How do we advocate for the expansion of Specialty School programs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I can understand the reasoning behind wanting more specialty schools, but I have some serious concerns with the transparency of the lottery. Why does it take so long between the lottery and the posting of the numbers? Shouldn't this all be computerized and instantaneous? Last year someone posted on here about how she had a great number to the French Immersion program and a not great number for Spanish and was placed in the Spanish program and lost her number for both French Immersion and Thomas Pullen. I've heard too many parents saying the system is rigged for me to feel comfortable putting more dollars into it until some of the transparency issues get fixed.

What does that mean, "lost" her number? Wouldn't the French Immersion program just be a lot more popular? If people feel they have been wronged, they need to make some noise so that problems can be fixed.

I read the thread from last year. Who knows what happened, but generally it sounds like the system they use for the lottery is not very sophisticated. It is not capable of ranking multiple choices. So if you apply to more than one and get selected to more than one, you are more or less randomly assigned to one of them, even if your preference was for the other.

Yeah, I don't see that as a huge problem. Given how large the waitlists are, you should be happy if you get into any of the programs you apply to. And you're not talking about getting in to two programs, you were saying she was on the waitlist for two and got assigned for one. I don't see the failure there. What you were insinuating was that there was some sort of corruption or something, which is a really serious allegation and is not the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I can understand the reasoning behind wanting more specialty schools, but I have some serious concerns with the transparency of the lottery. Why does it take so long between the lottery and the posting of the numbers? Shouldn't this all be computerized and instantaneous? Last year someone posted on here about how she had a great number to the French Immersion program and a not great number for Spanish and was placed in the Spanish program and lost her number for both French Immersion and Thomas Pullen. I've heard too many parents saying the system is rigged for me to feel comfortable putting more dollars into it until some of the transparency issues get fixed.

What does that mean, "lost" her number? Wouldn't the French Immersion program just be a lot more popular? If people feel they have been wronged, they need to make some noise so that problems can be fixed.

I read the thread from last year. Who knows what happened, but generally it sounds like the system they use for the lottery is not very sophisticated. It is not capable of ranking multiple choices. So if you apply to more than one and get selected to more than one, you are more or less randomly assigned to one of them, even if your preference was for the other.

Yeah, I don't see that as a huge problem. Given how large the waitlists are, you should be happy if you get into any of the programs you apply to. And you're not talking about getting in to two programs, you were saying she was on the waitlist for two and got assigned for one. I don't see the failure there. What you were insinuating was that there was some sort of corruption or something, which is a really serious allegation and is not the same.

They clearly tell you that you cannot rank your choices, and that you are at the mercy of whatever way they are filling the schools that year. For that reason, we applied to ONE charter school and ONE specialty school.

Every year, there are different priorities with respect to filling the specialty schools. Last year, it was the Spanish Immersion program since it was new. So they filled those slots first, which is why that poster got placed into Spanish Immersion with a higher number than French Immersion and Thomas Pullen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I can understand the reasoning behind wanting more specialty schools, but I have some serious concerns with the transparency of the lottery. Why does it take so long between the lottery and the posting of the numbers? Shouldn't this all be computerized and instantaneous? Last year someone posted on here about how she had a great number to the French Immersion program and a not great number for Spanish and was placed in the Spanish program and lost her number for both French Immersion and Thomas Pullen. I've heard too many parents saying the system is rigged for me to feel comfortable putting more dollars into it until some of the transparency issues get fixed.

What does that mean, "lost" her number? Wouldn't the French Immersion program just be a lot more popular? If people feel they have been wronged, they need to make some noise so that problems can be fixed.

I read the thread from last year. Who knows what happened, but generally it sounds like the system they use for the lottery is not very sophisticated. It is not capable of ranking multiple choices. So if you apply to more than one and get selected to more than one, you are more or less randomly assigned to one of them, even if your preference was for the other.

Yeah, I don't see that as a huge problem. Given how large the waitlists are, you should be happy if you get into any of the programs you apply to. And you're not talking about getting in to two programs, you were saying she was on the waitlist for two and got assigned for one. I don't see the failure there. What you were insinuating was that there was some sort of corruption or something, which is a really serious allegation and is not the same.

No, it's not the same, but I've also had other parents tell me they pulled strings to get into specialty schools or got
Moved up the waiting list. There are also back doors into the language programs and some of the TAG programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I can understand the reasoning behind wanting more specialty schools, but I have some serious concerns with the transparency of the lottery. Why does it take so long between the lottery and the posting of the numbers? Shouldn't this all be computerized and instantaneous? Last year someone posted on here about how she had a great number to the French Immersion program and a not great number for Spanish and was placed in the Spanish program and lost her number for both French Immersion and Thomas Pullen. I've heard too many parents saying the system is rigged for me to feel comfortable putting more dollars into it until some of the transparency issues get fixed.

What does that mean, "lost" her number? Wouldn't the French Immersion program just be a lot more popular? If people feel they have been wronged, they need to make some noise so that problems can be fixed.

