DCPS exodus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I predict the return of the private tutor. Find an outstanding- but-disgusted-with-DCPS-bureaucracy-teacher, get a couple of families with kids in the same grades together, offer the teacher $150k or so for the school year, and there you go.

That sounds more expensive than private school and you don't even get the whole school experience.

Not if you get enough families together to participate - and I think $150K is way more than it would take to get a good teacher. I know plenty who would do if for half of that.

No you don't. 150k is the least that would be needed to lose the benefits (life, health, retirement) and long term job guarantee of DCPS. Maybe you could successfully poach a teacher from a charter school.

Unless you're trying to hire someone who's not a teacher.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And once UMC families start to leave, others will follow because families will panic when they think all their peers are leaving. And for families in Upper NW elementaries that feed to Deal they are watching that closely too. If it becomes clear that Deal will have to change significantly because of overcrowding (continuing hybrid indefinitely, considering cutting schools from the feeding pattern because Of space—it’s almost been 10 years since the last boundary review, etc) families will cut and run.

This will be fantastic for over crowding!!!!

Go go go!

Also Middle school is hell already. So much money to be made by shrinks from parents who are uprooting their kids at this time!!

Yes I’m trolling all these people w their theories. It’s hard. But saying you are going to shift two jobs, kids, sell a home (w the theory that everyone else is), etc. oh yeah and some of you are divorced- how does that happen?

Bye

I'll believe in the exodus when I no overcrowding at Deal next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And once UMC families start to leave, others will follow because families will panic when they think all their peers are leaving. And for families in Upper NW elementaries that feed to Deal they are watching that closely too. If it becomes clear that Deal will have to change significantly because of overcrowding (continuing hybrid indefinitely, considering cutting schools from the feeding pattern because Of space—it’s almost been 10 years since the last boundary review, etc) families will cut and run.

This will be fantastic for over crowding!!!!

Go go go!

Also Middle school is hell already. So much money to be made by shrinks from parents who are uprooting their kids at this time!!

Yes I’m trolling all these people w their theories. It’s hard. But saying you are going to shift two jobs, kids, sell a home (w the theory that everyone else is), etc. oh yeah and some of you are divorced- how does that happen?

Bye

I’m one of the PP who mentioned moving. I don’t understand why people (someone?) keeps mentioning listing homes on here?? It’s bizarre. I know many families who left this past year and none of them got rid of their homes (yet). I wouldn’t sell until at least the end of next school year, and that’s if we like the new city and living so much we decide to make the bigger permanent move. The default plan would be to move back when everything is settled and reenroll at whichever grade my kids are then in. The point is that my upper middle class kids will be even more ahead of less advantaged peers since they were able to get not just adequate but great education during these couple/few years while their peers had to suffer with DCPS’ subpar joke of “schooling” through this crap. If we see that our DCPS school doesn’t get back to prepandemic capabilities, we will stick to Catholic around here (or move to the new city permanently, if we end up falling in love during this next year)

[Anonymous]

We already bought a second home in a republican area where schools are open. We are moving there. It’s clear DCPS will never open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Budgets are based on enrollment projections so once central office sets school budgets to final that will be a school’s enrollment target. So they’ll go to the waitlist to fill to that number. Our school lost lots of kids this year. So our draft budget has less unrestricted money (we are getting some federal $ but it can’t be spent on staffing).

People disregarding the idea that people will leave are underestimating. Families with the most wealth typically have the best jobs where continued telework will be an option. Also, lots of these families have grandparents or other family where they can decamp to for schools. Our family has a second home in another state where we could move overnight. The point is, people with money usually have options and if those are the people moving that’s a healthy part of the tax base that could be leaving.

This. Our top tax bracket family will simply not have another year of anything less than 5 day a week school. We have choices.

[Anonymous]

I will homeschool next year if they do not open schools - I feel like I am already

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Budgets are based on enrollment projections so once central office sets school budgets to final that will be a school’s enrollment target. So they’ll go to the waitlist to fill to that number. Our school lost lots of kids this year. So our draft budget has less unrestricted money (we are getting some federal $ but it can’t be spent on staffing).

People disregarding the idea that people will leave are underestimating. Families with the most wealth typically have the best jobs where continued telework will be an option. Also, lots of these families have grandparents or other family where they can decamp to for schools. Our family has a second home in another state where we could move overnight. The point is, people with money usually have options and if those are the people moving that’s a healthy part of the tax base that could be leaving.

This. Our top tax bracket family will simply not have another year of anything less than 5 day a week school. We have choices.

Will you will be paying taxes in DC?

[Anonymous]

OK so disregard the details, I think the impetus the posters here mention is somewhat real. People are dissatisfied. I think it may not amount to much more than aligning with other decisions to move out of the metro area or moving to the suburbs rather than DC. We're the urban moms, so that's not all of us, but people have this city or suburb decision to make at several points in life and it can tip different ways based on the factors in play. Like, why isn't remote work the a game changer? Maybe because you aren't dwelling on it in your own mind?

Now, I totally expect people who move to the suburbs to SAY that it was "DCPS not reopening!!!!" when if you forced them to tell the whole truth not shaded by rhetoric or later changes in memory, it would only be one factor of many.

Justifications can be changing and fickle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bye! Oh wait, you aren't going anywhere. Please stop having public temper tantrums. It makes you look a fool.

When you use the phrase "temper tantum,"

1. You sound like an a**hole and also kind of stupid

2. We know you're one of those people WTU pays to harass parents on DCUM because "temper tantrum" is one of their lame-o talking points

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What happens to schools (in any/every) ward if families leave DCPS if schools do not open in the fall?

Enrollment is already falling, and it will accelerate if schools dont completely reopen this fall.

I dont know why that would be surprising. People don't stick around in the DC area long, even before the pandemic. If schools remain closed this fall, even as they're open across most of the rest of the country, obviously people will vote with their feet.

We're leaving if schools don't reopen. We're not wedded to living here and our kids actually do need to get an education. We're also sick of WTU's antics.

[Anonymous]

I’ve heard of several families applying to privates at our Deal feeder, and others have already pulled their kids out for private. These are all Democrats, and all people who were really active in the school and believe in public schools.

I don’t think there will be a mass exodus—I’ve heard from families re: Catholic school acceptances that this year is tough given the number of apps. But I do think several OOB seats will open up in each grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bye! Oh wait, you aren't going anywhere. Please stop having public temper tantrums. It makes you look a fool.

When you use the phrase "temper tantum,"

1. You sound like an a**hole and also kind of stupid

2. We know you're one of those people WTU pays to harass parents on DCUM because "temper tantrum" is one of their lame-o talking points

+1

[Anonymous]

We have started talking about sending our Deal MS daughter to live with her grandmother in NY for next year.

We can't relocate as we have other kids in private - but for a teenager missing another year of peer interactions and real education is too much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will homeschool next year if they do not open schools - I feel like I am already

This. I'm homeschooling on the teacher's schedule.

[Anonymous]

Enrollment had already fallen by about 1000 kids as of Oct. of last year. And it has only declined further. There will be another decline when they get enrollment figures overall - though of course in demand schools can always backfill their individual numbers through the waitlist.

Which is all to say, this is a real thing- though it make appear like a trickle instead of a flood. But even a trickle is a problem for a school system that spent decades on trying to boost confidence and buy in.