Kaya Henderson formally reprimanded for giving special treatment to her friends

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s intersting that the only people identified are persons of color.

Interesting that they were the cheaters?

Applying for a special placement =/= cheating.

It's allowed. Anyone can do it.

The chancellor could approve or deny. That is still the case -- except current and former city officials are ineligible. But anyone else in the city, or on this thread, can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s intersting that the only people identified are persons of color.

Interesting that they were the cheaters?

Applying for a special placement =/= cheating.

It's allowed. Anyone can do it.

The chancellor could approve or deny. That is still the case -- except current and former city officials are ineligible. But anyone else in the city, or on this thread, can.

Of course it's cheating. The placements were only given to DC government employees and Kaya's friends. A teacher asked for a placement and Kaya was insulted the person would even ask. It's all in the Post story https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/secret-report-shows-special-treatment-for-public-officials-in-dc-school-lottery/2017/05/17/55b0b1fc-3a82-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s intersting that the only people identified are persons of color.

Interesting that they were the cheaters?

Applying for a special placement =/= cheating.

It's allowed. Anyone can do it.

The chancellor could approve or deny. That is still the case -- except current and former city officials are ineligible. But anyone else in the city, or on this thread, can.

Of course it's cheating. The placements were only given to DC government employees and Kaya's friends. A teacher asked for a placement and Kaya was insulted the person would even ask. It's all in the Post story https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/secret-report-shows-special-treatment-for-public-officials-in-dc-school-lottery/2017/05/17/55b0b1fc-3a82-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

In the year that Post looked at. My neighbor’s child got one the year before because of unresolved bullying. No connections whatsoever and the kid is white.

That situation is what the placements were supposed to be for and why they were not eliminated completely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would always want the principal of my kids' school to send their kids there as well. The policies would be good enough for his/her kids as well and I would imagine their kids would give them honest feedback about how things are running.

+1. She's the freaking principal, not a politician. What's the big deal about her kid going to the school where she works?

Because government employees shouldn’t get special treatment at the expense of other citizens. The issue isn’t whether a principal could or should send their kid to their school. By virtue of her position, this principal had access to the chancellor, asked a favor, and the result was something no other citizen got. That seat could have gone to any number of needier or more deserving kids. DC principals make over $150 grand a year. Go rent an apt in Nw if you want to attend Wilson

So dumb. I grew up in Howard County. My mom was a principal in Anne Arundel County. I had the option to go to her school in Anne Arundel County. It's pretty standard stuff. Get over yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would always want the principal of my kids' school to send their kids there as well. The policies would be good enough for his/her kids as well and I would imagine their kids would give them honest feedback about how things are running.

+1. She's the freaking principal, not a politician. What's the big deal about her kid going to the school where she works?

Because government employees shouldn’t get special treatment at the expense of other citizens. The issue isn’t whether a principal could or should send their kid to their school. By virtue of her position, this principal had access to the chancellor, asked a favor, and the result was something no other citizen got. That seat could have gone to any number of needier or more deserving kids. DC principals make over $150 grand a year. Go rent an apt in Nw if you want to attend Wilson

So dumb. I grew up in Howard County. My mom was a principal in Anne Arundel County. I had the option to go to her school in Anne Arundel County. It's pretty standard stuff. Get over yourself.

Thanks for sharing your totally relevant experience in Maryland from twenty years ago

[Anonymous]

I think children of teachers and administrators should be weighted for admission. Teachers take a LOT of work home. Shaving off any time in their commute logistics by having children at the same school allows there to be "more of them" for all the children. It's also a vote of confidence in the school, and teachers who are teaching their colleagues children have added incentive (though probably not needed) to do their very best.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would always want the principal of my kids' school to send their kids there as well. The policies would be good enough for his/her kids as well and I would imagine their kids would give them honest feedback about how things are running.

+1. She's the freaking principal, not a politician. What's the big deal about her kid going to the school where she works?

Because government employees shouldn’t get special treatment at the expense of other citizens. The issue isn’t whether a principal could or should send their kid to their school. By virtue of her position, this principal had access to the chancellor, asked a favor, and the result was something no other citizen got. That seat could have gone to any number of needier or more deserving kids. DC principals make over $150 grand a year. Go rent an apt in Nw if you want to attend Wilson

So dumb. I grew up in Howard County. My mom was a principal in Anne Arundel County. I had the option to go to her school in Anne Arundel County. It's pretty standard stuff. Get over yourself.

