Should DCPS be broken up into multiple districts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaking it up by Ward would actually make a lot of sense. Giving local control to the relevant Ward Council member would ensure better and more direct oversight of DCPS.

Wow, no, in what world does that make sense? First of all, what about those of us who live on the edge of the ward? My kid goes to a DCPS OOB in another Ward that is actually closer than our IB school (proximity preference). We are more connected to this school in terms of community too -- the ward boundary is arbitrary and doesn't really reflect the community.

Second, do you actually think Ward council members are qualified to oversee schools? Because I don't. I understand the debate over mayoral control but at least the mayor has a large staff and budget and can hire people to run the schools. I'd also be open to an elected school board, for the record. But no, I don't want my Ward Council rep, who has a relatively small office and budget and, from what I can tell, pretty limited understanding of school oversight, running the schools. That's insane. Also, ward reps are actually pretty busy doing other stuff. It just makes no sense. Would they all have an individual school chancellor under them? What on earth.

I don't understand the OPs goal in wanting to break up the school district. Why? Is it really just to segregate the rich kids from the poor kids? I honestly cannot think of any good reason that isn't just "I don't like having to prioritize the needs of poor kids in my school system."

Some examples include school lunches, requiring translators and screen time in schools. Many parents would prefer that schools have little to no screen time in k-8, while other parents decry that, because some kids do not have computers at home, so wouldn’t get exposure to computers if not at school.

As for school lunches, many parents do not want their kids to be able to get food they didn’t send in money for that day i.e. don’t want their kid getting cookies at lunch that they didn’t pay for. If lunch is free for everyone in the school, kids whose parents pack lunch for them will end up getting unhealthy food for free that their parents didn’t approve of. If the parents approved of it, they would’ve sent in lunch money that day. In schools with needier student bodies, universal free lunch makes more sense.

The very fact that your main concern is the impact of free lunches on how many cookies your kid eats indicates to me that maybe you don't understand the complexities of the public school system.

That’s fine, I will just send my kids to private & be yet another parent who does so. Happy now?

NP and teacher: very happy to not have parents like you in my room

Of course you do, you’re a public school teacher. You only want students whose parents tell you how awesome you are all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Breaking it up by Ward would actually make a lot of sense. Giving local control to the relevant Ward Council member would ensure better and more direct oversight of DCPS.

Wow, no, in what world does that make sense? First of all, what about those of us who live on the edge of the ward? My kid goes to a DCPS OOB in another Ward that is actually closer than our IB school (proximity preference). We are more connected to this school in terms of community too -- the ward boundary is arbitrary and doesn't really reflect the community.

Second, do you actually think Ward council members are qualified to oversee schools? Because I don't. I understand the debate over mayoral control but at least the mayor has a large staff and budget and can hire people to run the schools. I'd also be open to an elected school board, for the record. But no, I don't want my Ward Council rep, who has a relatively small office and budget and, from what I can tell, pretty limited understanding of school oversight, running the schools. That's insane. Also, ward reps are actually pretty busy doing other stuff. It just makes no sense. Would they all have an individual school chancellor under them? What on earth.

I don't understand the OPs goal in wanting to break up the school district. Why? Is it really just to segregate the rich kids from the poor kids? I honestly cannot think of any good reason that isn't just "I don't like having to prioritize the needs of poor kids in my school system."

Some examples include school lunches, requiring translators and screen time in schools. Many parents would prefer that schools have little to no screen time in k-8, while other parents decry that, because some kids do not have computers at home, so wouldn’t get exposure to computers if not at school.

As for school lunches, many parents do not want their kids to be able to get food they didn’t send in money for that day i.e. don’t want their kid getting cookies at lunch that they didn’t pay for. If lunch is free for everyone in the school, kids whose parents pack lunch for them will end up getting unhealthy food for free that their parents didn’t approve of. If the parents approved of it, they would’ve sent in lunch money that day. In schools with needier student bodies, universal free lunch makes more sense.

The very fact that your main concern is the impact of free lunches on how many cookies your kid eats indicates to me that maybe you don't understand the complexities of the public school system.

That’s fine, I will just send my kids to private & be yet another parent who does so. Happy now?

NP and teacher: very happy to not have parents like you in my room

Of course you do, you’re a public school teacher. You only want students whose parents tell you how awesome you are all the time.

You have perfectly described me, a public school teacher. We know nothing else but praise and appreciation

[Anonymous]

Breaking up DCPS by Ward would also make the system more equitable. That way each Ward council member could specifically tailor their local schools the specific needs of their community. Funding could also be more specifically targeted to particular needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Breaking up DCPS by Ward would also make the system more equitable. That way each Ward council member could specifically tailor their local schools the specific needs of their community. Funding could also be more specifically targeted to particular needs.

Well, I’d leave. The whole idea is laughable.

[Anonymous]

Lmao what a stupid idea

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The fact that I believe OP is well intentioned and people see nothing problematic about this approach is exactly why we need to have anti-racist conversations. And the fact that people will balk at that opinion is also a great reason.

