Wards Five & Six - Let's Make "Deals"

[Anonymous]

You quoted me and I had not responded yet, but I agree w/ the PP. A few stops. Basically, kids could walk/be driven to a part of the ward not too far away and pick up a bus that will take them to school.

What do you think, Ward 5 and 6 parents? Would having a combined middle school be beneficial to us all?

[Anonymous]

Compounding that unhappiness is that Ward 6 — the gentrified locus of a parent-driven elementary school revival — successfully negotiated a plan with Rhee to strengthen programs at the ward’s existing three middle schools (Stuart-Hobson, Eliot-Hine and Jefferson).

Maria Jones, an African American Ward 5 parent, told the council that her community was stampeded by Rhee into accepting the closures — and the creation of several consolidated Pre-K-8 campuses that don’t adequately meet the needs of middle school students — while Ward 6 was accommodated.

Jones said it was not a matter of middle- and working-class parents in Ward 5 failing to speak out, “contrary to what Jonetta Rose Barras wrote in her City Paper article.” Barras wrote last month that school reform in Wards 5, 7 and 8 has not taken hold in part because the black middle class abandoned neighborhood schools to send children outside the ward.

“The wealthy and well-organized Ward 6 parents casually networked over bubbly wine and cheese and presented a school plan to Chancellor Rhee that she lauded and immediately implemented,” said Jones, parent of a former John Burroughs Education Campus student. “Hats off to Ward 6 parents for using your money, power and influence to create an ideal school community.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Compounding that unhappiness is that Ward 6 — the gentrified locus of a parent-driven elementary school revival — successfully negotiated a plan with Rhee to strengthen programs at the ward’s existing three middle schools (Stuart-Hobson, Eliot-Hine and Jefferson).

Maria Jones, an African American Ward 5 parent, told the council that her community was stampeded by Rhee into accepting the closures — and the creation of several consolidated Pre-K-8 campuses that don’t adequately meet the needs of middle school students — while Ward 6 was accommodated.

Jones said it was not a matter of middle- and working-class parents in Ward 5 failing to speak out, “contrary to what Jonetta Rose Barras wrote in her City Paper article.” Barras wrote last month that school reform in Wards 5, 7 and 8 has not taken hold in part because the black middle class abandoned neighborhood schools to send children outside the ward.

“The wealthy and well-organized Ward 6 parents casually networked over bubbly wine and cheese and presented a school plan to Chancellor Rhee that she lauded and immediately implemented,” said Jones, parent of a former John Burroughs Education Campus student. “Hats off to Ward 6 parents for using your money, power and influence to create an ideal school community.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-schools-insider/post/wells-to-ward-5-dont-demagogue-by-demographics/2011/09/08/gIQAgbO1CK_blog.html

[Anonymous]

Stuart Hobson is pretty good but has a ways to go. Don't know that there is anything ideal about Jefferson and Eliot Hine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Compounding that unhappiness is that Ward 6 — the gentrified locus of a parent-driven elementary school revival — successfully negotiated a plan with Rhee to strengthen programs at the ward’s existing three middle schools (Stuart-Hobson, Eliot-Hine and Jefferson).

Maria Jones, an African American Ward 5 parent, told the council that her community was stampeded by Rhee into accepting the closures — and the creation of several consolidated Pre-K-8 campuses that don’t adequately meet the needs of middle school students — while Ward 6 was accommodated.

Jones said it was not a matter of middle- and working-class parents in Ward 5 failing to speak out, “contrary to what Jonetta Rose Barras wrote in her City Paper article.” Barras wrote last month that school reform in Wards 5, 7 and 8 has not taken hold in part because the black middle class abandoned neighborhood schools to send children outside the ward.

“The wealthy and well-organized Ward 6 parents casually networked over bubbly wine and cheese and presented a school plan to Chancellor Rhee that she lauded and immediately implemented,” said Jones, parent of a former John Burroughs Education Campus student. “Hats off to Ward 6 parents for using your money, power and influence to create an ideal school community.”

Yeah, but Ms. Jones doesn't really know the first thing about what happened in the creation of the Ward 6 middle school plan. She has some sort of fantasy about wine and cheese. I can tell you first-hand it was more like hundreds of hours of meetings, consensus building and drafting of proposals. Hundreds of hours when the people working on it weren't with their kids, weren't with their spouses, weren't relaxing and in many cases, were skipping dinner instead of missing meetings. No wine, no cheese. And no great results, either. I can see why Ward 5 wants more attention on their schools and their educational issues. But trying to play like someone else got it the easy way is just wrong.

[Anonymous]

Ward 6 Middle School plan was/is little more than a pat on the head by Rhee during a politically sensitive time. She lauded it and accepted it in order to get votes for Fenty and the plan made no real change to the status quo. No real change on the horizon, I'm afraid.

[Anonymous]

A lot of Ward 6 inhabitants didn't vote for Fenty last time around and lost Rhee in the process, and that also includes parents who PP claims got favors regarding schools. I think what makes parents in Ward 6 successful advocates for their schools (and that's not just a Fenty era phenomenon) is that they understand that they have to work with whatever administration is in place. And they'll do that again, whether with Fenty/Rhee or Gray/Henderson or someone else. From a political point of view, totally opportunistic or at least pragmatic but from the point of view of children and sustaining the improvement of DCPS it's the right thing to do. If the current political setup should foster a Ward 5/6 middle school deal, great! Ward 6 parents will be behind it I'm sure.