Question for those who are doing the DCPS lotteries-- why did you choose to live where you live?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand the posts that say "we bought a house 10 years ago and didn't think we could have kids." You can't put your house on the market in the 4 years (at least) that you knew that you had one?

Why don't we just get honest with each other and say we love our bigger homes that we would never be able to afford in a neighborhood with a great IB school. I think all of you who keep harping on the OP even asking the question are full of shit. You want a big house, close to work and you want your kid to go to a good school. Nothing wrong with that right? Not so much in DC. See, you start crowding out my kids who live in a tiny space because I made a choice that my kids' education is more important and moved accordingly. You preach diversity and gentrification as long you don't have to send your kids to the same schools. Puhhleeaseee

In other words, I hope none of you get in my kids' school.

I am a pp who has lived in my condo for nine year. It is a two-bedroom condo. I have no desire for a big house. I want walkability. I want museums. I want easy, daily access to culture for my kid. I also want diversity. My child's school is extremely diverse, and we absolutely love it. It will now go up through high school, continuing the language immersion that we sought. Moreover, I love the culture of the school, and I am quite attached to the community of my neighborhood. I love where I live, I love raising a child here, and I love my child's school. Education is our top priorit as well, and we are able to have that in our magnificent school. Bilinguilism is very important, and my five-year-old is completely bilingual. Biliteracy is imortant to us, and my child is learning to read in two languages simultaneously. Moreove, I don't think tht education stops at the school. Living where we live makes it easy for us to go to museums frequently and to travel to learn about other cultures. It is not a compromise, it is a choice.

On the other hand, there was a time when I was concerned. My neighborhood isn't one that was previously thought of as good for children. We would have had to move or go to private school. At that time, we would have lost a lot of money if we had sold. We bought in 2004 with zero down payment. It took a long time for the market to improve and realtor's fees are high. It is only now that we have accumulated a lot of equity that we would be able to sell without an unaffordable loss. But, again, I have no desire to move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

of course! Gambling on your children's education out of purely selfish purposes makes you so much smarter.

I don't see it as gambling; I see it as an expression of different values. Living in an economically diverse, dense neighborhood and not being slaves to our mortgage displays characteristics we most want our children to see. If school doesn't work out by the time the oldest is 7, we'll move. But if there's a chance of having the life we love and an OK school, why not try for it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Not sure I understand the hate. If it matters, I live in a DC neighborhood with a good IB school. When we bought our house, we did not have kids and it wasn't on the horizon. But I am glad we decided not to buy in some of these other neighborhoods because now we don't have to stress about schools.

My friends who are in the lottery boat all report that they wanted to live in their particular neighborhoods because of commute, liked the diversity/urban flavor of their neighborhoods, and view the lottery as just the cost of living there. Others have moved out of the city upon hitting school age.

So really, if we boil it down, your post is nothing more than smug, self-congratulatory blather disguised as some sort high-minded research? Please go away now.

This. Bully for you OP that you can afford to live in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in DC and send your kid to great school. We are all SOOOOOOO happy for you. But some of us are real mortals with student loan debt and jobs that we love instead of ones that consume our souls for money. Why the fuck do you care how we live our lives and why?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here who defended you. I get that my kids have guaranteed admission, but look what's happening with Deal and Wilson and it's because high numbers of OOB kids. That's what I'm talking about.

Wilson and Deal were built on the backs of OOB families who stuck with those schools when they weren't so great but held promise. Now that they are doing great Ward 3 parents who can't afford private anymore want to cash in at Wilson and Deal adn close the borders. It's not going to happen. Kaya is now talking about getting rid of ALL borders for Deal and Wilson. Hooray!

And how could she possibly accommodate everyone in the city? Does she plan to open more schools?

And just so we are clear, I have ABSOLUTELY nothing against children attending better schools. Some people truly can't afford to live in a good school district. Wilson is full of kids from SE and I see nothing wrong with that. It's people who clearly have good jobs, but choose the size of the house and how hip the neighborhood is over their kids' education that piss me off.

People who think they have the right to be pissed off about how other people choose to live their lives piss me off. So I guess we're all even now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

of course! Gambling on your children's education out of purely selfish purposes makes you so much smarter.