I’m pretty sure OP is a troll who doesn’t even live in DC. Probably some Koch-funded twit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The fact that I believe OP is well intentioned and people see nothing problematic about this approach is exactly why we need to have anti-racist conversations. And the fact that people will balk at that opinion is also a great reason.

I’m pretty sure OP is a troll who doesn’t even live in DC. Probably some Koch-funded twit.

Small(er) school districts tend to be more expensive to run while being less bureaucratic. Parents, teachers and students all seem to prefer smaller districts, everything else being equal. Tax payers tend to favor consolidation.

Its one of those things that doesn't neatly map unto the classic left-right divide.

[Anonymous]

Let’s see. 50% truancy rates. 70% graduation rate.

Schools EOTR are unenrolled. Wonder why?

DC schools are failure factories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Let’s see. 50% truancy rates. 70% graduation rate.

Schools EOTR are unenrolled. Wonder why?

DC schools are failure factories.

You can’t fix bad parenting.

[Anonymous]

100 % bad parenting. If you don’t read to your kids, ask them questions and expose them to things they will be behind. Families who don’t value education have kids that are at the bottom. It’s so obvious across school districts. It is not race it is family values. The schools are left to fix everything and teachers get frustrated and quit. They can’t bring up kids reading three levels below with no help from home and shouldn’t be expected to.

[Anonymous]

Stop getting pregnant out of wedlock. If you do, get an abortion & or give the baby up for adoption.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Giving local control to relevant ward council member.”

You’ve lost your mind.

Wonder why every high school in DC except Jackson-Reed is below enrollment?”

The current system isn't working. We need to try something new and local control is part of the solution.

Look at the ES level, where there already is much more local control. And guess what?! Outcomes are generally a lot better at the ES level than MS or HS level.

”Local control” is code for “socioeconomic and racial segregation.”

Could you explain your reasoning? Right now you're just using big scary words to try to shut down this conversation. And please explain how the current system is better, which it's clearly not with so many students in DC failing.

Students in DC are not failing because the school district is too big. They are failing because of: poverty, failed family systems, stress and crime, institutionalized racism.

Splitting the school district up will not magically help these kids. It will just segregate them away from the kids who don't have these problems.

You want to split up the school district because you don't want to have to dedicate resources or policy focus towards children like this who have been dealt a terrible hand in life and need a lot more help than your kids do. In doing so, you won't actually help any of those kids -- they'll continue to struggle, and have even fewer options. But the schools in "your" district will be able to focus more on accelerated programming, enrichment for kids who already have all their other needs met, and other priorities of high income parents. It has nothing to do with your concern for the kids who are failing in DC. You just want to get them out of the way.

Please tell us the institutionalized racism that kids face in a system that has been controlled by black leadership for years. And I mean that honestly... be specific. Racism is not the same as disparate performance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Giving local control to relevant ward council member.”

You’ve lost your mind.

Wonder why every high school in DC except Jackson-Reed is below enrollment?”

The current system isn't working. We need to try something new and local control is part of the solution.

Look at the ES level, where there already is much more local control. And guess what?! Outcomes are generally a lot better at the ES level than MS or HS level.

”Local control” is code for “socioeconomic and racial segregation.”

Could you explain your reasoning? Right now you're just using big scary words to try to shut down this conversation. And please explain how the current system is better, which it's clearly not with so many students in DC failing.

Students in DC are not failing because the school district is too big. They are failing because of: poverty, failed family systems, stress and crime, institutionalized racism.

Splitting the school district up will not magically help these kids. It will just segregate them away from the kids who don't have these problems.

You want to split up the school district because you don't want to have to dedicate resources or policy focus towards children like this who have been dealt a terrible hand in life and need a lot more help than your kids do. In doing so, you won't actually help any of those kids -- they'll continue to struggle, and have even fewer options. But the schools in "your" district will be able to focus more on accelerated programming, enrichment for kids who already have all their other needs met, and other priorities of high income parents. It has nothing to do with your concern for the kids who are failing in DC. You just want to get them out of the way.

Please tell us the institutionalized racism that kids face in a system that has been controlled by black leadership for years. And I mean that honestly... be specific. Racism is not the same as disparate performance.

+1. Black head of schools, Black mayor. Black principals failing to perform. No - DCPS failures are not due to the catch all phrase for those unwilling or incapable of accepting responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s see. 50% truancy rates. 70% graduation rate.

Schools EOTR are unenrolled. Wonder why?

DC schools are failure factories.

You can’t fix bad parenting.

So the EOTR parents are bad?

My suspicion that the “bad parents” posters are just racists is getting stronger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s see. 50% truancy rates. 70% graduation rate.

Schools EOTR are unenrolled. Wonder why?

DC schools are failure factories.

You can’t fix bad parenting.

So the EOTR parents are bad?

My suspicion that the “bad parents” posters are just racists is getting stronger.

Parents who let their kids be truant, who send their kids to school hungry and who have horribly behaved kids are of course bad. Isn’t unique to any race, geography or nationality.