What's it like to be in a new charter school in its first year?

[Anonymous]

13:39, I agree with all that you've written. Your point about YY continuing to employ parents became terrifically obvious with regards to the ED job. Instead of doing a search for a qualified candidate they made her position into 3 positions, all staffed by parents. It was divided between the principal (who is already stretched too thin) and two more parents that they hired on. It is beyond founder syndrome and it is simply not sustainable. Please YY Board of Trustees, begin to listen to what your base is saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13:39, I agree with all that you've written. Your point about YY continuing to employ parents became terrifically obvious with regards to the ED job. Instead of doing a search for a qualified candidate they made her position into 3 positions, all staffed by parents. It was divided between the principal (who is already stretched too thin) and two more parents that they hired on. It is beyond founder syndrome and it is simply not sustainable. Please YY Board of Trustees, begin to listen to what your base is saying.

Why does it matter if parents are hired if they are qualified? I would think that you would get people who throw themselves into the job, who have a vested interest in the success of the school. My child attended a DCPS where most of the teachers had kids at the school. I saw that as a strength. I keep hearing parent hires as a criticism of YY (on DCUM, not at the school), but I don't see any examples of how it has been detrimental to the school. Is it only because parents apply to these jobs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:13:39, I agree with all that you've written. Your point about YY continuing to employ parents became terrifically obvious with regards to the ED job. Instead of doing a search for a qualified candidate they made her position into 3 positions, all staffed by parents. It was divided between the principal (who is already stretched too thin) and two more parents that they hired on. It is beyond founder syndrome and it is simply not sustainable. Please YY Board of Trustees, begin to listen to what your base is saying.

Yeah, I'll just bet people are lining up around the block to work long hours just to have the pleasure of people like you armchair quarterbacking every chance they get!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm going to chime in despite 13:17 (although I agree with them). I don't know of any parents who are up at arms about the current PA. As far as I'm concerned the PA is doing exactly what it is supposed to be doing--for now that's working hard on the gala and addressing issues of concern to parents. An informal survey about bullying is perfectly appropriate to take the temperature of the school. I love YY but the defensiveness of the administration is bizarre and exhausting. If there was nothing to worry about they shouldn't feel threatened. If not, well, they need to deal with the reality. Like it or not, how the parents feel about the school is important. Now, to take this back to the question at hand. I would say it's critical in any new school to get people into the administration who are NOT parents and NOT founders who can deal objectively with bumps in the road. This should be blindingly obvious and yet YY continues to only hire parents. If any admin types are reading this please, please take this under consideration.

This.
"I think what happens is the vast majority of YY parents who are happy stay quiet. We've learned that to respond only invites more drama."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:13:39, I agree with all that you've written. Your point about YY continuing to employ parents became terrifically obvious with regards to the ED job. Instead of doing a search for a qualified candidate they made her position into 3 positions, all staffed by parents. It was divided between the principal (who is already stretched too thin) and two more parents that they hired on. It is beyond founder syndrome and it is simply not sustainable. Please YY Board of Trustees, begin to listen to what your base is saying.

Yeah, I'll just bet people are lining up around the block to work long hours just to have the pleasure of people like you armchair quarterbacking every chance they get!

That's just not a productive attitude and certainly no excuse. As parents isn't it our responsibility to watch our schools--especially new, unproven schools--like hawks? Should we just sit back and passively hope for the best? No doubt parents are going to be very committed and that's a good thing. However, this needs to be balanced by administrators who can look at things from a purely professional point of view. Also, teachers are one thing, administrators are another. Teachers don't make decisions that affect the entire school.

[Anonymous]

The ED, the principal, next year's assistant principal, the curriculum coordinator, the business manager, the office manager, the president of the board, and the grants coordinator are all parents of children at the school. That represents all of the decision making power for the whole school resting in the hands of people who could have a less than objective perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The ED, the principal, next year's assistant principal, the curriculum coordinator, the business manager, the office manager, the president of the board, and the grants coordinator are all parents of children at the school. That represents all of the decision making power for the whole school resting in the hands of people who could have a less than objective perspective.

Well, my kid is just there for the Chinese. I provide all the necessary extras. DC is out of there in 4th to 5th grade. These antics are for ES, MS is too, too important to chance it for novices who are not open to suggestions or criticism.

[Anonymous]

@12:58, what is your plan for continuing the chinese in MS? I have an YYer in ES and agree with you on the MS "not ready for prime time"

[Anonymous]

It will be interesting to see if the stranglehold against bringing in fresh people and ideas will remain when the school merges with MV, Stokes and LAMB in two years for middle school. Will it be possible for the other schools to get used to the "my way or the highway" leadership style? It may be of use to them to brush up on the etymology of the word kowtow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It will be interesting to see if the stranglehold against bringing in fresh people and ideas will remain when the school merges with MV, Stokes and LAMB in two years for middle school. Will it be possible for the other schools to get used to the "my way or the highway" leadership style? It may be of use to them to brush up on the etymology of the word kowtow.

Is this done deal. I thought Stokes was no longer interested. LAMB only goes to the fifth grade, whereas YY currently stops at 8th. Will they create an entirely new school for which they must seek charter board approval. If it is a new school
how sores that affect the grant of space issued to YY Nd LAMB. The space was not issued to this futuristic bilingual school, and thus could have some limitations.

I guess what I am asking is, are these just thoughts and aspirations, or have all the legal maneuvers been met?

[Anonymous]

the charter school board has not approved the new DCIA school. There will be several unique things in the charter application, including the "right" of students from 4 schools to continue into this 1 school, along with a random lottery for unfilled slots.

don't know what that means about the space at Walter Reed, I don't know what the hardest part is -- charter approval or shifting the Wlater Reed space to a "new" school.

a Stokes parent told me the school had announced the possibility. Stokes currently goes thru 6th.

[Anonymous]

Is it the possibility that Stokes will or won't be a part of this?

[Anonymous]

Stokes is considering expanding to include middle school. It's not a done deal but the idea is on the table. I was informed of this on a school tour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The ED, the principal, next year's assistant principal, the curriculum coordinator, the business manager, the office manager, the president of the board, and the grants coordinator are all parents of children at the school. That represents all of the decision making power for the whole school resting in the hands of people who could have a less than objective perspective.

Well, my kid is just there for the Chinese. I provide all the necessary extras. DC is out of there in 4th to 5th grade. These antics are for ES, MS is too, too important to chance it for novices who are not open to suggestions or criticism.

Here's what I don't understand. Why is it that some parents not only "suggest" and criticize, but also expect the school to follow their own personal predilections? Would you walk in to Deal and expect the administration to kowtow to you and your ideas? This is a serious question, because I really don't get it. It's not a private school. You're not paying $27,500 per year with the expectation that some pampering comes with it. It's a public school. You made a suggestion. You criticized. Yay, good for you and your right to your opinion. You spoke and somebody heard. That doesn't mean there's an actual obligation on the school's part to follow your brand of advice, does it? When your child goes off to college, are you planning to call the Dean and weigh in on your complaints then too?

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you to the person who came back to elaborate on the contrast between her experience at new charters and a DCPS school (forgot to note the time stamp, and I don't feel like wading back through all the infighting to find it again right now). Thanks also to everyone else who contributed relevant comments.

Having digested all of them and visited a handful of DCPSs and new charters this winter, I think I'm personally more willing to deal with the opportunities and pitfalls at a decent DCPS rather than take the plunge with a new charter. I could barely get through all the sniping that emerged on this thread; if I had to deal with this kind of thing (or even a fraction of it) on a daily basis at a school still trying to figure out every little thing, I'd be ready to pull my hair out after a week!