Do you have any experience comparing apples to oranges to share also?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think children of teachers and administrators should be weighted for admission. Teachers take a LOT of work home. Shaving off any time in their commute logistics by having children at the same school allows there to be "more of them" for all the children. It's also a vote of confidence in the school, and teachers who are teaching their colleagues children have added incentive (though probably not needed) to do their very best.

I agree. DCPS has considered such a lottery preference in the past, but not implemented one. Had the principal used such a preference to get her child in, nobody would object I''m sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think children of teachers and administrators should be weighted for admission. Teachers take a LOT of work home. Shaving off any time in their commute logistics by having children at the same school allows there to be "more of them" for all the children. It's also a vote of confidence in the school, and teachers who are teaching their colleagues children have added incentive (though probably not needed) to do their very best.

Right. Nobody would complain when DCPS teachers’ kids take available spots from neighborhood residents in PK at Lafayette, Mann, Murch, Brent etc ....

And when those teachers leave DCPS, I’m sure they’ll be happy to withdraw their kids too

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think children of teachers and administrators should be weighted for admission. Teachers take a LOT of work home. Shaving off any time in their commute logistics by having children at the same school allows there to be "more of them" for all the children. It's also a vote of confidence in the school, and teachers who are teaching their colleagues children have added incentive (though probably not needed) to do their very best.

I agree. DCPS has considered such a lottery preference in the past, but not implemented one. Had the principal used such a preference to get her child in, nobody would object I''m sure.

A preference wouldn't help at a school, like Wilson, that takes no one from OOB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think children of teachers and administrators should be weighted for admission. Teachers take a LOT of work home. Shaving off any time in their commute logistics by having children at the same school allows there to be "more of them" for all the children. It's also a vote of confidence in the school, and teachers who are teaching their colleagues children have added incentive (though probably not needed) to do their very best.

Hasn’t DCPS spent years trying to get the best teachers to go to the neediest schools? Here’s how you undo that

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would always want the principal of my kids' school to send their kids there as well. The policies would be good enough for his/her kids as well and I would imagine their kids would give them honest feedback about how things are running.

+1. She's the freaking principal, not a politician. What's the big deal about her kid going to the school where she works?

Because government employees shouldn’t get special treatment at the expense of other citizens. The issue isn’t whether a principal could or should send their kid to their school. By virtue of her position, this principal had access to the chancellor, asked a favor, and the result was something no other citizen got. That seat could have gone to any number of needier or more deserving kids. DC principals make over $150 grand a year. Go rent an apt in Nw if you want to attend Wilson

So dumb. I grew up in Howard County. My mom was a principal in Anne Arundel County. I had the option to go to her school in Anne Arundel County. It's pretty standard stuff. Get over yourself.

Perhaps that was the AAC rule. In DC, however, we have principals who live in MD who have gotten their kids into DC schools. It's not allowed, but it is the old DeeCee way. As Marion Barry used to say, to the victors go the spoils.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think children of teachers and administrators should be weighted for admission. Teachers take a LOT of work home. Shaving off any time in their commute logistics by having children at the same school allows there to be "more of them" for all the children. It's also a vote of confidence in the school, and teachers who are teaching their colleagues children have added incentive (though probably not needed) to do their very best.

I agree. DCPS has considered such a lottery preference in the past, but not implemented one. Had the principal used such a preference to get her child in, nobody would object I''m sure.

A preference wouldn't help at a school, like Wilson, that takes no one from OOB.

Uh, no one from OOB directly. However, tons of OOB kids come up through the feeder patterns, and they don't live in Wilson's boundaries or the boundaries for its feeder schools. And, of course, the is a not-insubstantial number of kids at Wilson who don't even live in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think children of teachers and administrators should be weighted for admission. Teachers take a LOT of work home. Shaving off any time in their commute logistics by having children at the same school allows there to be "more of them" for all the children. It's also a vote of confidence in the school, and teachers who are teaching their colleagues children have added incentive (though probably not needed) to do their very best.

This this should be examined and perhaps made a policy. But let's not continue with a practice based on not what, but who you know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing is, Martin did follow the process as it existed at the time.

Back then anyone could ask for a special placement from the chancellor.

Now anyone -- except current of former city officials -- can still ask for a special placement from the chancellor.

Martin asked. Henderson and Beers granted it. She respected the process -- you just don't like it.

Give me a break. It makes her a complete hypocrite. How is she supposed to tell any other out of boundary parent that they can’t come to Wilson when she herself got special treatment? Integrity would be never asking for the favor in the first place knowing it was a fundamental conflict. Just because something is permissible doesn’t make it right. There are plenty of other principals in DCPS that have somehow managed to get by without having their kid attend their school.

In DC, insiders win.