Ward 3 - Wilson feeders meeting last night: did anyone attend?
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Anonymous
Many thanks for the summary, Brian. And thanks for taking a public role in pushing for progress on these issues. What can the rest of us do to push for progress? Just fill out DCPS's survey, or something more? Is it effective to email comments to DCPS, or is that a waste of energy? Maybe emails to ANC reps or City Council members? Does rabble-rousing here on DCUM help or hurt? You're more active in this than any of us, so you probably know better what's productive and what's counter-productive. Advice needed please. |
Anonymous
More people voting for change as opposed to the same-old-same-old DC status quo. Until you have the ear of the majority of elected officials, you can forget about your frustration making a difference. It will continue to provide ad revenue for Jeff though, so make sure to vent on DCUM. 
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Anonymous
And then she lost Ward 3 in the general election to David Catania. Some of us are independent thinkers and not party sycophants. Unfortunately, not enough. |
Anonymous
Slide 14 is alarming for wilson! |
Anonymous
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Catania had no real chance since he wasn't the Democratic nominee. But the fact that Catania beat Bowser in Wards 2 and 3, and essentially tied her in Ward 6, ought to make her nervous.
https://www.dcboe.org/election_info/election_results/2014/November-4-General-Election https://www.dcboe.org/election_info/election_results/2014/April-1-Primary-Election The bottom line is that Ward 3 voted heavily in Bowser's favor in the primary. |
Anonymous
She went right in the primary and left in the general. Until DC isn't hopeless one-party the corruption will continue. At least we don't have a vote in Congress. |
Anonymous
And I'm actually thankful that DC superior and court of appeals judges are recommended locally but vetted and confirmed at the federal level. Imagine what it would be like if the DC mayor appointed judges. It would make the judiciary branches of Cook County and Louisiana look clean by comparison. |
Anonymous
| I'm not sure what the point of this survey is. Ward 3 parents spoke clearly during the last boundary review that they want high performing, uncrowded, neighborhood schools. Period. Nothing has changed. |
Anonymous
She only won because in the primary Karl Racine had Vince Gray dangling by one leg into the pokey with his dirty campaign schenanigans. Catania in the general election merely shows how weak she will be as a "real" candidate. Can you imagine a Racine-Gray-Bowser primary, it will be a crazy!! |
Anonymous
That way, each new school district could choose its own priorities. The Ward 3 district could spend more on speciality teachers, enrichment programs and a rigorous, transparent contracting process. Another district in DC might choose to prioritize a large central office, longterm. deadwood school system jobs for "the community," and crony contracting (and favorable school placements) for the politically well-connected. |
Anonymous
+100 |
Anonymous
Karl Racine was not involved AT ALL in investigating Gray. It was a federal / US attorneys office investigation. |
Anonymous
A bunch of cities did this in the 1970's -- the white parts of town formed their own school districts to avoid desegregation. St. Louis and Atlanta come to mind. The long-term result was lawsuits and rancor. |
Anonymous
I cannot claim to be an expert by any means. People here have accused me of being naive, and perhaps I am. But my sense is that DCPS wants to do something (i.e. this is not just a show), even if that something is not what we might want them to do in the end. Indeed, the problem at some schools (like Deal and Wilson) is acute enough that they have to. My sense of the solutions on the table now is that we have brought most of them (of course, a lot of it is throwing any idea at the problem and seeing what sticks). DCPS has offered some but frankly not a lot. But I do believe they are open to ideas. In the short term especially, we are going to have to be really creative about looking for solutions (if you have any that you can think of, please email me at w3ednet@gmail.com) So I do think that filling out the survey will help. And writing in suggestions will help. I will say that just/only telling DCPS to do the things it has already said it will not do (end OOB feeder rights, remove schools, and redraw boundaries) is probably of more limited use. I won't say that will no impact, but you probably have more impact throwing weight behind other solutions since those are more likely. (*** Let me say more on the OOB and boundary issue in another post.) But I do think writing letters to the Mayor, DME, and Chancellor can also help (of course, carbon copy the Council, DCPS.Planning@dc.gov, and me if you wouldn't mind). In part, I think letters help because you can be more expansive in a letter than you can in the survey. And it does take more effort to write a letter, so you signal motivation. Brian W3EdNet |
Anonymous
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On the OOB rights and boundaries issues.
I hesitate to say more on this because I don't have a lot of clarity, and I realise that these issues are extremely sensitive. But at our last meeting, DCPS tried to clarify that it is ruling out ending OOB feeder rights and widespread redrawing boundaries, but that "Reduce OOB seats offered" and "School-level boundary adjustments" were possible for elementary schools. I don't know what either would actually entail, but if I do, I would be happy to share it. I can wildly speculate. Could mean smaller boundary adjustments between elementary schools within the feeder if that were to make sense? And on OOB could mean limiting offering OOB slots after some grade or changing the policy about moving out of bounds and remaining at school? But again these are *guesses* not actual information. Brian W3EdNet |