get involved in parent associations than not. Strong PAs and PTAs make for better schools. The best schools in the city below the HS level are all neighborhood schools. Moreover, proximity preference for charters would put pressure on DCPS to clean up its act. Bring on proximity preference, though I can't see many charters embracing it.

Be careful. When folks make the exact same arguments about why Deal/Wilson boundaries should be reduced to make them more of a neighborhood school they get called racist, or worse.

[Anonymous]

Why do pur city officials keep trying to break something good that works for dc kids? Big no for proximity pref.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of the dumber things people do on this board is compare the apples of the D.C. Charter system to oranges in other states and cities.

LOL. You win the stupid award for the day. DC's charter fiasco isn't unique, but it's so cute to think we invented the wheel here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Far too many families are dashing around the city to reach charters many miles from home to make drop-off and pick-up, contributing to traffic snarls, particularly in Ward 5. Proximity preference would be good for the environment, and give a leg-up to parent associations. When families live near schools, parents are more likely to get involved in parent associations than not. Strong PAs and PTAs make for better schools. The best schools in the city below the HS level are all neighborhood schools. Moreover, proximity preference for charters would put pressure on DCPS to clean up its act. Bring on proximity preference, though I can't see many charters embracing it.

Be careful. When folks make the exact same arguments about why Deal/Wilson boundaries should be reduced to make them more of a neighborhood school they get called racist, or worse.

Yep...and some of the charters discourage parent organizing (aside from fundraising).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Far too many families are dashing around the city to reach charters many miles from home to make drop-off and pick-up, contributing to traffic snarls, particularly in Ward 5. Proximity preference would be good for the environment, and give a leg-up to parent associations. When families live near schools, parents are more likely to get involved in parent associations than not. Strong PAs and PTAs make for better schools. The best schools in the city below the HS level are all neighborhood schools. Moreover, proximity preference for charters would put pressure on DCPS to clean up its act. Bring on proximity preference, though I can't see many charters embracing it.

Be careful. When folks make the exact same arguments about why Deal/Wilson boundaries should be reduced to make them more of a neighborhood school they get called racist, or worse.

Yep...and some of the charters discourage parent organizing (aside from fundraising).

True!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Far too many families are dashing around the city to reach charters many miles from home to make drop-off and pick-up, contributing to traffic snarls, particularly in Ward 5. Proximity preference would be good for the environment, and give a leg-up to parent associations. When families live near schools, parents are more likely to get involved in parent associations than not. Strong PAs and PTAs make for better schools. The best schools in the city below the HS level are all neighborhood schools. Moreover, proximity preference for charters would put pressure on DCPS to clean up its act. Bring on proximity preference, though I can't see many charters embracing it.

Be careful. When folks make the exact same arguments about why Deal/Wilson boundaries should be reduced to make them more of a neighborhood school they get called racist, or worse.

Sure, but we all know that the racist ones are not them, but those calling names to benefit their kids and others of the same skin color.

Just ignore the crazies. Let's debate the issue on its merits.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One of the dumber things people do on this board is compare the apples of the D.C. Charter system to oranges in other states and cities.

LOL. You win the stupid award for the day. DC's charter fiasco isn't unique, but it's so cute to think we invented the wheel here.

"Fiasco"

Next you're going to tell me it's problematic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Far too many families are dashing around the city to reach charters many miles from home to make drop-off and pick-up, contributing to traffic snarls, particularly in Ward 5. Proximity preference would be good for the environment, and give a leg-up to parent associations. When families live near schools, parents are more likely to get involved in parent associations than not. Strong PAs and PTAs make for better schools. The best schools in the city below the HS level are all neighborhood schools. Moreover, proximity preference for charters would put pressure on DCPS to clean up its act. Bring on proximity preference, though I can't see many charters embracing it.

Be careful. When folks make the exact same arguments about why Deal/Wilson boundaries should be reduced to make them more of a neighborhood school they get called racist, or worse. [/quote

So call us racist, or worse. We can take it--we're big boys and girls--and our piece of the electoral pie is growing. Parents want good neighborhood schools. City council members who can't be bothered to deliver are the ones who should be careful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:They are using the same <.5 + >.5 formula that determines proximity preference for DCPS schools.

Both will only apply to a relatively small number of students.

