DC Govt Employees Enrolling Kids in School Near Office

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Charters are allowed to give spots to their employees & staff. How is this any different?

How is it even remotely the same? The purpose of staff preference is to increase staff and teacher retention at the school. For immersion schools, it can bring in children who are native speakers.

It is providing an untaxed benefit to non-residents, and another great way to depress teacher wage at charters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Charters are allowed to give spots to their employees & staff. How is this any different?

How is it even remotely the same? The purpose of staff preference is to increase staff and teacher retention at the school. For immersion schools, it can bring in children who are native speakers.

It is providing an untaxed benefit to non-residents, and another great way to depress teacher wage at charters.

No, dear. Teachers and staff need to be DC residents to exercise staff preference. As far as depressing wages? Let the market sort it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Charters are allowed to give spots to their employees & staff. How is this any different?

How is it even remotely the same? The purpose of staff preference is to increase staff and teacher retention at the school. For immersion schools, it can bring in children who are native speakers.

It is providing an untaxed benefit to non-residents, and another great way to depress teacher wage at charters.

It's either a benefit, in which case it has value and therefore is part of the total comp package, or it has no value, in which case it has noting to do with wages. Are you really that stupid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Charters are allowed to give spots to their employees & staff. How is this any different?

How is it even remotely the same? The purpose of staff preference is to increase staff and teacher retention at the school. For immersion schools, it can bring in children who are native speakers.

The students have to be DC residents. Charters can't be providing slots to staff members' children who live in MD or VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And in fact, a couple of cops were recently slapped with a massive fine for sending their kids to Eaton, Deal and Wilson while they resided in MD.

Are they still on the force? One would hope not.

[Anonymous]

I wish this was real -I also wish they had a school down on K Street too, but they aren't going to do that.

The double commute is real and it sucks!

[Anonymous]

Principals used to have a lot more control over waitlists. Not so much anymore. Yes this has happened before and with a high ranking DCPS employee.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Principals used to have a lot more control over waitlists. Not so much anymore. Yes this has happened before and with a high ranking DCPS employee.

And former Mayor Fenty

[Anonymous]

Certain people in central office are able to do what they want by exercising their hierarchical power. Depends on who you are and who you know. Just like with all DC government staff. You think non-DC resident Gene Pinkard (kids attend better schools in MD) was already promised Chancellor role because it was done objectively? Come on. He went from being a below mediocre principal at Reed for a few years to instructional superintendent, was in that role for less than a year, then promoted to an arbitrarily created role "Deputy Director of Turnaround" during a time Kaya Henderson cut NUMEROUS central office positions. Kaya and Gene are Georgetown alumni (side note: Gene's degree is in religion theory or something along those lines and not in education. He got his education degree from a distant learning/online program offered by Trinity here in DC). Kaya expedited this because she knew she was going to step down a long time ago. Gene's in her inner circle, he's supported by Jennie Niles, Katherine Bradley, and the other DFER money people because he originally started in charter schools (Maya Angelou) because of his non-ed background, and he is a black male. None of this is a coincidence considering timing, it started when Black Lives Matter was most trending, Kaya got pressure because despite increased test scores the racial gap between black students is the most alarming in the country, which resulted in $25million tax dollars going toward an "Empowering Males of Color" initiative that was executed poorly, isn't slightly innovative, and ultimately represents yet again that just because you're a black leader doesn't mean you care about black students. Apparently this is another reason there's no way they'd put a non-black person as Kaya's replacement which is why John Davis is not a real possible candidate.

