Jonetta Barras says what everyone is thinking

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
NP here. So you've decided that Rhee knows best what schools should be closed and Ward 5 residents couldn't possibly be right about what has happened. That Rhee doesn't make mistakes and anyone who gets angry is just afraid of "change."

You've demonstrated Rhee's problem -- she makes mistakes and can't admit to it. If anyone gets pissed off, well, she doesn't care because she just really really cares about the children and she's the only one who can save them. She really does have a savior complex.

Ok, one last time, though I get the sense you really don't want to understand. *Some* schools need to be closed. This is because of demographic trends. There just aren't enough children living in DC to populate the facilities that DCPS owns. Period.

So the only question is, "Which schools are going to be closed?" I'm not even going to address *which* specific schools should or should not be closed. But whichever schools are closed will piss off some non-significant minority of DC voters.

This is so trivial a point, it doesn't even qualify as an argument. It's just a fact.

Now *your* argument is that, all that notwithstanding, folks have a right to keep their local school open. It's a nice thought, but exactly the kind of thinking that gets us back into the dysfunctional Hell that DC was in the bad ole days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
NP here. So you've decided that Rhee knows best what schools should be closed and Ward 5 residents couldn't possibly be right about what has happened. That Rhee doesn't make mistakes and anyone who gets angry is just afraid of "change."

You've demonstrated Rhee's problem -- she makes mistakes and can't admit to it. If anyone gets pissed off, well, she doesn't care because she just really really cares about the children and she's the only one who can save them. She really does have a savior complex.

Ok, one last time, though I get the sense you really don't want to understand. *Some* schools need to be closed. This is because of demographic trends. There just aren't enough children living in DC to populate the facilities that DCPS owns. Period.

So the only question is, "Which schools are going to be closed?" I'm not even going to address *which* specific schools should or should not be closed. But whichever schools are closed will piss off some non-significant minority of DC voters.

This is so trivial a point, it doesn't even qualify as an argument. It's just a fact.

Now *your* argument is that, all that notwithstanding, folks have a right to keep their local school open. It's a nice thought, but exactly the kind of thinking that gets us back into the dysfunctional Hell that DC was in the bad ole days.

Sorry, but your reading comprehension is lacking. I didn't say that people had a right to keep their local school open. I don't live in Ward 5 and I don't know whether the schools should have been closed. What I said was that you had decided that Rhee couldn't possibly be mistaken in closing any of those schools. Given that I have seen where she made bad mistakes in relation to the schools I do know in Ward 2, I know that she is not infallible and that sometimes her judgment is flawed. You have faith that Rhee made the right decision. I don't. And I think belittling the residents of Ward 5 as if they were just a bunch of whiners isn't exactly an effective argument -- especially when it's entirely possible that Rhee just blew it.

[Anonymous]

What I said was that you had decided that Rhee couldn't possibly be mistaken in closing any of those schools.

Ahh. Ok, now I see where you went off the rails.

My argument:

You can talk about how everyone would've been happy as a clam if only Rhee had done differently whatever pissed you off personally. But everyone is not you. If she'd addressed your particular concerns, it would've pissed off someone else.

For the third time, I don't know if Rhee made the right decisions in closing which particular school, etc... What I do know is that *some* schools had to be closed. Furthermore, whatever schools were closed would have pissed people off.

You responded by arguing that closing underutilized schools is *completely* different from closing underutilized military bases because, wait for it "The purpose of the military base was not to serve the local population. The benefits to the local economies were incidental. Therefore they had no right to expect the based to stay. Public schools are another matter entirely."

In other words, parents have a right to expect every local public school to stay open indefinitely because the purpose of those schools is to serve the local population. (i.e. folks in-boundary).

I'm assuming you're just a sloppy reader, and not incapable of understanding the ramifications of your position.

[Anonymous]

You have faith that Rhee made the right decision.

Just one last thing before I leave you to continue your internal dialogue. It would be helpful if you could actually quote where I say this, rather than inventing this argument out of whole cloth and assigning it to me.

kthxbai

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some plans are better than others. The only way to know is to dig into the specific decisions. This is something that is done in every city and county, all the time - school boundaries, zoning changes, roads, you name it. Most of those elected officials manage to get things done without getting booted out of office, because the governments find a way to address the biggest community complaints while still getting things done. This one did not.

Just came across this comical little gem. Yes, you're right. Most governments do do this. Only the manifestly broken ones, governed by a dysfunctional electorate, and with a history of making the wrong decisions do not. Unfortunately, DC falls into the latter camp.

[Anonymous]

NP.

IIRC, the issue goes beyond which schools were closed to how it was communicated. I believe that when the announcement was made that some two dozen schools were to be closed, every single school called a meeting on short notice and the principal announced the decision to the parents. It was impossible for Rhee and/or Fenty to attend all of these meetings, because they were scheduled simultaneously. They just wanted to get it over and done with and not have to listen to any feedback or even answer any questions. It was breathtakingly arrogant. It couldn't have been a more insulting and patronizing treatment of the families unless she had used their report cards as toilet paper.

"Compromise and consensus-building are over-rated in my book." (Michelle Rhee)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP.

IIRC, the issue goes beyond which schools were closed to how it was communicated. I believe that when the announcement was made that some two dozen schools were to be closed, every single school called a meeting on short notice and the principal announced the decision to the parents. It was impossible for Rhee and/or Fenty to attend all of these meetings, because they were scheduled simultaneously. They just wanted to get it over and done with and not have to listen to any feedback or even answer any questions. It was breathtakingly arrogant. It couldn't have been a more insulting and patronizing treatment of the families unless she had used their report cards as toilet paper.

