DCPS shouldn't be permitted to create a zero sum game like that. Spoiled Brent loses out to struggling Watkins, hurray! Longsuffering Watkins gains from thriving Brent's bout of misery, yea! The two schools should be consistently supported to attract and retain large, steady in-boundary populations, period. |
No one is saying DCPS is doing this to help Watkins. Just that it might be an unintended consequence. Because DC has school choice, there will be other options for many of the families affected by this renovation. The whole premise of this thread is bizarre, because it’s warning people not to take a lottery space at Brent because of this. Anyone in that situation is really IB for somewhere else. |
Also aren't there a significant number of Booking AFB families at Brent? I imagine those families will look elsewhere too. |
Lots of military families at Brent, but they already take a bus to school and the ride won’t be much longer for them I’m told. |
No, even IB families have to lottery for PK. What’s bizarre is that you don’t know this. |
Lol. Those families may go to Peabody but they won’t go to Watkins. |
No, but DCPS is not going to care more about your kids just because they are rich. |
Watkins is nearby and has OOB lottery spaces available in most grades. Some families will suffer the commute to Meyer. Some will go private or move. But others will lottery out for other Capitol Hill area elementary schools and some are very likely end up Watkins. |
Will? The commute to Meyer isn't set in stone, not yet. Things could change in the next 18 months. I'm taking a wait and see attitude. |
The 26th Street NE space being used by JO Wilson is not a ton closer. |
It's a much easier commute across the Hill, and while there is rush hour traffic on the Hill, it's nothing like what you will run into between Brent and Meyer. With no traffic, Meyer is only about 5 minutes longer. But with traffic, you are talking about around 20 minutes for the 26th street space versus 40 or more minutes for Meyer. I could also see families IB for Brent who didn't want to use the buses figuring out some carpool options if they WFH or have a SAHP or part-time parent. Or doing the bus in the morning but then picking up their kids at 26th street in the afternoon to take them to activities. None of that is possible if the kids are at Meyer. There is kind of a mental obstacle people have to get over with swing spaces, no matter where they are. Especially with younger kids. But that mental obstacle is easier to get over when the swing space is at least sort of in the same neighborhood. It's very hard for people to get used to the idea of sending small children across town on a bus. By upper elementary and middle, this relaxes a bit, but it's understandable that ECE parents aren't enthusiastic about it. |
^^^ gets it. There's no reason your council rep has to have actual responsibility for governance of an issue to advocate on your behalf. |
Have you tried driving through the carpool line at drop off and pick up? The 26th St space is maybe closer for OOB families who lotteried into Brent. But not closer or faster for IB families who could take 695 and be parked at Meyer in 20 mins. |
Why are we even talking about the 26th st space? Didn’t DCPS say that it’s too small for Brent? |
Amidon field is about 8 minutes away in an area without a lot of traffic. Both schools could use the swing space. It is in no way further than the Meyer. It is much much closer to Brent than any of the alternatives mentioned thus far. |