Apologies for my tangent but here's a clear current example that it's always about who you know and not about fairness (or competency and earning it) especially here in DC. It goes for the same for DC government staff. I work for DC gov and although well-connected I do not have the clout to get my kids into just any DCPS school. Fortunately, I am pleased with their in-boundary school!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certain people in central office are able to do what they want by exercising their hierarchical power. Depends on who you are and who you know. Just like with all DC government staff. You think non-DC resident Gene Pinkard (kids attend better schools in MD) was already promised Chancellor role because it was done objectively? Come on. He went from being a below mediocre principal at Reed for a few years to instructional superintendent, was in that role for less than a year, then promoted to an arbitrarily created role "Deputy Director of Turnaround" during a time Kaya Henderson cut NUMEROUS central office positions. Kaya and Gene are Georgetown alumni (side note: Gene's degree is in religion theory or something along those lines and not in education. He got his education degree from a distant learning/online program offered by Trinity here in DC). Kaya expedited this because she knew she was going to step down a long time ago. Gene's in her inner circle, he's supported by Jennie Niles, Katherine Bradley, and the other DFER money people because he originally started in charter schools (Maya Angelou) because of his non-ed background, and he is a black male. None of this is a coincidence considering timing, it started when Black Lives Matter was most trending, Kaya got pressure because despite increased test scores the racial gap between black students is the most alarming in the country, which resulted in $25million tax dollars going toward an "Empowering Males of Color" initiative that was executed poorly, isn't slightly innovative, and ultimately represents yet again that just because you're a black leader doesn't mean you care about black students. Apparently this is another reason there's no way they'd put a non-black person as Kaya's replacement which is why John Davis is not a real possible candidate.

Apologies for my tangent but here's a clear current example that it's always about who you know and not about fairness (or competency and earning it) especially here in DC. It goes for the same for DC government staff. I work for DC gov and although well-connected I do not have the clout to get my kids into just any DCPS school. Fortunately, I am pleased with their in-boundary school!

Wasn't one of the objections to Rhee as Chancellor that she wasn't black and therefore couldn't relate to black students? Some DC politicians and 'community leaders' said so quite openly.

[Anonymous]

Do you have any quotes from people saying that? In my opinion, Rhee did a great job reorganizing the central office and making tough cuts. This did not endear her to very many people. The changes she instituted in instruction are slowly being dismantled.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have any quotes from people saying that? In my opinion, Rhee did a great job reorganizing the central office and making tough cuts. This did not endear her to very many people. The changes she instituted in instruction are slowly being dismantled.

LOL lots of money for lots of folks doing nothing!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have any quotes from people saying that? In my opinion, Rhee did a great job reorganizing the central office and making tough cuts. This did not endear her to very many people. The changes she instituted in instruction are slowly being dismantled.

LOL lots of money for lots of folks doing nothing!!!!

Still an improvement over the earlier system where DCPS "Central" was full of political hacks and washed-out principals (quite a distinction when so many school principals were just awful), who rode desks into retirement. One of the biggest accomplishments under Rhee was denting the longstanding DC expectation that DCPS jobs were a lifetime employment entitlement for "the community."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Certain people in central office are able to do what they want by exercising their hierarchical power. Depends on who you are and who you know. Just like with all DC government staff. You think non-DC resident Gene Pinkard (kids attend better schools in MD) was already promised Chancellor role because it was done objectively? Come on. He went from being a below mediocre principal at Reed for a few years to instructional superintendent, was in that role for less than a year, then promoted to an arbitrarily created role "Deputy Director of Turnaround" during a time Kaya Henderson cut NUMEROUS central office positions. Kaya and Gene are Georgetown alumni (side note: Gene's degree is in religion theory or something along those lines and not in education. He got his education degree from a distant learning/online program offered by Trinity here in DC). Kaya expedited this because she knew she was going to step down a long time ago. Gene's in her inner circle, he's supported by Jennie Niles, Katherine Bradley, and the other DFER money people because he originally started in charter schools (Maya Angelou) because of his non-ed background, and he is a black male. None of this is a coincidence considering timing, it started when Black Lives Matter was most trending, Kaya got pressure because despite increased test scores the racial gap between black students is the most alarming in the country, which resulted in $25million tax dollars going toward an "Empowering Males of Color" initiative that was executed poorly, isn't slightly innovative, and ultimately represents yet again that just because you're a black leader doesn't mean you care about black students. Apparently this is another reason there's no way they'd put a non-black person as Kaya's replacement which is why John Davis is not a real possible candidate.

Apologies for my tangent but here's a clear current example that it's always about who you know and not about fairness (or competency and earning it) especially here in DC. It goes for the same for DC government staff. I work for DC gov and although well-connected I do not have the clout to get my kids into just any DCPS school. Fortunately, I am pleased with their in-boundary school!

Central office staff has abolutely no priority or preference to get into a school. I wish it did. The only advantage they have is having a better understanding of the principals, curriculum, etc. They know more about which schools might be better than they seem- but it's not really secret info. Just easier for them to come by. But they do the lottery just the same as everyone else. With added pressure to choose a DCPS school (not charter) if they want to advance their career.