testify to SAVE Mayoral control of DCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

and now we have the argument that everything has to be perfect before anyone can return to schools. how did people cope before COVID?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

and now we have the argument that everything has to be perfect before anyone can return to schools. how did people cope before COVID?

PP. I didn't say that we shouldn't be back in schools. We should. I'll say it again because you all don't seem to believe me: WE SHOULD BE BACK IN SCHOOLS.

That said, this thread is about whether the mayor should retain full and solitary control of DCPS and OSSE. The mayor is currently in control of the entire system, and all of the appointees who run all of the systems that oversee and control DCPS. Unless we are going to say that the ONLY thing that matters is reopening schools, regardless of the condition or effectiveness, then the mayor has not been a resounding success. She has failed to ensure that schools provide actual conditions for learning, and to me, that matters too.

And, to your point about how did we cope before COVID - the answer is not very well. People have been complaining about these issues for YEARS. Learning in extreme heat has been EXTREMELY challenging for YEARS. Its only recently that the news media and the council have started to pay attention, and that you all have begun to hear about it. It mattered then, not that you cared, and it matters now, not that you care now. As long as your precious little angels are taken care of - apparently we can screw the poor kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

and now we have the argument that everything has to be perfect before anyone can return to schools. how did people cope before COVID?

PP. I didn't say that we shouldn't be back in schools. We should. I'll say it again because you all don't seem to believe me: WE SHOULD BE BACK IN SCHOOLS.

That said, this thread is about whether the mayor should retain full and solitary control of DCPS and OSSE. The mayor is currently in control of the entire system, and all of the appointees who run all of the systems that oversee and control DCPS. Unless we are going to say that the ONLY thing that matters is reopening schools, regardless of the condition or effectiveness, then the mayor has not been a resounding success. She has failed to ensure that schools provide actual conditions for learning, and to me, that matters too.

And, to your point about how did we cope before COVID - the answer is not very well. People have been complaining about these issues for YEARS. Learning in extreme heat has been EXTREMELY challenging for YEARS. Its only recently that the news media and the council have started to pay attention, and that you all have begun to hear about it. It mattered then, not that you cared, and it matters now, not that you care now. As long as your precious little angels are taken care of - apparently we can screw the poor kids.

yes, I will say: the MOST IMPORTANT thing that matters is keeping schools open. Not the only, but the base of Maslow’s pyramid. So I’m going to support the political entity that reopened schools (Bowser, and the office of the Mayor).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

Okay, I’m at a school that had neither of these. Classrooms are currently in the 80s. Luckily we have water again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

To say that asking for HVAC and water is in spite of kids is really something. Must be nice to have the privilege to not worry about it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

I’m not sure if you are the same poster as the one above you but I reported this, and wanted to explain why. It’s beyond disgusting to me that parents continue to bash the WTU and teachers (we are the WTU) for advocating for CHILDREN. Just bc your particular child is in a good setting does not mean that ll are, and we shouldn’t accept this. The fact that people still feel entitled to abuse and harass teachers on this site is incredibly frustrating and only mitigated when studies come out against the people on this site who immediately shift into “I don’t know why people think were racist all I ever did was…”

So much of this rhetoric is appalling, and I can’t wait for the next report on the BLM sign posting, but truly deplorable DCUM crew

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

To say that asking for HVAC and water is in spite of kids is really something. Must be nice to have the privilege to not worry about it

It's not that you're asking for HVAC and water (and you're not); it's that you're using it as an excuse to keep schools closed, move control to union-that-shall-remain-nameless supporting SBOE, lobby to elect Robert White who is in the pocket of the union-that-shall-remain-nameless. These are all things that aren't in children's best interests yet you're hiding behind the false veneer of looking out for their best interests when in fact you're only looking out for your own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

Okay, I’m at a school that had neither of these. Classrooms are currently in the 80s. Luckily we have water again

Yeah? What school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

I’m not sure if you are the same poster as the one above you but I reported this, and wanted to explain why. It’s beyond disgusting to me that parents continue to bash the WTU and teachers (we are the WTU) for advocating for CHILDREN. Just bc your particular child is in a good setting does not mean that ll are, and we shouldn’t accept this. The fact that people still feel entitled to abuse and harass teachers on this site is incredibly frustrating and only mitigated when studies come out against the people on this site who immediately shift into “I don’t know why people think were racist all I ever did was…”

So much of this rhetoric is appalling, and I can’t wait for the next report on the BLM sign posting, but truly deplorable DCUM crew

1) I'm not the same poster as the one I quoted and added a +1 to.
2) WTU is advocating for teachers, not children.
3) WTU is pretending to advocate for children but really you're advocating to move control to your supporters.
4) No one is arguing that you shouldn't advocate for working HVAC and water.
5) WTU already negotiated specific details for working HVAC and water as a condition for reopening.
6) Parents pointing out that we find WTU tactics to be disingenuous and deplorable isn't abusing teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

and now we have the argument that everything has to be perfect before anyone can return to schools. how did people cope before COVID?

PP. I didn't say that we shouldn't be back in schools. We should. I'll say it again because you all don't seem to believe me: WE SHOULD BE BACK IN SCHOOLS.