I read the thread from last year. Who knows what happened, but generally it sounds like the system they use for the lottery is not very sophisticated. It is not capable of ranking multiple choices. So if you apply to more than one and get selected to more than one, you are more or less randomly assigned to one of them, even if your preference was for the other.

Yeah, I don't see that as a huge problem. Given how large the waitlists are, you should be happy if you get into any of the programs you apply to. And you're not talking about getting in to two programs, you were saying she was on the waitlist for two and got assigned for one. I don't see the failure there. What you were insinuating was that there was some sort of corruption or something, which is a really serious allegation and is not the same.

No, it's not the same, but I've also had other parents tell me they pulled strings to get into specialty schools or got
Moved up the waiting list. There are also back doors into the language programs and some of the TAG programs.

How exactly does one pull strings to get into those programs? What "back doors?" Go ahead, make it known, and I can guarantee you either too many people will try or it won't be available anymore.

There are a lot of people in PG who love to complain about "corruption" but they don't make issues known, don't write letters to their school board members or Maxwell, don't vote the bums out. How are vague complaints on an anonymous website going to fix anything?

[Anonymous]

I'm a parent of a child at DKFI- I've never heard of any "back door" ways to get into the french immersion programs. After the kindergarten lottery, kids can test in at later grades (if there are openings in that grade). They have to show that they have the level of fluency equivalent to their peers at that grade level. I don't think this has ever been a secret, but perhaps that is what PP is referring to as a "back door" way to get in?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of a child at DKFI- I've never heard of any "back door" ways to get into the french immersion programs. After the kindergarten lottery, kids can test in at later grades (if there are openings in that grade). They have to show that they have the level of fluency equivalent to their peers at that grade level. I don't think this has ever been a secret, but perhaps that is what PP is referring to as a "back door" way to get in?

You can also change schools by changing boundaries - that isn't a secret either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of a child at DKFI- I've never heard of any "back door" ways to get into the french immersion programs. After the kindergarten lottery, kids can test in at later grades (if there are openings in that grade). They have to show that they have the level of fluency equivalent to their peers at that grade level. I don't think this has ever been a secret, but perhaps that is what PP is referring to as a "back door" way to get in?

Since were talking about expanding these programs, how do u like the actual program itself? Do u feel its worth expanding?

[Anonymous]

Absolutely- I would love to see it replicated, as well as expanded through HS. It is a successful program, and I think more kids should have the opportunity to experience immersion education. There was talk of making the program a K-12 "academy" years ago, before the economy tanked, but it was never realized. Overall, I have been very satisfied. Teachers, for the most part, are excellent, dedicated, and responsive. It has been great to watch my child become fluent in the language, and interacting with teachers from all over the world has really given him a broader world view. As with any school, there can be frustrations (communication from the administration, for instance, is often lacking), but they are outweighed by all the positives of the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely- I would love to see it replicated, as well as expanded through HS. It is a successful program, and I think more kids should have the opportunity to experience immersion education. There was talk of making the program a K-12 "academy" years ago, before the economy tanked, but it was never realized. Overall, I have been very satisfied. Teachers, for the most part, are excellent, dedicated, and responsive. It has been great to watch my child become fluent in the language, and interacting with teachers from all over the world has really given him a broader world view. As with any school, there can be frustrations (communication from the administration, for instance, is often lacking), but they are outweighed by all the positives of the school.

OP here- please send the form letter to county executive baker, maxwell, and your school board rep! Feel free to edit it to emphasize the need to expand these programs into high school. If enough people make their voices heard, maybe someone will listen!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm a parent of a child at DKFI- I've never heard of any "back door" ways to get into the french immersion programs. After the kindergarten lottery, kids can test in at later grades (if there are openings in that grade). They have to show that they have the level of fluency equivalent to their peers at that grade level. I don't think this has ever been a secret, but perhaps that is what PP is referring to as a "back door" way to get in?

You can also change schools by changing boundaries - that isn't a secret either.

Please explain. I don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely- I would love to see it replicated, as well as expanded through HS. It is a successful program, and I think more kids should have the opportunity to experience immersion education. There was talk of making the program a K-12 "academy" years ago, before the economy tanked, but it was never realized. Overall, I have been very satisfied. Teachers, for the most part, are excellent, dedicated, and responsive. It has been great to watch my child become fluent in the language, and interacting with teachers from all over the world has really given him a broader world view. As with any school, there can be frustrations (communication from the administration, for instance, is often lacking), but they are outweighed by all the positives of the school.

OP here- please send the form letter to county executive baker, maxwell, and your school board rep! Feel free to edit it to emphasize the need to expand these programs into high school. If enough people make their voices heard, maybe someone will listen!

With what magic funding do you propose the school district fund these expansion programs? The county voted down the proposal to increase taxes to provide more funding to the school district.

Our current school buildings are old and dilapidated and many in dire need of repairs. That work needs to come out of our current budget before any money can be used to expand specialty programs. It's too bad our county voted down the tax increase, but they did, so where are you going to get the money?

[Anonymous]

I don't know about you, but my property tax assessment increased this year....a LOT. I know what I pay is capped, but I am routinely shocked by what houses are selling for lately (gateway arts corridor). The problem is not money. When there is a will, there is a way.