I don't see it as gambling; I see it as an expression of different values. Living in an economically diverse, dense neighborhood and not being slaves to our mortgage displays characteristics we most want our children to see. If school doesn't work out by the time the oldest is 7, we'll move. But if there's a chance of having the life we love and an OK school, why not try for it?

This is me. Only I can't afford to buy. Single parent, income under $70K, the only places I can afford are the ones with crappy IB schools. We got into a middle of the road charter last year and will be participating in the lottery again this year. If we don't get in anywhere, we'll stay for one more year at the current charter and then move out of the city as my son is getting to the age where school starts to make a big difference. I really don't want to move to the suburbs, esp because it will increase my commute and cut down on my time with my son, but I'll deal with it if I have to. I like not being dependent on a car and I love living in the city. I can't afford a house unless I go hours out, so if I'm going to be in a small apartment, I may as well be in a fun, walkable neighborhood.

Living in our area allowed me to rent a 2bd apartment instead of a studio and keeps my commute under 20min by Metro, giving me more time with him. It also means I only have to pay for aftercare instead of both before and aftercare. I priced it out and the little extra I pay in rent in DC is less than what I'd pay in increased childcare costs in MD or VA.

Living where we do means that I've got to roll the dice or settle for an ok school for a few years, but that extra bedroom, lower childcare cost and extra hour or two with my kid each day has been and will continue to be more than worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

of course! Gambling on your children's education out of purely selfish purposes makes you so much smarter.

I don't see it as gambling; I see it as an expression of different values. Living in an economically diverse, dense neighborhood and not being slaves to our mortgage displays characteristics we most want our children to see. If school doesn't work out by the time the oldest is 7, we'll move. But if there's a chance of having the life we love and an OK school, why not try for it?

This is me. Only I can't afford to buy. Single parent, income under $70K, the only places I can afford are the ones with crappy IB schools. We got into a middle of the road charter last year and will be participating in the lottery again this year. If we don't get in anywhere, we'll stay for one more year at the current charter and then move out of the city as my son is getting to the age where school starts to make a big difference. I really don't want to move to the suburbs, esp because it will increase my commute and cut down on my time with my son, but I'll deal with it if I have to. I like not being dependent on a car and I love living in the city. I can't afford a house unless I go hours out, so if I'm going to be in a small apartment, I may as well be in a fun, walkable neighborhood.

Living in our area allowed me to rent a 2bd apartment instead of a studio and keeps my commute under 20min by Metro, giving me more time with him. It also means I only have to pay for aftercare instead of both before and aftercare. I priced it out and the little extra I pay in rent in DC is less than what I'd pay in increased childcare costs in MD or VA.

Living where we do means that I've got to roll the dice or settle for an ok school for a few years, but that extra bedroom, lower childcare cost and extra hour or two with my kid each day has been and will continue to be more than worth it.

I'm in the exact same situation as you, single mom, make 70K, and I rent a one bedroom across the street from the school. The commute door to door is 40 min. Also only pay for aftercare.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP here who defended you. I get that my kids have guaranteed admission, but look what's happening with Deal and Wilson and it's because high numbers of OOB kids. That's what I'm talking about.

Wilson and Deal were built on the backs of OOB families who stuck with those schools when they weren't so great but held promise. Now that they are doing great Ward 3 parents who can't afford private anymore want to cash in at Wilson and Deal adn close the borders. It's not going to happen. Kaya is now talking about getting rid of ALL borders for Deal and Wilson. Hooray!

And how could she possibly accommodate everyone in the city? Does she plan to open more schools?

And just so we are clear, I have ABSOLUTELY nothing against children attending better schools. Some people truly can't afford to live in a good school district. Wilson is full of kids from SE and I see nothing wrong with that. It's people who clearly have good jobs, but choose the size of the house and how hip the neighborhood is over their kids' education that piss me off.

People who think they have the right to be pissed off about how other people choose to live their lives piss me off. So I guess we're all even now.

Not even close since nothing I do impacts you.

[Anonymous]

We moved to Washington DC specifically for Washington Yu Ying. Chinese language education is very important to us. We bought a house in a great neighborhood (Brookland area) that is near Yu Ying and affordable. There is no way we could have anything close to the educational experience we get at Yu Ying if we had moved to the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

I admire all the families that found a house they like and have found schools that work for them through the lottery process or otherwise. That is great.