10k according to the Mayor. So about 1 in 9 students in the system. Probably all in Wards 7 & 8.

LOL at least that's what the residents in Wards 2 and 5 want you to think... but this is driven by residents near the most popular charter schools, which are NOT in wards 7 and 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bowsers going to announce a proximity preference for families living 0.5 mile from a charter. Will start in SY 18.

As if schools like YY and Basis aren't hard enough to get into already.

This will benefit the families in gentrifying neighborhoods East of the Park and West of the Anacostia. It won't help poorer students at all.

And that is ABSOLUTELY the biggest problem with this proposal. It literally puts DC on the road to replicating the same problems with DCPS and people clamoring to be IB to Deal and Wilson with charters. I know for now the proposal is the whole .5 miles, but that is the start of it.

Every single thing Bowser and PCSB do to DECREASE the options for families in neighborhoods nowhere near ANY school they'd want to send their kid to defeats the purpose of making charters "city-wide" and purely by lottery (aside from sibling, founder and staff preferences). That purpose being trying to make charter schools truly accessible to anyone. Well-resourced families living 2 blocks from the school have literally the same chances as low-income families living way across town but willing to make trip in name of better educational options for their kids.

The fact that better-resourced families can't get an advantage in admissions drives many of them absolutely nuts. But giving into those folks is awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Making it more complicated is going to benefit those who can navigate it best. I think this benefits the wealthy who can figure the system out and buy in specific locations to take advantage of it.

For example, there are going to be certain houses that are <.5 mi to a target HRCS and >.5mi from their DCPS. I could find those houses. I highly doubt those who are economically disadvantaged could.

but its up to the charter to evoke it or not. leading to much uncertainty. in that way, at least, you won't see housing prices affected

That's true in the short term. But if a place like LAMB decided to offer it, I think it would drive up prices in any areas that meet the two criteria. I'd certainly run the analysis if I were looking.

Offer it one year and not the next, which is their perogative. Housing prices need more stability that that to shoot up.

The bolded part is right on point.

The last comment about offering it one year and not the next makes no sense, mostly because most schools would never want to deal with the headache of cranky parents in the "off year" and the procedural cluster****s that would go along with that.

It absolutely gives a major advantage to the best resourced families interested for instance in immersion. That apartment building next to YY would suddenly turn into condos LOL! But in all seriousness, it's a proposal that only those who can afford to move homes to be strategic or those who already know this policy would apply to them. Totally DISadvantages the least-resourced and those far far away from the HRCSs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Making it more complicated is going to benefit those who can navigate it best. I think this benefits the wealthy who can figure the system out and buy in specific locations to take advantage of it.

For example, there are going to be certain houses that are <.5 mi to a target HRCS and >.5mi from their DCPS. I could find those houses. I highly doubt those who are economically disadvantaged could.

but its up to the charter to evoke it or not. leading to much uncertainty. in that way, at least, you won't see housing prices affected

That's true in the short term. But if a place like LAMB decided to offer it, I think it would drive up prices in any areas that meet the two criteria. I'd certainly run the analysis if I were looking.

Offer it one year and not the next, which is their perogative. Housing prices need more stability that that to shoot up.

The bolded part is right on point.

Ooops, now the bolded part is on point (unbolded the 2nd bolded part that was wrong)

The last comment about offering it one year and not the next makes no sense, mostly because most schools would never want to deal with the headache of cranky parents in the "off year" and the procedural cluster****s that would go along with that.

It absolutely gives a major advantage to the best resourced families interested for instance in immersion. That apartment building next to YY would suddenly turn into condos LOL! But in all seriousness, it's a proposal that only those who can afford to move homes to be strategic or those who already know this policy would apply to them. Totally DISadvantages the least-resourced and those far far away from the HRCSs.

And housing prices would definitely be affected within .5 miles of a HRCS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those of us who live in Ward 8, this sucks---big time.

this likely won't afftect the hrcs you might want to commute to since residents in these wards are within .5 of a school. I woudl love someone to do an analysis on google maps though. How many ward 5 etc residents aren't within .5 of their IB?

Wrong.

Given how few spots there are for the most HRCSs in the 1st place, if a preference is given for the above criteria, there are ALWAYS enough outliers who would be more than .5 miles from nearest IB but closer to HRCS. Enough to take up the open spots and shut out everyone further.