That said, this thread is about whether the mayor should retain full and solitary control of DCPS and OSSE. The mayor is currently in control of the entire system, and all of the appointees who run all of the systems that oversee and control DCPS. Unless we are going to say that the ONLY thing that matters is reopening schools, regardless of the condition or effectiveness, then the mayor has not been a resounding success. She has failed to ensure that schools provide actual conditions for learning, and to me, that matters too.

And, to your point about how did we cope before COVID - the answer is not very well. People have been complaining about these issues for YEARS. Learning in extreme heat has been EXTREMELY challenging for YEARS. Its only recently that the news media and the council have started to pay attention, and that you all have begun to hear about it. It mattered then, not that you cared, and it matters now, not that you care now. As long as your precious little angels are taken care of - apparently we can screw the poor kids.

I think that opening schools regardless of whether a classroom has a temporary HVAC unit (which is the worst I've actually seen evidence for so far) is the highest priority by far.

Also, think before you make stupid statements like that. Those of us who argued for immediate reopening turned out to be in the right, as far as it goes for minoritized children. All of the research backs us up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

It's disgusting that suddenly they are making a big deal of it when they can score political points. Yeah, teachers talked about it occasionally, but suddenly there's a huge concerted effort, centered about whether it can be done with mayoral control.

I seem to remember a court case recently where the HVAC was up to standards in all but two schools, which should be remedied by now. That was under mayoral control.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

I’m not sure if you are the same poster as the one above you but I reported this, and wanted to explain why. It’s beyond disgusting to me that parents continue to bash the WTU and teachers (we are the WTU) for advocating for CHILDREN. Just bc your particular child is in a good setting does not mean that ll are, and we shouldn’t accept this. The fact that people still feel entitled to abuse and harass teachers on this site is incredibly frustrating and only mitigated when studies come out against the people on this site who immediately shift into “I don’t know why people think were racist all I ever did was…”

So much of this rhetoric is appalling, and I can’t wait for the next report on the BLM sign posting, but truly deplorable DCUM crew

And here we have the nameless organization blatantly attempting to censor debate as well as truthful information about the previous state of DCPS facilities.

And lets drop the "WTU advocates for children" fig leaf. For the last year and a half, you all were here literally saying that the entire point of the organization was to advocate on behalf of teachers and not children. That difference has been made explicit BY the WTU as soon as there was a conflict in the needs of children and teachers. Now, as soon as it's politically convenient, you claim to advocate for children.

Here's the thing; all of us want better facilities. However, many of us are still disgusted at the blatant hypocrisy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think there are some teachers and a small group of parents who are VERY VERY angry at DCPS. Then there are others who see things that could be improved. The V.V. Angry people place all blame on the mayor, but don't really have any comprehension of how changing mayoral control would solve any of the problems. They are just mad. It's like the people that were so mad that there was a Black president that they voted for Trump. It's not like he solved any problem at all, but that vote satisfied their need to "stick it to authority" or something.

? The mayor framed mayoral control as important bc “schools weren’t getting textbooks on time.”

This year alone:
Many schools don’t have functioning hvac
Many schools don’t have water
Many schools have staffing shortages
Teachers can’t get access to their contractual supply funds bc OCTO can’t figure out how to distribute without getting hacked

These are four major problems that could probably be satisfied if it wasn’t one big circle of people being appointed into patronage jobs by a mayor, and instead a system of checks and balances.

Much prefer patronage jobs as opposed to a union-controlled OSSE and/or DCPS. In case you missed it the union shut down the schools. That’s kinda a bigger deal than anything else.

Shutting down schools was a big deal, for sure. But are you seriously going to argue that having students in a school building all day without functioning HVAC, water, or staff is less of an issue? If that is the case, then apparently your priority is having students in the building, and learning is secondary. Do you really think learning is happening when students are overheating and dehydrated? No, this is not hyperbolic - I just spent the day in a Title 1 school. Water is not an issue for us, as we have water-bottle refill stations attached to the water fountains, which is great. With the HVAC not functioning and no windows because its a newer building, most classrooms hit 80 degrees, which makes concentrating (especially in a mask) extremely difficult. But that's ok, because your kids are probably in a perfectly fine school, as the other kids don't matter as long as your precious children are in well functioning school buildings.

I think you are lying/exaggerating. There were not schools with no HVAC or water.

+1. This is also a recycled union-that-shall-remain-nameless talking point. They used it to say we can't reopen, but now that they're not fighting reopening they're using it to say we can't have mayoral control. As if DCPS facilities weren't FAR worse prior to mayoral control of schools. They just keep coming up with any meritless argument to get more for themselves at the expense of children.

To say that asking for HVAC and water is in spite of kids is really something. Must be nice to have the privilege to not worry about it

It's not that you're asking for HVAC and water (and you're not); it's that you're using it as an excuse to keep schools closed, move control to union-that-shall-remain-nameless supporting SBOE, lobby to elect Robert White who is in the pocket of the union-that-shall-remain-nameless. These are all things that aren't in children's best interests yet you're hiding behind the false veneer of looking out for their best interests when in fact you're only looking out for your own.

+1

pretty telling that they're advocating for a change in leadership structure instead of directly for the things they say they want