How likely will a new mayor overturn the boundary changes?

[Anonymous]

I really like our new school zone. It's going to be a great fit for us. But from the few articles I've read, it sounds like Bowser and Catania will both overturn the new school boundary changes if elected. I know no one out there has a crystal ball but does anyone have a sense on how likely this is to happen? And when would the reversal be declared? Right after they are elected? Sometime before the DCPS lottery? I'm actually thinking about moving if the redistricting is reversed.

Thanks for shedding any light at all on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I really like our new school zone. It's going to be a great fit for us. But from the few articles I've read, it sounds like Bowser and Catania will both overturn the new school boundary changes if elected. I know no one out there has a crystal ball but does anyone have a sense on how likely this is to happen? And when would the reversal be declared? Right after they are elected? Sometime before the DCPS lottery? I'm actually thinking about moving if the redistricting is reversed.

Thanks for shedding any light at all on this.

Wow - that is different. Can I ask what change was made for you?

FWIW, I think some of the elementary boundary changes will be left alone because they're not controversial, or in your case - welcomed.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I really like our new school zone. It's going to be a great fit for us. But from the few articles I've read, it sounds like Bowser and Catania will both overturn the new school boundary changes if elected. I know no one out there has a crystal ball but does anyone have a sense on how likely this is to happen? And when would the reversal be declared? Right after they are elected? Sometime before the DCPS lottery? I'm actually thinking about moving if the redistricting is reversed.

Thanks for shedding any light at all on this.

Catania has only said that he would postpone the new boundaries for a year. He has not said that he would reverse or change them. However based on some other things has said he is likely to tweak the boundaries a bit.

[Anonymous]

Both candidates have said that they will undo the DME's plan. Catania has said that he will postpone it. Bowser has said it's not ready yet. But the law requires a one year notice before boundaries can be changed. And since the decision has already been made to change the boundaries I think it may require an additional year in order to revert back to the old boundaries. It's all sort of unclear and would likely be tested legally. But nevertheless the lottery is scheduled to launch on or around December 15. The new mayor will not take office until the first week of January. At that time the new mayor can undo the DME plan, but it's unclear how that would affect the lottery that has already launched based upon new boundaries,new requirements around out of boundary rules, preference for at risk children, mandatory access to preschool three and pre-K at title one schools, etc. if the candidates can't delay the launch of the lottery then it will be very difficult and chaotic for them to stop it and start over. And again there would be a legal question about whether or not the new mayor could immediately revert back to the old boundaries or if they would have to wait a year

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all PPs and Jeff too. 22:40's response makes my head spin but was not far from what I thought was happening. I appreciate people taking the time to clarify the situation as much as anyone can at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like our new school zone. It's going to be a great fit for us. But from the few articles I've read, it sounds like Bowser and Catania will both overturn the new school boundary changes if elected. I know no one out there has a crystal ball but does anyone have a sense on how likely this is to happen? And when would the reversal be declared? Right after they are elected? Sometime before the DCPS lottery? I'm actually thinking about moving if the redistricting is reversed.

Thanks for shedding any light at all on this.

Wow - that is different. Can I ask what change was made for you?

FWIW, I think some of the elementary boundary changes will be left alone because they're not controversial, or in your case - welcomed.

Oyster's boundary expanded southward, that would be my guess.

[Anonymous]

Not OP but we were zoned into Wilson's boundary. Prior to new changes, we had to attend our IB (Deal) in order to go to Wilson. So if a 9th grader moved into our neighborhood today he would go to Wilson. If new mayor haults the changes, kid would have to attend an inferior high school.

[Anonymous]

If the new mayor does make a change after one year, one open question will be how grandfathering is handled. If the new mayor follows precedent, the mayor will give grandfathering rights to those in any school. That means all kids who got added to a more popular school (Oyster for example) will arguably maintain the right to go there, along with all the new kids any future mayor "tweaks" into the boundary. Seems like overcrowding might get even worse if the new mayor makes changes to the existing plan.