What I get frustrated with (and I know I will get flamed) is every year as the lottery approaches and through the end of summer there are rampant complaints about how unreasonable it is that there are no good schools in particular neighborhoods and it is "not fair" that some school is hard to get into and blah, blah, blah about the how all the schools that are working are in [insert negative reference here] sector of the city.

I completely agree that we should do everything we can to bring good educational opportunities to children throughout the city, many of which are raised in families that do not have real choices about where they can live and what their options are. Of course that is the goal.

HOWEVER, most of the people complaining on here are not families with no choices. Most of the people complaining on here are complaining because they knew the risks and took their chances and it has not (yet) worked out for them.

People who start threads about where they should buy a house are told not to worry about schools because there are charters.

Charters are great, but they are not guaranteed and we all know that. We all realize we are taking a risk if we have children and live in a neighborhood without a desirable school. AND the only options are not JKLM. Most people that comment on here have the wherewithal to find a neighborhood and a school for their child if the charters do not work out. But they do not like the cost (small house, long commute, boring suburbs, whatever). They do, however, have choices.

I am not a risk taker, I live in a boring upper NW neighborhood in a small house with a crappy kitchen and a great IB school. I will not feel guilty for making these choices and having the benefit of the schools. I tried some lotteries because the schools sounded great, but I have zero luck.

I am not superior, I am just different. Lots of people do well with other choices, I did not have the stomach for the risk. but I do get annoyed when the complaints are framed as is the city pulled the rug out from under them. Everyone knew what the schools were like and what the risks were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I can't help but to feel your "troll-ish" question is really just a judgemental vent about your "friend" in Brooklyn.

OP here. It's not a trollish vent about my Brooklyn friend (her choices are her choices, and don't affect me at all, so no need to vent). But they are thoughts I've had about her situation (which I see echoed on these boards) that I have not said to her face because it would be rude. But on an annoymous forum, I can ask it because I am curious not just for the life choices issue, but where these neighborhoods even are. It's interesting to me that with all the gentrification that's gone on in DC over the last decade (with tons of families in Mt. Pleasant and the Hill and other areas) that the elementary schools are still not good enough to attend.

I just wanted to chime in that this last part is true. You can spend over $1 million on a home in many of the closer in neighborhoods and parts of Capitol Hill and not get a good IB school. We did it because we value the short commute and living in a mixed use neighborhood and honestly didnt really think about schools (which in hindsight was dumb). If we hadn't gotten a spot at a good charter, we would have moved (still trying to meet those obejctives as best we could) and paid a lot more attention to the school boundaries (probably shooting for Ross or Brent).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I admire all the families that found a house they like and have found schools that work for them through the lottery process or otherwise. That is great.

What I get frustrated with (and I know I will get flamed) is every year as the lottery approaches and through the end of summer there are rampant complaints about how unreasonable it is that there are no good schools in particular neighborhoods and it is "not fair" that some school is hard to get into and blah, blah, blah about the how all the schools that are working are in [insert negative reference here] sector of the city.

I completely agree that we should do everything we can to bring good educational opportunities to children throughout the city, many of which are raised in families that do not have real choices about where they can live and what their options are. Of course that is the goal.

HOWEVER, most of the people complaining on here are not families with no choices. Most of the people complaining on here are complaining because they knew the risks and took their chances and it has not (yet) worked out for them.

People who start threads about where they should buy a house are told not to worry about schools because there are charters.

Charters are great, but they are not guaranteed and we all know that. We all realize we are taking a risk if we have children and live in a neighborhood without a desirable school. AND the only options are not JKLM. Most people that comment on here have the wherewithal to find a neighborhood and a school for their child if the charters do not work out. But they do not like the cost (small house, long commute, boring suburbs, whatever). They do, however, have choices.

I am not a risk taker, I live in a boring upper NW neighborhood in a small house with a crappy kitchen and a great IB school. I will not feel guilty for making these choices and having the benefit of the schools. I tried some lotteries because the schools sounded great, but I have zero luck.

I am not superior, I am just different. Lots of people do well with other choices, I did not have the stomach for the risk. but I do get annoyed when the complaints are framed as is the city pulled the rug out from under them. Everyone knew what the schools were like and what the risks were.

