School Boundary Issue - How will NW elementary schools be affected?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A DC council staffer gave me her assessment of how things may turn out. I don't know whether she has inside info or if it's just her perspective. She says that politically the exsting system can't survive. The lottery is no longer providing enough spots in "acceptable" schools for parents who want options other than the less-desirable local schools where they live. The critics are not just "old DC" families in poorer neighborhoods who long have resented the status of schools west of the Park, it now includes the "new DC" gentriifyers, too. They moved in to transitional neighborhoods in search of good real estate values or "happening" areas, without much thought to the schools. Now they have kids, and they either don't want to, or can't, move to higher priced areas with better schools, and they're frustrated. Together, parents in these groups are being heard downtown. What she thinks will happen is that DCPS will cite the threat of civil rights lawsuits (I'm skeptical of this in a majority minority city, but this is what she says). Pretext or not, DCPS will say they have no choice but to move to a complete lottery/random assignment system at least for middle and high school. They know that this may put pressure on the private school route for some families, and may drive some families out of DC altogether. At the same time, they feel that the DC real estate market is quite strong and that more singles, childless couples and empty nesters will pick up the slack as families may leave (and they don't use school services anyway).

I can totally see that happening. All the single, 28-yr old guys with ironic beards and those sloppy 1970s ski hats hanging off the back of their heads are going to snap up the 6-bedroom Colonials in Chevy Chase, AU Park, and Cleveland Park. Along with 65 year old empty nesters right behind them. This group in particular really wants a big yard to take care of and a lot of empty bedrooms, now that they're children are 35 and living in California.

Those are EXACTLY the demographic groups who are likely to "pick up the slack" and buy big houses throughout Ward 3. Genius thinking on the part of your super secret Council staffer! Do they have a real estate background or anthropology?

[Anonymous]

Maybe DCPS should have crossing guards?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

There's more than that. The boundary line for Janney is 41st st, not Wisconsin Ave. There's an entire swath of Janney that lives east of Wisconsin Ave from Livingston St all the way down to Chesapeake St.


I also think that area should be on the chopping block. (There are few children in these blocks, though, so perhaps not worth having the discussion derailed on this tangent.) If it were me (it's not), I would place great emphasis on boundaries that produce compact, convex sets (basically those that look like circles).

I'm so sorry to tell you that you're wrong about this.

Are you really sorry, or is that just a figure-of-speech employed in a passive-agressive manner?

I don't believe that dozen or two kids your know in this carve-out are numerous when compared to the 600 other kids in Janney.

NP here. Are you kidding? There are 14 kids on my block alone (east of Wisconsin but in-bounds for Janney).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe DCPS should have crossing guards?

They do!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe DCPS should have crossing guards?

They do!

I think they work for DDOT. But there are too few of them and usually no backup (from MPD, for example), when someone is sick or has to miss work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A DC council staffer gave me her assessment of how things may turn out. I don't know whether she has inside info or if it's just her perspective. She says that politically the exsting system can't survive. The lottery is no longer providing enough spots in "acceptable" schools for parents who want options other than the less-desirable local schools where they live. The critics are not just "old DC" families in poorer neighborhoods who long have resented the status of schools west of the Park, it now includes the "new DC" gentriifyers, too. They moved in to transitional neighborhoods in search of good real estate values or "happening" areas, without much thought to the schools. Now they have kids, and they either don't want to, or can't, move to higher priced areas with better schools, and they're frustrated. Together, parents in these groups are being heard downtown. What she thinks will happen is that DCPS will cite the threat of civil rights lawsuits (I'm skeptical of this in a majority minority city, but this is what she says). Pretext or not, DCPS will say they have no choice but to move to a complete lottery/random assignment system at least for middle and high school. They know that this may put pressure on the private school route for some families, and may drive some families out of DC altogether. At the same time, they feel that the DC real estate market is quite strong and that more singles, childless couples and empty nesters will pick up the slack as families may leave (and they don't use school services anyway).

I can totally see that happening. All the single, 28-yr old guys with ironic beards and those sloppy 1970s ski hats hanging off the back of their heads are going to snap up the 6-bedroom Colonials in Chevy Chase, AU Park, and Cleveland Park. Along with 65 year old empty nesters right behind them. This group in particular really wants a big yard to take care of and a lot of empty bedrooms, now that they're children are 35 and living in California.

Those are EXACTLY the demographic groups who are likely to "pick up the slack" and buy big houses throughout Ward 3. Genius thinking on the part of your super secret Council staffer! Do they have a real estate background or anthropology?

Mail-order degrees in social engineering, armchair economics and political pandering would not be uncommon in the DC government.

[Anonymous]

If you live west of Rock Creek Park, ask yourself how much you've seen Vincent Gray campaigning in your neighborhood in the last two months. He's written off Wards 2 and 3 and carved his effort back to a get-out-the-base campaign. Now think of how much of a sympathetic ear you'll get on school boundaries if he is re-elected.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A DC council staffer gave me her assessment of how things may turn out. I don't know whether she has inside info or if it's just her perspective. She says that politically the exsting system can't survive. The lottery is no longer providing enough spots in "acceptable" schools for parents who want options other than the less-desirable local schools where they live. The critics are not just "old DC" families in poorer neighborhoods who long have resented the status of schools west of the Park, it now includes the "new DC" gentriifyers, too. They moved in to transitional neighborhoods in search of good real estate values or "happening" areas, without much thought to the schools. Now they have kids, and they either don't want to, or can't, move to higher priced areas with better schools, and they're frustrated. Together, parents in these groups are being heard downtown. What she thinks will happen is that DCPS will cite the threat of civil rights lawsuits (I'm skeptical of this in a majority minority city, but this is what she says). Pretext or not, DCPS will say they have no choice but to move to a complete lottery/random assignment system at least for middle and high school. They know that this may put pressure on the private school route for some families, and may drive some families out of DC altogether. At the same time, they feel that the DC real estate market is quite strong and that more singles, childless couples and empty nesters will pick up the slack as families may leave (and they don't use school services anyway).

