| 14 years precedes the turn-around at Deal. Families who committed to Deal several years ago, coming from all over the city, kept it open, invested in it. it finally got some dynamic leadership that helped really kick-start the gains that Deal has seen. Deal was built on the backs of families from outside of Deal's boundaries along with feeder schools that aren't nearby (Shepherd, etc.). So I'm pretty sure those 14 years are a real selling point. |
| considering a child's entire elementary school career takes place in a span shorter than 14 years, yes, I would say 14 years is a long time. |
Doubtful it's Hearst. You can practically spit on deal from Hearst. It would be really odd if Hearst was re-routed to Hardy. Though I guess anything is possible, it just seems really doubtful given the proximity. |
let's get the facts straight - shepherd park is IB for Deal, doesn't just "feed" Deal. SO this is about redistricting, not just feeder patterns. |
| Agreed about Hearst, it is very close to Deal, with increasing IB enrollment year by year. |
| Redistricting is what is needed! |
And the only thing that those families have in common with today's OOB families is that they lived somewhere in DC that's not part of the Deal boundaries. Even if I accept your premise -- which I don't, it's a major revision of the history -- it's still a stretch to say that anyone owes anyone anything today. |
Let's get the facts strait. Shepherd Elementary feeds Deal. The boundaries of elementary schools do not necessarily align with their feeder middle school, but in the case of Shepherd they do. Neighborhood definitions are fluid and there are areas eotp along 14th street that are not in-boundary for Shepherd that also feed Deal. |
If you're arguing that something can't be changed because it's been that way for 14 years, you're essentially arguing that nothing can ever be changed. So DCPS can't react to changing population patterns, demand for schools, or whatever. Everything has to stay the same forever. |
The DCPS school that used to serve my neighborhood was closed. Then the school which took over that school's catchment area was closed. There may have been another closure after that, but I don't particularly care because they're all horrible EOTP schools which we never would have considered in the first place. We moved to our neighborhood for the HOUSE not the schools, we thought private was the only legitimate option. (So thankful for a good charter!) I looked up our address and there's a choice of schools due to the lack of options in the immediate vicinity. Not interested. Point being: nobody gets a choice of good DCPS schools, and if you get a choice at all, it's bad news. It's like choosing between the electric chair and lethal injection - either way it's the death penalty. |
Aren't Brookland and Bunkerhill the same school now. |
In general that's an excellent point. There is one exception though: the boundaries of Deal don't coincide with all of its feeders. In particular, there is an area north of Massachusetts Avenue that is in-boundary for Deal for middle school but in-boundary for Mann and Stoddert (Hardy feeders) for elementary. It's a pretty sweet deal to be able to go to Mann or Stoddert for elementary and Deal for middle. And if Hardy improves those kids will be able to choose between Deal and Hardy. |
remember OOB feeder rights to Deal and Wilson have only been around since 2009 (when you get in OOB to a feeder like Lafayette etc, you used to still have to apply as OOB to Deal, same with kids who are at Hardy and OOB - they did not used to have an automatic right to Wilson). 5 years. |
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the reason for a boundary review is to make changes.
no comments about "it has been XX years" add a lot to the defense of keeping the status quo, when the goal is do something new. |
| Deal could accommodate all the neighborhoods that currently feed to it (maybe another 1 or 2) if it did not have OOB. Why is this not the primary issue being discussed? |