GDS admissions

[Anonymous]

I've spent years driving my kids by GDS to get them to Janney in the morning. The idea that there is too much congestion is simply overblown.

[Anonymous]

This was hilarious! Shaw has been head of school for 14 years and has no understanding of how pickups and drop off impact the neighborhood. Also he does not understand “DC transportation” drop off rules for a school! Guess he never read the agreement he signed?

In an interview last week, Shaw told me he wants more clarity from D.C. transportation officials about the dropoff rule. GDS is already responsible for counting each car that pulls up to deliver or retrieve a kid.

“If somebody drops their child off at Mazza Gallerie and walks here, are we meant to be able to police the five miles of Wisconsin Avenue?”

He is telling parents to drop off anywhere but not at the school so the school can lower their car count? That is pretty slimy! He does not even report the drop off numbers for years and no one is checking the car count. I am sure the count is always well below the allowed number

Dude just report the numbers- enrollment and car count. Make sure you do it on time and make the numbers match what is in the agreement. There is no independent audit and you have an at large council member on your board to run interference. How incompetent are you to let it get to this point?

A woman HOS would have read the agreement and been proactive with the neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've spent years driving my kids by GDS to get them to Janney in the morning. The idea that there is too much congestion is simply overblown.

Janney’s start time is 8:35. GDS is 8(Lower/Middle School) and 8:15(high school). Yep you would not run in to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

It's something. When an organization agrees to something and it doesn't follow through, that undermines its credibility. You can just imagine the slippery slope arguments some people might make . . .

To me, that’s the thing. While I don’t particularly care about the traffic issue, the notion that school made a deal with the community and then brazenly violated the deal is outrageous. This is exacerbated by the outwardly facing raison d’etre of the school. Either it was an honest mistake (which, candidly, seems nearly impossible and signals total inc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've spent years driving my kids by GDS to get them to Janney in the morning. The idea that there is too much congestion is simply overblown.

Janney’s start time is 8:35. GDS is 8(Lower/Middle School) and 8:15(high school). Yep you would not run in to it.

HS is 8:45 start time. There's overlap, for sure.

[Anonymous]

While I don’t particularly care about the traffic issue, the notion that school made a deal with the community and then brazenly violated the deal is outrageous. This is exacerbated by the outwardly facing raison d’etre of the school. Either it was an honest mistake (which, candidly, seems nearly impossible and signals total incompetence if true) or was permitted by the HoS and/or board (which is outrageous).

That’s the issue. It’s teaching kids that a deal is a deal and that they have to keep their word - not just the cars on Wisconsin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This was hilarious! Shaw has been head of school for 14 years and has no understanding of how pickups and drop off impact the neighborhood. Also he does not understand “DC transportation” drop off rules for a school! Guess he never read the agreement he signed?

In an interview last week, Shaw told me he wants more clarity from D.C. transportation officials about the dropoff rule. GDS is already responsible for counting each car that pulls up to deliver or retrieve a kid.

“If somebody drops their child off at Mazza Gallerie and walks here, are we meant to be able to police the five miles of Wisconsin Avenue?”

He is telling parents to drop off anywhere but not at the school so the school can lower their car count? That is pretty slimy! He does not even report the drop off numbers for years and no one is checking the car count. I am sure the count is always well below the allowed number

Dude just report the numbers- enrollment and car count. Make sure you do it on time and make the numbers match what is in the agreement. There is no independent audit and you have an at large council member on your board to run interference. How incompetent are you to let it get to this point?

A woman HOS would have read the agreement and been proactive with the neighbors.

This is a pretty hateful interpretation of Shaw's words. Once again, the ANC is twisting words and making assumptions that GDS administrators and parents have only the worst intentions. Russell is NOT telling parents to drop off anywhere. No one with any objectivity would interpret that response in that way except for someone who seems to have a chip on his shoulder about the school. The school reminds parents in every single weekly communication about transportation rules. The school requires parents to sign off on a transportation agreement every year upon enrollment. The school give every single family an individualized transportation plan every year. These would all be admissible legally as evidence that the school is not shirking its duties to comply with the MOU.
And, btw, there are a lot of reasons why parents might drop off a student at Friendship or Tenley, including dropping off a spouse at the metro.
The ANC head appears full of spite and hatred and ill-will. It's really ugly and unbecoming. I truly do not understand how he got elected by the good people of our neighborhood. It's a terrible look. He lacks any semblance of class or decorum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t particularly care about the traffic issue, the notion that school made a deal with the community and then brazenly violated the deal is outrageous. This is exacerbated by the outwardly facing raison d’etre of the school. Either it was an honest mistake (which, candidly, seems nearly impossible and signals total incompetence if true) or was permitted by the HoS and/or board (which is outrageous).

That’s the issue. It’s teaching kids that a deal is a deal and that they have to keep their word - not just the cars on Wisconsin.

What exactly is the "brazen violation"? There is none. Read the MOU before you spout false assertions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've spent years driving my kids by GDS to get them to Janney in the morning. The idea that there is too much congestion is simply overblown.

