DCPS exodus

[Anonymous]

People come and go all the time in every major city so it's no big deal. DC flips a little with every administration. I suspect people base things on their peer group which is not all of DC--probably a very small percentage. Families have been here for decades so the impact will be minimal. DCPS will just fill slots from waitlists and everything will continue. What a lot of people don't fully grasp is that DC is as close to recession proof as this country gets. All jobs and industries are suspect during a pandemic-remote or not.....

[Anonymous]

Why are people apparently so certain that DCPS won't open in the fall? They're clearly going to have SOME distance learning for kids who can't or won't return to school; we know that. The fact that they're planning for that doesn't seem like reason to assume the worst.

There's also no way they're going to announce (or decide) in March what the plans for August or September are. We have no idea what the epidemic is going to look like in a few weeks, let alone a few months. Would you be happier if they promised open schools and then closed them? Or does it maybe make some sense to wait and see, given that this whole once-in-a-lifetime (I hope) situation continues to evolve?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Enrollment had already fallen by about 1000 kids as of Oct. of last year. And it has only declined further. There will be another decline when they get enrollment figures overall - though of course in demand schools can always backfill their individual numbers through the waitlist.

Which is all to say, this is a real thing- though it make appear like a trickle instead of a flood. But even a trickle is a problem for a school system that spent decades on trying to boost confidence and buy in.

+1. This doesn't even account for those who enrolled but aren't logging on.

[Anonymous]

Well, we're hoping to use this uncertainty to maybe come out ahead for once in the nightmare that is the lottery system. I listed half a dozen Wilson feeders on our kindergarten lottery list and will gladly deal with another year of pod tutors if it gets us into the Wilson feeder pathway. Better than having to settle for mediocre academics in the HRCS or move to MoCo in a few years. Luckily it's "only" kindergarten and my DC is good at DL, so between that and DC's tutor, we can muddle through. Fingers crossed for anyone else in our shoes, may the odds be ever in your favor!

[Anonymous]

DC's population constantly goes up, but the share of the population that is under the age of 18 is steadily declining so it's easy to miss. We have more people, but fewer children.

[Anonymous]

We don’t plan to leave, but if DCPS isn’t 5 days a week in fall, my husband or I will quit our job or request a leave of absence. We’re muddling through now, but I just don’t see doing this another year without significant mental health costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are people apparently so certain that DCPS won't open in the fall? They're clearly going to have SOME distance learning for kids who can't or won't return to school; we know that. The fact that they're planning for that doesn't seem like reason to assume the worst.

There's also no way they're going to announce (or decide) in March what the plans for August or September are. We have no idea what the epidemic is going to look like in a few weeks, let alone a few months. Would you be happier if they promised open schools and then closed them? Or does it maybe make some sense to wait and see, given that this whole once-in-a-lifetime (I hope) situation continues to evolve?

Because some people like to be outraged, and they will even work themselves up into a froth over something that hasn't even happened yet. Yes, I'll be upset if DCPS isn't open, or at least substantially more open than it is now, in the fall, assuming that the vaccination rollout continues and all adults who want to be vaccinated are able to be vaccinated by August. But I don't see the point in borrowing trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why are people apparently so certain that DCPS won't open in the fall? They're clearly going to have SOME distance learning for kids who can't or won't return to school; we know that. The fact that they're planning for that doesn't seem like reason to assume the worst.

There's also no way they're going to announce (or decide) in March what the plans for August or September are. We have no idea what the epidemic is going to look like in a few weeks, let alone a few months. Would you be happier if they promised open schools and then closed them? Or does it maybe make some sense to wait and see, given that this whole once-in-a-lifetime (I hope) situation continues to evolve?

Because our experience is that between DCPS and WTU, we've seen that we often end up in the "worst case scenario." The lack of leadership from all parties, the lack of care about kids and working parents, all suggests that DCPS (and particularly the mayor) won't move at anything but a glacial pace.

Plus, frankly, the politics in DC are squarely against opening. It's racist to want to open.

[Anonymous]

what happened to the thread about "dc parents are weak"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what happened to the thread about "dc parents are weak"?

Probably got deleted because someone went off about something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why are people apparently so certain that DCPS won't open in the fall? They're clearly going to have SOME distance learning for kids who can't or won't return to school; we know that. The fact that they're planning for that doesn't seem like reason to assume the worst.

There's also no way they're going to announce (or decide) in March what the plans for August or September are. We have no idea what the epidemic is going to look like in a few weeks, let alone a few months. Would you be happier if they promised open schools and then closed them? Or does it maybe make some sense to wait and see, given that this whole once-in-a-lifetime (I hope) situation continues to evolve?

Because our experience is that between DCPS and WTU, we've seen that we often end up in the "worst case scenario." The lack of leadership from all parties, the lack of care about kids and working parents, all suggests that DCPS (and particularly the mayor) won't move at anything but a glacial pace.

Plus, frankly, the politics in DC are squarely against opening. It's racist to want to open.

Also, have you seen ANYTHING AT ALL from the mayor or OSSE discussing the possibility of changing the guidelines that make it impossible to open in full capacity?

[Anonymous]

They will be open.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Enrollment had already fallen by about 1000 kids as of Oct. of last year. And it has only declined further. There will be another decline when they get enrollment figures overall - though of course in demand schools can always backfill their individual numbers through the waitlist.

Which is all to say, this is a real thing- though it make appear like a trickle instead of a flood. But even a trickle is a problem for a school system that spent decades on trying to boost confidence and buy in.

+1. This doesn't even account for those who enrolled but aren't logging on.

Or the thousands of kids who the school system has simply lost track of.

[Anonymous]

We aren't rich, but if DCPS doesn't open, considering sending my son up to NJ to live with his grandparents so that he could attend school. We would lose our spot in a top DC elementary school, but have considered moving out of the city in the next couple of years anyways... we just wouldn't be ready to sell before this fall.

[Anonymous]

Yeah I think if anything the schools issue may just push forward people's decisions to move. A lot of people I know had always intended to get out of DC after elementary, and now they are just doing so earlier. Does it matter? Does anyone care? Don't know.