Protest at Mundo on P street

[Anonymous]

It is a choice. Parents should make the decision for their kids. On the other hand, I think it is important to speak about these issues openly so that people understand that this is just how mundo verde works. As long as there is no knowledge lost in a year, Mundi Verde is happy. Not the goals I have for my children, but every parent gets to choose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are many things I love about Mundo Verde and teachers and staff we have loved, too. Some jumped ship, some are still there and I'm so thankful that they are. There still are truly amazing human beings going to work there every day.

I just can't help but wonder how things could have been different if the charter board listened to the many parents testifying the school was not ready to expand to two campuses. I think the intentions were good but there were enough red flags that should have alarmed the MV board and the PCSB. Both boards are responsible. Are they learning anything from this mess?

So much done in the name of equity has backfired and left vulnerable kids more vulnerable.

How was the expansion approval "in the name of equity"? Were there promises to serve more at-risk students at the new campus or something else?

Yes, in meetings with families to justify the expansion they pointed to long wait-lists as evidence of demand for high quality education and wanted to make more "desirable" seats open to a diverse population, particularly immigrants and people of color. It was argued that by expanding, the school would have more resources to then hire more staff with some roles split between the two campuses. Roles they were not able to afford with the existing single campus model. They talked about some efficiencies associated with scaling up as well.

At some point there was talk of looking for a campus in a more majority black neighborhood but I can't remember the timing on that angle. It may have been abandoned early on. That is not unique to MV; nearly every charter application I can think of talks about potentially locating in Ward 7 or 8 to reach underserved kids but then the school comes back saying they tried but couldn't get real estate there.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know of a single parent of a student at the school at the time who believed that they were ready to expand. It was like an entire village screaming at someone not to shoot and they just pulled the trigger anyway. It was fully irresponsible and the people who let it happened should be ashamed and feel personally responsible for the failures since.

[Anonymous]

We're a former family and left, and most of the other families we knew well left eventually too. But in the real world -- as opposed to people pontificating on a message board -- it is hard to move schools when you've invested so much in a school since pre-K.

You want it to work, so you excuse the early problems as isolated incidents. Then it gets really bad, but your kid as made a lot of friends and you're worried it would be disruptive to your child, who has already endured so much instability with teacher turnover, etc. Then there's always the risk that a new school will have big problems too.

Most families we knew either got out early or let their elder child stay through graduation, but pulled the younger kids.

But I didn't know a single family from the founding class through the next 5 years or so who liked the administration.

[Anonymous]

I think people are feeling that functionally, they *do* have a DCI guarantee because so many other students have left and MV hasn't been able to reach its target class sizes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think people are feeling that functionally, they *do* have a DCI guarantee because so many other students have left and MV hasn't been able to reach its target class sizes.

This is a very good point. They can’t backfill if they can’t fill their seats. Will be interesting to see how big the first matriculating class is by fifth once the guarantee goes away.

[Anonymous]

Well, I believe the first non-guaranteed class is current 3rd graders? So we should know soon!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Well, I believe the first non-guaranteed class is current 3rd graders? So we should know soon!

Well THAT's ironic, no?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I believe the first non-guaranteed class is current 3rd graders? So we should know soon!

Well THAT's ironic, no?

Lol exactly. People will put up with a lot to not have to move to Maryland, but apparently there’s a limit when you’re looking at a last minute scramble for middle school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+100. Agree. It is really not as simple as just 'pulling' our kids from school and placing them elsewhere. A lot of families want and need Mundo to succeed, and the start of a solution seems to be a change in executive leadership.

Absent the board taking action to remove her from that position (or her resignation), is there any other way to get new leadership?

I understand protests are occurring, people are contacting the school board, newspapers, etc., but ultimately, it is the board's call, right?

Honestly...this might sound crass, but it's not worth the risk. There's a real risk it WON'T succeed for your kid. If you have the means, get out now. We stayed far too long at another charter that has completely cratered (talked about frequently on DCUM) thinking we could work with other parents to effect change. My child suffered. And years later, we are still trying to gain ground. Even if there is a change in leadership, it sounds like there's a lot of rot at MV that might work itself out, but it will be YEARS from now and your child will not feel the benefit.

Did that school sound like "Moo Livers"?

Lol. Indeed it did. A cautionary tale; the inept ED is gone, but the downward spiral continues.

+1000 to the cautionary tale and downward spiral of “Moo Livers”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+100. Agree. It is really not as simple as just 'pulling' our kids from school and placing them elsewhere. A lot of families want and need Mundo to succeed, and the start of a solution seems to be a change in executive leadership.

Absent the board taking action to remove her from that position (or her resignation), is there any other way to get new leadership?

I understand protests are occurring, people are contacting the school board, newspapers, etc., but ultimately, it is the board's call, right?