I could, sadly, totally see this happening. Rather than do the hard work and fix the bad schools they will raise the white flag and redistribute well prepared kids among the less prepared and just call it a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you live west of Rock Creek Park, ask yourself how much you've seen Vincent Gray campaigning in your neighborhood in the last two months. He's written off Wards 2 and 3 and carved his effort back to a get-out-the-base campaign. Now think of how much of a sympathetic ear you'll get on school boundaries if he is re-elected.

Catania is probably praying that Gray wins the primary. This is a low-turnout primary; nobody other than Ward 7 and 8 voters like Gray, and none of the other current candidates have voters' enthusiasm so hardly anyone is voting. So, for the first time in forever, we may get a non-Democrat Mayor. Though, if I'm Catania, I would be very concerned that someone like Robert Bobb would step in to challenge also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you live west of Rock Creek Park, ask yourself how much you've seen Vincent Gray campaigning in your neighborhood in the last two months. He's written off Wards 2 and 3 and carved his effort back to a get-out-the-base campaign. Now think of how much of a sympathetic ear you'll get on school boundaries if he is re-elected.

I held my nose and voted for Muriel Bowser for this exact reason. She's a dingbat but Grey's hugging up on Barry turned my stomach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live west of Rock Creek Park, ask yourself how much you've seen Vincent Gray campaigning in your neighborhood in the last two months. He's written off Wards 2 and 3 and carved his effort back to a get-out-the-base campaign. Now think of how much of a sympathetic ear you'll get on school boundaries if he is re-elected.

Catania is probably praying that Gray wins the primary. This is a low-turnout primary; nobody other than Ward 7 and 8 voters like Gray, and none of the other current candidates have voters' enthusiasm so hardly anyone is voting. So, for the first time in forever, we may get a non-Democrat Mayor. Though, if I'm Catania, I would be very concerned that someone like Robert Bobb would step in to challenge also.

Robert Bobb?! Hardly any name recognition and those who remember him remember a mediocre city administrator. Catania's not perfect, but he's a solid reformer and takes the oversight function very seriously. As a Democrat, i like the fact that he's not affiliated with the DC Democratic machinery. Party turnover in the District Building at least once in two generations might be a good thing. And he's generally more liberal than most national Democrats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A DC council staffer gave me her assessment of how things may turn out. I don't know whether she has inside info or if it's just her perspective. She says that politically the exsting system can't survive. The lottery is no longer providing enough spots in "acceptable" schools for parents who want options other than the less-desirable local schools where they live. The critics are not just "old DC" families in poorer neighborhoods who long have resented the status of schools west of the Park, it now includes the "new DC" gentriifyers, too. They moved in to transitional neighborhoods in search of good real estate values or "happening" areas, without much thought to the schools. Now they have kids, and they either don't want to, or can't, move to higher priced areas with better schools, and they're frustrated. Together, parents in these groups are being heard downtown. What she thinks will happen is that DCPS will cite the threat of civil rights lawsuits (I'm skeptical of this in a majority minority city, but this is what she says). Pretext or not, DCPS will say they have no choice but to move to a complete lottery/random assignment system at least for middle and high school. They know that this may put pressure on the private school route for some families, and may drive some families out of DC altogether. At the same time, they feel that the DC real estate market is quite strong and that more singles, childless couples and empty nesters will pick up the slack as families may leave (and they don't use school services anyway).

Good lord that is a cynical and short-sighted perspective. Not to mention, the idea that there is some kind of civil rights claim for Wilson is laughable. The school is only 25% white.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live west of Rock Creek Park, ask yourself how much you've seen Vincent Gray campaigning in your neighborhood in the last two months. He's written off Wards 2 and 3 and carved his effort back to a get-out-the-base campaign. Now think of how much of a sympathetic ear you'll get on school boundaries if he is re-elected.

I held my nose and voted for Muriel Bowser for this exact reason. She's a dingbat but Grey's hugging up on Barry turned my stomach.

I really, really held my nose and voted for Gray. It was purely tactical. I believe that a wounded, likely soon to be indicted Gray who squeaks through the primary will not survive a general election. Bowser is non-offensive but no leading light on the council, either. I think she'll be a more sanitized version of more of the same. I'm betting on Mayor Catania.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you live west of Rock Creek Park, ask yourself how much you've seen Vincent Gray campaigning in your neighborhood in the last two months. He's written off Wards 2 and 3 and carved his effort back to a get-out-the-base campaign. Now think of how much of a sympathetic ear you'll get on school boundaries if he is re-elected.

Catania is probably praying that Gray wins the primary. This is a low-turnout primary; nobody other than Ward 7 and 8 voters like Gray, and none of the other current candidates have voters' enthusiasm so hardly anyone is voting. So, for the first time in forever, we may get a non-Democrat Mayor. Though, if I'm Catania, I would be very concerned that someone like Robert Bobb would step in to challenge also.

Robert Bobb?! Hardly any name recognition and those who remember him remember a mediocre city administrator. Catania's not perfect, but he's a solid reformer and takes the oversight function very seriously. As a Democrat, i like the fact that he's not affiliated with the DC Democratic machinery. Party turnover in the District Building at least once in two generations might be a good thing. And he's generally more liberal than most national Democrats.

Sadly, race in this city is more important than competency. Bobb is black. Catania is not. Bobb's history in municipal management would immediately make him an effective challenger of Gray.

[Anonymous]

The mayors office is the place to fight this fight. The chancellor has no accountability elsewhere.