Moving from DCPS to Charter but commute is terrible

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are kids at our (hyper-desirable) charter who have hourlong commutes.

Which is so funny to me. Some of these parents acting like hamsters on a wheel, sweating to prepare their kids for a world that no longer exists.

Nobody has an hour commute unless they are coming from EOTR and if I lived there, hell yes, I would have my kid do that commute for a good middle/high school.

These families do it all the time who value education and don’t have a lot of options. I suggest you move to EOTP and send your kid to the schools there.

typo move EOTR

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

You're frustrated by your little scramble in elementary school and your solution is to burn down the city.

making all spots in all dcps schools subject to the lottery would be a whole lot fairer than what we do now, where we auction off spaces in the most desirable schools via housing prices while the least desirable schools are half empty. some of these schools are extremely underenrolled.

This is also the fastest way to improve the school system with ONE condition: people have to stay in. They can’t just flee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

You're frustrated by your little scramble in elementary school and your solution is to burn down the city.

making all spots in all dcps schools subject to the lottery would be a whole lot fairer than what we do now, where we auction off spaces in the most desirable schools via housing prices while the least desirable schools are half empty. some of these schools are extremely underenrolled.

This is also the fastest way to improve the school system with ONE condition: people have to stay in. They can’t just flee.

This is the fastest way to get people to flee DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

You're frustrated by your little scramble in elementary school and your solution is to burn down the city.

making all spots in all dcps schools subject to the lottery would be a whole lot fairer than what we do now, where we auction off spaces in the most desirable schools via housing prices while the least desirable schools are half empty. some of these schools are extremely underenrolled.

This is also the fastest way to improve the school system with ONE condition: people have to stay in. They can’t just flee.

This is one of the most evil suggestions I've seen on this website (and must be written by the parents of really young children).

Your kid experiencing bullying? or not being taught how to write, or do math properly, or learning incorrect science facts that will destroy their foundation for science for the rest of their lives? violence overtaking your classroom?

You opted in so you must stay and sacrifice your child.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are kids at our (hyper-desirable) charter who have hourlong commutes.

Which is so funny to me. Some of these parents acting like hamsters on a wheel, sweating to prepare their kids for a world that no longer exists.

Yes it's so funny how kids on food stamps who live in Anacostia will travel an hour to attend Latin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

You're frustrated by your little scramble in elementary school and your solution is to burn down the city.

making all spots in all dcps schools subject to the lottery would be a whole lot fairer than what we do now, where we auction off spaces in the most desirable schools via housing prices while the least desirable schools are half empty. some of these schools are extremely underenrolled.

It works for charters, of course, and has for many years, but somehow, someway it would be just impossible for DCPS too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are kids at our (hyper-desirable) charter who have hourlong commutes.

Which is so funny to me. Some of these parents acting like hamsters on a wheel, sweating to prepare their kids for a world that no longer exists.

Yes it's so funny how kids on food stamps who live in Anacostia will travel an hour to attend Latin.

+1. We had some of these kids at our immersion charter and now at DCI. Good for them.

PP above is so out of touch.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't do it, but I'm not you. 20 minutes feels like 30 minutes to me.
We have always lived within half a mile from schools.
I'd even abandon my house and rent next to IB school middle and high school for short walk.
I have many reasons to dislike long commute.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't do it, but I'm not you. 20 minutes feels like 30 minutes to me.
We have always lived within half a mile from schools.
I'd even abandon my house and rent next to IB school middle and high school for short walk.
I have many reasons to dislike long commute.

OK but walking a 1/2 mile to school is about 10 minutes there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't do it, but I'm not you. 20 minutes feels like 30 minutes to me.
We have always lived within half a mile from schools.
I'd even abandon my house and rent next to IB school middle and high school for short walk.
I have many reasons to dislike long commute.

How old are your kids? Middle schoolers and high schoolers can get themselves to school via public transit, and a 20-30 minute commute is no big deal because they don't have a return trip, and because they can see friends on the metro/bus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are kids at our (hyper-desirable) charter who have hourlong commutes.

Which is so funny to me. Some of these parents acting like hamsters on a wheel, sweating to prepare their kids for a world that no longer exists.

Yes it's so funny how kids on food stamps who live in Anacostia will travel an hour to attend Latin.

Both Latin campuses have EOTR bus stops. Highly doubt the parents are doing pickup/drop off in this scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't do it, but I'm not you. 20 minutes feels like 30 minutes to me.
We have always lived within half a mile from schools.
I'd even abandon my house and rent next to IB school middle and high school for short walk.
I have many reasons to dislike long commute.

How old are your kids? Middle schoolers and high schoolers can get themselves to school via public transit, and a 20-30 minute commute is no big deal because they don't have a return trip, and because they can see friends on the metro/bus.

+1. My kid takes public transit in 6th grade. It’s a game changer.

Terrible advice to stay at your IB elementary just so kid can walk to school for a few years. Then what? Move to the burbs because you don’t have a viable middle school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

You're frustrated by your little scramble in elementary school and your solution is to burn down the city.

making all spots in all dcps schools subject to the lottery would be a whole lot fairer than what we do now, where we auction off spaces in the most desirable schools via housing prices while the least desirable schools are half empty. some of these schools are extremely underenrolled.

It works for charters, of course, and has for many years, but somehow, someway it would be just impossible for DCPS too.

It works for charters because it's a *choice.*

A lot of people value neighborhood part of neighborhood schools and stay with DCPS because of that.

Note that it doesn't totally work for charters or you wouldn't c have charters opening up multiple campuses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing you may not realize when your kids are very young is that there's tons of good options when it comes to elementary schools, but as the child ages, the options get much, much worse. DCI is a massive improvement over MacFarland and Roosevelt, and a 20 minute commute seems fairly normal. And there's not a huge price difference between living in Petworth and living in Brightwood/Takoma/Shepherd Park, and you could end up moving closer to DCI eventually.

So true. Everyone is fighting for access to OOB schools, not because that school is much better than the neighborhood school, but because the guaranteed Middle is superior. The lottery here is infuriating. Maybe this could be fixed by getting rid of all guaranteed spots and having every middle be lottery.

You're frustrated by your little scramble in elementary school and your solution is to burn down the city.

making all spots in all dcps schools subject to the lottery would be a whole lot fairer than what we do now, where we auction off spaces in the most desirable schools via housing prices while the least desirable schools are half empty. some of these schools are extremely underenrolled.

It works for charters, of course, and has for many years, but somehow, someway it would be just impossible for DCPS too.

That’s not how charters work. Parents have to opt in to lottery into a charter. The parent has to be knowledgeable enough about the due dates, platforms, etc. A large portion of DC children do not live with parents who do that, for many different reasons.

What PP is suggesting is automatic lottery for every enrolled kid at any school. People would move out of DC in that scenario.

[Anonymous]

Also PP again but imagine a kid who lives next to Lafayette gets lotteried into a school across the river. Even if it were a “good school” who is going to do that commute for seven years?