Honestly...this might sound crass, but it's not worth the risk. There's a real risk it WON'T succeed for your kid. If you have the means, get out now. We stayed far too long at another charter that has completely cratered (talked about frequently on DCUM) thinking we could work with other parents to effect change. My child suffered. And years later, we are still trying to gain ground. Even if there is a change in leadership, it sounds like there's a lot of rot at MV that might work itself out, but it will be YEARS from now and your child will not feel the benefit.

Did that school sound like "Moo Livers"?

Lol. Indeed it did. A cautionary tale; the inept ED is gone, but the downward spiral continues.

+1000 to the cautionary tale and downward spiral of “Moo Livers”

May this neologism join Larla, Larlo, Larlat, Bobcat Girl, "HRCS", and other Highly Regarded DCUM Terms in the DCUM Hall of Fame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+100. Agree. It is really not as simple as just 'pulling' our kids from school and placing them elsewhere. A lot of families want and need Mundo to succeed, and the start of a solution seems to be a change in executive leadership.

Absent the board taking action to remove her from that position (or her resignation), is there any other way to get new leadership?

I understand protests are occurring, people are contacting the school board, newspapers, etc., but ultimately, it is the board's call, right?

Honestly...this might sound crass, but it's not worth the risk. There's a real risk it WON'T succeed for your kid. If you have the means, get out now. We stayed far too long at another charter that has completely cratered (talked about frequently on DCUM) thinking we could work with other parents to effect change. My child suffered. And years later, we are still trying to gain ground. Even if there is a change in leadership, it sounds like there's a lot of rot at MV that might work itself out, but it will be YEARS from now and your child will not feel the benefit.

Did that school sound like "Moo Livers"?

Lol. Indeed it did. A cautionary tale; the inept ED is gone, but the downward spiral continues.

+1000 to the cautionary tale and downward spiral of “Moo Livers”

May this neologism join Larla, Larlo, Larlat, Bobcat Girl, "HRCS", and other Highly Regarded DCUM Terms in the DCUM Hall of Fame.

What’s Bobcat Girl?!?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:+100. Agree. It is really not as simple as just 'pulling' our kids from school and placing them elsewhere. A lot of families want and need Mundo to succeed, and the start of a solution seems to be a change in executive leadership.

Absent the board taking action to remove her from that position (or her resignation), is there any other way to get new leadership?

I understand protests are occurring, people are contacting the school board, newspapers, etc., but ultimately, it is the board's call, right?

Honestly...this might sound crass, but it's not worth the risk. There's a real risk it WON'T succeed for your kid. If you have the means, get out now. We stayed far too long at another charter that has completely cratered (talked about frequently on DCUM) thinking we could work with other parents to effect change. My child suffered. And years later, we are still trying to gain ground. Even if there is a change in leadership, it sounds like there's a lot of rot at MV that might work itself out, but it will be YEARS from now and your child will not feel the benefit.

Did that school sound like "Moo Livers"?

Lol. Indeed it did. A cautionary tale; the inept ED is gone, but the downward spiral continues.

+1000 to the cautionary tale and downward spiral of “Moo Livers”

May this neologism join Larla, Larlo, Larlat, Bobcat Girl, "HRCS", and other Highly Regarded DCUM Terms in the DCUM Hall of Fame.

What’s Bobcat Girl?!?!

Google and find out.

Ditto Boat Wife.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s easy to forget this in the DCUM bubble, but many families don’t have the option to leave. And those kids deserve an education.

Maybe not in pre-K, but by kindergarten there are seats at many better schools without these issues, just not at HRCSs with a DCI preference…

You are assuming that all families have resources to get their kids to those other schools, among other assumptions.

Please do describe a person who can get their child to Mundo P St but not to Seaton or Langley.

Oh please. Your privilege is showing.

Okay. Oodles of people are so disadvantaged that they literally can't travel even a few more blocks. Tons of them.

Not everyone speaks English. Not everyone wants to leave a school where they’ll be treated like a second class citizen.

Dc generally treats Latinos like garbage. As a Latino person I frankly don’t feel comfortable sending my kids to a dcps school.

Your privilege is showing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s easy to forget this in the DCUM bubble, but many families don’t have the option to leave. And those kids deserve an education.

Maybe not in pre-K, but by kindergarten there are seats at many better schools without these issues, just not at HRCSs with a DCI preference…

You are assuming that all families have resources to get their kids to those other schools, among other assumptions.

Please do describe a person who can get their child to Mundo P St but not to Seaton or Langley.

Oh please. Your privilege is showing.

Okay. Oodles of people are so disadvantaged that they literally can't travel even a few more blocks. Tons of them.

Not everyone speaks English. Not everyone wants to leave a school where they’ll be treated like a second class citizen.

Dc generally treats Latinos like garbage. As a Latino person I frankly don’t feel comfortable sending my kids to a dcps school.

Your privilege is showing.

Well, being so mistreated you feel compelled to protest in the streets sounds like a better option, then. I guess.