"Compromise and consensus-building are over-rated in my book." (Michelle Rhee)

Rhee could have either spent months (if not years) explaining schools closures, listening to the inevitable pissed off parents and holding people's hands or spent that time working on another of the many serious issues being faced by DCPS. Meanwhile, DC youth suffer. Your choice!! DC has voted, to the detrimment of DC Youth.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP.

IIRC, the issue goes beyond which schools were closed to how it was communicated. I believe that when the announcement was made that some two dozen schools were to be closed, every single school called a meeting on short notice and the principal announced the decision to the parents. It was impossible for Rhee and/or Fenty to attend all of these meetings, because they were scheduled simultaneously. They just wanted to get it over and done with and not have to listen to any feedback or even answer any questions. It was breathtakingly arrogant. It couldn't have been a more insulting and patronizing treatment of the families unless she had used their report cards as toilet paper.

"Compromise and consensus-building are over-rated in my book." (Michelle Rhee)

Rhee could have either spent months (if not years) explaining schools closures, listening to the inevitable pissed off parents and holding people's hands or spent that time working on another of the many serious issues being faced by DCPS. Meanwhile, DC youth suffer. Your choice!! DC has voted, to the detrimment of DC Youth.

I keep reading and re-reading your cheerleading for autocracy and wondering why you think we're the ones that don't get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP.

IIRC, the issue goes beyond which schools were closed to how it was communicated. I believe that when the announcement was made that some two dozen schools were to be closed, every single school called a meeting on short notice and the principal announced the decision to the parents. It was impossible for Rhee and/or Fenty to attend all of these meetings, because they were scheduled simultaneously. They just wanted to get it over and done with and not have to listen to any feedback or even answer any questions. It was breathtakingly arrogant. It couldn't have been a more insulting and patronizing treatment of the families unless she had used their report cards as toilet paper.

"Compromise and consensus-building are over-rated in my book." (Michelle Rhee)

Rhee could have either spent months (if not years) explaining schools closures, listening to the inevitable pissed off parents and holding people's hands or spent that time working on another of the many serious issues being faced by DCPS. Meanwhile, DC youth suffer. Your choice!! DC has voted, to the detrimment of DC Youth.

No, that's what bad managers think. They see other people solely as obstacles to their goal. Leaders know how to bring the people along with them.

[Anonymous]

And the PP assume that a seriously broken system can be brought along. While DCPS has many many good teachers, DCPS has been broken for so long due primarily to the resistance of the entire system, including admin types, teachers, unions, ed board, etc. DCPS is certainly not the only system that requires radical change creating the inevitable controversy. Look everybody knew Detroit had too many dealerships, too many brands, too many factories, etc. But Detroit (including management and unions) did nothing about it, for decades. The Great Recession, Federal Bailout and Bankruptcy have forced Detroit to radically restructure quickly. Detroit appears to be in much better shape as a result.

[Anonymous]

WHAT have you seen Detroit lately. You are insane if you think Detroit is in better shape now that town is totally lost. I have family members there.

[Anonymous]

NP here.

Part of the problem is as described by Dorrie at 21:23. The other part of the problem is that in assigning which schools would close, and which would remain open, it is clear that the community, at least near Brookland and other parts of Ward 5, were scratching its head because of recent modernization which had taken place at some of the facilities designated for closure. In other cases, it is clear that facilities were being mothballed because of their redevelopment potential and not because the school was underperforming (albeit under enrolled).

So yes, when a community endures a facilities upgrade for two years and then is told in year 4 that the facility is being closed, without input or ability for redress, that is problematic.

These kinds of scenarios played out all over the city, east of the park, yet the west of the park crowd doesn't seem to get it, primarily because the Ward 3 and Ward 3 schools are over subscribed and those residents have no idea of the kind of engagement took place before Rhee.

[Anonymous]

*Ward 2 and Ward 3 schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WHAT have you seen Detroit lately. You are insane if you think Detroit is in better shape now that town is totally lost. I have family members there.

I think the PP was referring to the car companies (GM, Chrysler, and Ford) when the reference to Detroit was made. All 3 car companies are in substantially better shape than several years ago. Detroit, as a city, is unfortunately not in good shape, as you no doubt know better than I.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

What I said was that you had decided that Rhee couldn't possibly be mistaken in closing any of those schools.

Ahh. Ok, now I see where you went off the rails.

My argument:

You can talk about how everyone would've been happy as a clam if only Rhee had done differently whatever pissed you off personally. But everyone is not you. If she'd addressed your particular concerns, it would've pissed off someone else.

For the third time, I don't know if Rhee made the right decisions in closing which particular school, etc... What I do know is that *some* schools had to be closed. Furthermore, whatever schools were closed would have pissed people off.

You responded by arguing that closing underutilized schools is *completely* different from closing underutilized military bases because, wait for it "The purpose of the military base was not to serve the local population. The benefits to the local economies were incidental. Therefore they had no right to expect the based to stay. Public schools are another matter entirely."

In other words, parents have a right to expect every local public school to stay open indefinitely because the purpose of those schools is to serve the local population. (i.e. folks in-boundary).

I'm assuming you're just a sloppy reader, and not incapable of understanding the ramifications of your position.

PP, I am not the person arguing about military bases. Go back to my original post and you will see that it starts with

NP here.

Again, your reading comprehension is lacking.