Janney’s start time is 8:35. GDS is 8(Lower/Middle School) and 8:15(high school). Yep you would not run in to it.

My kid goes early for band so I do head over there around that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t particularly care about the traffic issue, the notion that school made a deal with the community and then brazenly violated the deal is outrageous. This is exacerbated by the outwardly facing raison d’etre of the school. Either it was an honest mistake (which, candidly, seems nearly impossible and signals total incompetence if true) or was permitted by the HoS and/or board (which is outrageous).

That’s the issue. It’s teaching kids that a deal is a deal and that they have to keep their word - not just the cars on Wisconsin.

What exactly is the "brazen violation"? There is none. Read the MOU before you spout false assertions.

Well, the HoS open admitted that they over-enrolled. Is that not correct? And is that not a brazen violation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This was hilarious! Shaw has been head of school for 14 years and has no understanding of how pickups and drop off impact the neighborhood. Also he does not understand “DC transportation” drop off rules for a school! Guess he never read the agreement he signed?

In an interview last week, Shaw told me he wants more clarity from D.C. transportation officials about the dropoff rule. GDS is already responsible for counting each car that pulls up to deliver or retrieve a kid.

“If somebody drops their child off at Mazza Gallerie and walks here, are we meant to be able to police the five miles of Wisconsin Avenue?”

He is telling parents to drop off anywhere but not at the school so the school can lower their car count? That is pretty slimy! He does not even report the drop off numbers for years and no one is checking the car count. I am sure the count is always well below the allowed number

Dude just report the numbers- enrollment and car count. Make sure you do it on time and make the numbers match what is in the agreement. There is no independent audit and you have an at large council member on your board to run interference. How incompetent are you to let it get to this point?

A woman HOS would have read the agreement and been proactive with the neighbors.

This is a pretty hateful interpretation of Shaw's words. Once again, the ANC is twisting words and making assumptions that GDS administrators and parents have only the worst intentions. Russell is NOT telling parents to drop off anywhere. No one with any objectivity would interpret that response in that way except for someone who seems to have a chip on his shoulder about the school. The school reminds parents in every single weekly communication about transportation rules. The school requires parents to sign off on a transportation agreement every year upon enrollment. The school give every single family an individualized transportation plan every year. These would all be admissible legally as evidence that the school is not shirking its duties to comply with the MOU.
And, btw, there are a lot of reasons why parents might drop off a student at Friendship or Tenley, including dropping off a spouse at the metro.
The ANC head appears full of spite and hatred and ill-will. It's really ugly and unbecoming. I truly do not understand how he got elected by the good people of our neighborhood. It's a terrible look. He lacks any semblance of class or decorum.

All that transportation stuff sounds great bug what are the consequences when families don’t follow their plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t particularly care about the traffic issue, the notion that school made a deal with the community and then brazenly violated the deal is outrageous. This is exacerbated by the outwardly facing raison d’etre of the school. Either it was an honest mistake (which, candidly, seems nearly impossible and signals total incompetence if true) or was permitted by the HoS and/or board (which is outrageous).

That’s the issue. It’s teaching kids that a deal is a deal and that they have to keep their word - not just the cars on Wisconsin.

What exactly is the "brazen violation"? There is none. Read the MOU before you spout false assertions.

Well, the HoS open admitted that they over-enrolled. Is that not correct? And is that not a brazen violation?

I wonder, with that sense of entitlement, what they are teaching all day long.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:While I don’t particularly care about the traffic issue, the notion that school made a deal with the community and then brazenly violated the deal is outrageous. This is exacerbated by the outwardly facing raison d’etre of the school. Either it was an honest mistake (which, candidly, seems nearly impossible and signals total incompetence if true) or was permitted by the HoS and/or board (which is outrageous).

That’s the issue. It’s teaching kids that a deal is a deal and that they have to keep their word - not just the cars on Wisconsin.

What exactly is the "brazen violation"? There is none. Read the MOU before you spout false assertions.

Well, the HoS open admitted that they over-enrolled. Is that not correct? And is that not a brazen violation?

]
I would not call that a "brazen violation." That is an unexpected consequence of COVID--admissions yields were totally unpredictable for any private school from elementary all the way up to colleges and universities. Anyone who is at all familiar with school admissions can testify that this has been the case since 2020 with the start of the pandemic.
The HOS admitted in the video that they dropped the ball on submitting a report about the over-enrollment and submitted it late, and moreover said that the school was going to reduce admissions acceptances this year to compensate, which makes sense because admissions yields are becoming more predictable now that COVID seems to be more or less behind us. Give GDS a fine for a late filing. Do not blow this up into deranged arguments about the HOS urging parents to commit fraud.

[Anonymous]

Are there real consequences for over-enrollment?

[Anonymous]

You choose to live in a neighborhood near a 75 year old school with 1000 students. Most people consider this when looking for a new house. Yes, I am sure it sucks but you went into it with your eyes wide open.