[Anonymous]

Note that the Council can also change the law. In that case, it would not require another year to change the boundaries again. Such a Council vote would have to be able to override the current Mayor's possible veto though.

[Anonymous]

I read Catania saying he would pursue emergency legislation if he was elected in November. It is a close shave, but perhaps that would be enough time to revert the common lottery to last year's info on boundaries.

The other question is if the set-asides for at-risk students and title 1 automatic entry to pre k are meant to go into effect for next school year. Or is it just boundaries? Feeder patterns shouldn't matter for entry to schools next year since grandfathering should kick in.

[Anonymous]

The changes for at-risk students was not schedule to into effect next year, rather the following year (2016-17) after a taskforce meets to hammer out the details. But the OOB set asides would go into effect in 2015-16, as would the new proximity preferences. So even under the plan we would have a one year gap between the two (i.e. set asides without at-risk preferences).

[Anonymous]

It is change as soon as the swearing in ceremony is over on January 2, 2015. So, don't get your hopes up high...remember we are getting new councilmembers too and the wrangling will begin again...so the true boundary effects will not take place until 2017 at the earliest.

[Anonymous]

9:01 again: I think the Council will have to change the law to really stop the actual boundaries shifting. Once the lottery has launched it would be a huge deal to shift the boundaries again. That said, I can see the Council taking that move. On policy moves, that is less clear. It is not as big a deal to change set-asides and other preferences before the lottery results are announced. Still a problem because people will make choices based on those preferences, but I would think that the new mayor will feel less constrained to delay those sorts of changes if they is how they felt. But most of the outcry has been over boundaries shifting and potential new feeder patterns, and not other policies (though some of that too). For that I really think that either Bowser or Catania has to get the Council moving right away after the election. As someone mentioned on this thread and I believe Jeff did on another, Catania has already indicated his intention to move legislation immediately after the election. Whether it will be successful is another matter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I really like our new school zone. It's going to be a great fit for us. But from the few articles I've read, it sounds like Bowser and Catania will both overturn the new school boundary changes if elected. I know no one out there has a crystal ball but does anyone have a sense on how likely this is to happen? And when would the reversal be declared? Right after they are elected? Sometime before the DCPS lottery? I'm actually thinking about moving if the redistricting is reversed.

Thanks for shedding any light at all on this.

Wow - that is different. Can I ask what change was made for you?

FWIW, I think some of the elementary boundary changes will be left alone because they're not controversial, or in your case - welcomed.

Oyster's boundary expanded southward, that would be my guess.

Could be folks who are assigned to Van Ness now instead of Amidon-Bowen, or those in Shaw and Bloomingdale who are now assigned to Cleveland ES. There are definitely some people who feel like big winners in the redistricting process. Plus people who wanted to send their kids to PK at their neighborhood Title I school probably like the DME's guarantee they'll have a space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:9:01 again: I think the Council will have to change the law to really stop the actual boundaries shifting. Once the lottery has launched it would be a huge deal to shift the boundaries again. That said, I can see the Council taking that move. On policy moves, that is less clear. It is not as big a deal to change set-asides and other preferences before the lottery results are announced. Still a problem because people will make choices based on those preferences, but I would think that the new mayor will feel less constrained to delay those sorts of changes if they is how they felt. But most of the outcry has been over boundaries shifting and potential new feeder patterns, and not other policies (though some of that too). For that I really think that either Bowser or Catania has to get the Council moving right away after the election. As someone mentioned on this thread and I believe Jeff did on another, Catania has already indicated his intention to move legislation immediately after the election. Whether it will be successful is another matter.

I'm trying to imagine what incentive outgoing or otherwise unaligned CMs would have to pass emergency legislation to halt the boundary changes for either Bowser or Catania's benefit. I'm not coming up with much. Chaos would severely weaken the Mayor-elect...that's incentive plenty for political mischief.