What are the odds of them eliminating neighborhood elementary schools in favor of controlled choice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"For example, will a family living in Ward 3 enter the lottery for all of Ward 3 schools? Not me, but if I lived a block away from Murch I could end up at Janney?"

Yes. Under 2 of the 3 options (controlled choice, and city wide lottery for p-k through 12), you could end up not at Murch.

Can someone please post a link describing the 3 options? Thank you!

They will not be released until tomorrow. Everything up until now is based on community meetings and looking the advisory committee's meeting materials.

[Anonymous]

does anyone have a link for the next round of meetings?

[Anonymous]

I beg you people, please do not show up to these meetings tomorrow and Tuesday yammering on about how you'll move (or worse, sue). That is not going to help move the debate on this. Please come up with a more mature line of discussion that will actually influence the discussion. Talk about what's working and what is not. Figure out ways to address what's not working. Talk about the lack of middle schools, the failure of education campuses, the huge investments in facilities that serve very few, etc. Don't be lured by the consultant-speak or the comparisons to any other city. But most importantly don't render yourself irrelevant by crossing your arms and talking about voting with your feet. That's a threat that many are more than happy to hear from you.

[Anonymous]

But what if voting with your feet is how you feel? Can you say that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:does anyone have a link for the next round of meetings?

http://dme.dc.gov/book/student-assignment-and-school-boundaries-review-process/getting-involved-and-timeline

[Anonymous]

Also, you can express the sentiment without crossing your arms.

You could ask the forum, whether the expect some people to move if they lose a zoned school, and how the city would react to that.

[Anonymous]

You can also ask for evidence that any of these scenarios has resulted in success on any measure they choose to share. And ask that the evidence come from a city that shares DCs demographics. What makes them cofident that movement away from neighborhood schools toward controlled choice will actually achieve their goals and not put us in a worse position ( due to middle class flight).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can also ask for evidence that any of these scenarios has resulted in success on any measure they choose to share. And ask that the evidence come from a city that shares DCs demographics. What makes them cofident that movement away from neighborhood schools toward controlled choice will actually achieve their goals and not put us in a worse position ( due to middle class flight).

well put, you should go!

[Anonymous]

In addition to the above. they should be able to respond:
- Social changes and extra monetary/non-monetary costs for families due to the fact that kids will not be able to go to school by themselves (if parents need to stay home, i.e. do not have the extra 40 mins to/from school to ride by bus the kid to school - should they hire a babysitter)?
- Cost of parents' transportation (bus ticket ride) if they can't no longer walk to school
- Traffic impact (all out at the same time!) and crowding of public transportation
- Net impact on school outcomes due to "desirable" families leaving DCPS (to go to private school)
- Net impact on school outcomes due to "desirable" families moving to Montgomery County
- Net impact on PTA resources (and thus academic outcomes) of reduced contributions to PTA from wealthy families leaving DCPS
- Net impact on PTA resources (and thus academic outcomes) of reduced contributions to PTA from neighborhod disaffiliation (several PTA fund-raisers, are participated by the neighborhood not only by the parents)

etc etc

[Anonymous]

Controlled choice stinks.

[Anonymous]

Catania wouldn't back city wide choice would he?

[Anonymous]

If they come up w such a plan can Bowser/Catania change reverse it once in office?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Catania wouldn't back city wide choice would he?

He does not back city-wide lottery and controlled choice. Here's what he said:

“I won’t support a plan that moves children from a higher-performing to a lower-performing school,” Catania said. “Out of fairness to the work that has been done, I would be willing to look at the plan. But I think the emphasis should have been on improving programming, not on redrawing boundaries.”

Source:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-mayoral-race-injects-uncertainty-into-school-boundary-overhaul/2014/03/28/03ab9e7e-b67a-11e3-b84e-897d3d12b816_story.html

[Anonymous]

There is going to be a loooot of Democrat families voting for Catania....And we are one of those!!

[Anonymous]

Nothing will happen. Gray is done. Too much of a political hot potato for any Mayor to get elected by committing to anything. So, see you again in 2+ years, folks.

With respect to the "real" problem: boundary changes are a distraction. It wouldn't do anything to improve the schools that currently exist. 100% of the focus should be on improving the schools, whether through new schools, new charters, or new magnet programs.