OP here. Thanks PP. You made my points more eloquently than I could have.

[Anonymous]

Even if we'd bought inbounds for JKLM, we still would have opted for Yu Ying. Good thing we got lucky in the lottery, and get to keep our big house.

[Anonymous]

So, I'll be honest.

We moved to Ward 5 because it's close to my husband's hospital (he's a surgical resident), close to where I teach (a local university), and because we wanted a house with a yard. We were tired of the hassle of living in NW (we lived in a house in Georgetown for five years before moving across town), and we settled on Brookland for its established neighborhood feel, exciting recent development, large lots, and number of families. I have 2 tiny kids and 2 dogs, and I freaking love all of this space. Love it. I love that my husband and I don't commute an hour to go 4 miles to work, and that we get to spend that precious too-little time with our kids instead. I love that we have block parties with our neighbors. I love that I can still walk to the metro. And while I may not love my in-bounds school, I am very pleased with some other neighborhood DCPS schools, and VERY pleased with the charter options nearby in Ward 5.

We also always knew we'd be playing the lottery for charters no matter what, and luckily many of those charters are close to our chosen neighborhood. I have always guessed that we'd be happier at a charter than at an in-bounds DCPS. Private school isn't really an option for us financially, not for at least another 5 years at least. No, I don't have any idea of whether we'll be 'successful.' So I'm playing the odds like anyone else. Right now, I'm doing the lottery for DCPS, yes, BUT I am also choosing all schools that are within "proximity," although not necessarily our in-bounds--not a single NW choice on there. I'm applying to every charter that is a reasonable option for us. We'll keep doing the lottery until we're happy, and if we hit kindergarden or 1st and are still unhappy with our spot, we'll consider other options. However, that's two years from now, and much can change before then.

Whether we end up in PCS or DCPS, our kids will go to school in the neighborhood where we live. You have to realize that some families who are doing the OOB lottery aren't just focusing on schools on the Hill or in NW--just better neighborhood choices.

I'm an involved, educated, and practical parent. Yes, I chose a larger house in an up-and-coming neighborhood instead of staying in our "safe" choice in NW. And we have never been happier. I wouldn't want to raise my kids in the neighborhoods with "good" in-bounds schools for a host of reasons.

[Anonymous]

We chose our rowhouse for the location: less than a mile to work. We're from Manhattan and liked not having a car. Did not care about schools b/c we assumed DC would go to private schools like both his parents.

Turned out the only school that offered immersion Mandarin which we wanted for DC was a public charter. Applied to YY and private schools. Got into privates and YY. Easy choice, we really want Mandarin. Got a car and gained 20+lbs. lol! But other than that no complaints. DC loves school and we do too

[Anonymous]

OP is trolling.

She started this thread because the other thread were she was antagonizing me, a mom who makes 60K a year, and others like me, who couldn't afford to rent a one bedroom in her neighborhood, was winding down and she wanted to throw her own poo around some more on another thread. I dared to suggest it's hard on some families having to enter the lottery at 3 or 4 if families weren't ready yet and she slammed everyone having the conversation as entitled. I thought she was raging because she worried I might be trying to change the system to her childrens' detriment, but it turns out she just wanted to take pot shots at people less fortunate than her. How nice. What a big girl you must feel like, OP.

We live in ward 5 in a small home, under 1200 s, in a minority neighborhood with poor IB schools because that is what our family could afford. You know, they let us poors have computers and a wifi connection these days. Shocking, I know!

I could not afford to move to ANY communities in the DC area with good in bound schools. Not even loudoun county, OP, as you slammed me with on the first thread. What is wrong with you, OP, that you are going this far out of your way to make me and others like me feel like shit?

We get that you're rich (or are pretending to me - something doesn't feel right about your post and I think you are a pretender). I also think you're way insecure about everyone else's choices. Even for these boards, your investment in your "brooklyn" friends choices, as well as all of ours, comes across as majorly pathetic. You got so pissed, OP, on the other thread when folks called you a troll. Way to confirm.

Also, the supportive PP is a sock puppet. Probably the OP posting from her phone on her errands. Because she posted the "biggest house in the hippest community" post on the other thread, too, the language and style is identical. What a shitty person.