New school(s) in Ward 3

[Anonymous]

Honestly, I plan on just renting a spare apartment and file my taxes from it, if they move my kid from the local walkable school. This isn't hard; basically it is a tax on the middle class who can't afford to do this. (rents near stoddert are <1500/mo)

[Anonymous]

"Decision will be in May. GDS will reopen fall of 2022 and Foxhall will open Fall of 2024."

Thanks for this 21:34. Need to ripoff the bandaid and move forward. There is no perfect solution.

I agree with PP who said DCPS will have to address fallout from the equity issue.

Bottom line, Ward 3/Wilson Feeders have succeeded in our campaign of Opportunity Hoarding. We already had the highest performing schools with the lowest levels of poverty, violence and people of color. In a few years we'll STILL have the best schools, but with smaller classes, nicer art rooms, and a few more "at risk" Black & Brown OOB kids who won't feel stigmatized at all.

I include myself among the hoarders. With 2 kids in Wilson feeder and no luck with charter lotteries, I've been concerned with Wilson becoming unmanageable and overcrowded.

But the exacerbation of racial and social inequeties of the pandemic era is more troubling to me than which of the private colleges we can afford that my kids will attend.

We're fine financially. Our kids will be fine. The Wilson feeders will be fine.

But most of the kids now in public and charters will not be fine for a long time.

I don't know how to fix this. I feel guilty about my privilege and I'm trying to donate to and to volunteer with efforts east of Connecticut Ave. Mostly to make me feel like I'm not a hypocrite for having a #BlackLivesMatter window sign while demanding better school buildings for white kids.

As very small, very personal step, I've stopped getting involved with advocating for our schools and giving money to our PTA for the "extras" and appreciation of teachers with 6 figure salaries. The teachers will be fine.

I'm sure folks will slam me for choosing to no longer bei "involved" in pushing the interests my own kids' schools.

But that's OK. We'll be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how such an impactful decision re: schools for Wards 2 and 3 means that dcps will have just one meeting with each impacted school, and that's it.

This tells me they've already made their decision and all this is wasted time for theatric purposes only.

My vote would be a second high school. Preferably make current Hardy MS a high school since it's on Wisconsin Ave and easier bus access.

Yeah, I'm sure the decisions have already been made. Though Hardy MS seems too small to be a HS. The space is just too small. But I agree, there needs to be a new Western HS. I wish they'd just had the foresight for the Duke Ellington site. But then again, DCPS isn't made up of the best and brightest...

I think the bigger issue is kids who walk to school will now be driven (Glover Park to Foxhall can be 2 mi+, due to the lack of east-west connections). There is going to be such a mess. Most of these students will be closer to Hyde (which honestly makes much more sense).

A high school at Hardy’s space would be a mini school only. It doesn’t have the fields or the space to accommodate a robust high school offering a variety of sports and a curriculum with the same caliber of course choices as Wilson. What a joke that would be to have when losing the Wilson feed.

Jelleff, across the street. Plus, if they really wanted to spend some money, they could dig out a parking lot under the current lot and create a big sports playing field on top. Even better, the new Western could share classrooms with the always-underused Duke Ellington building and create a really awesome campus incorporating the already impressive magnet arts and music program.

Doesn’t Maret have an exclusive use for the Jelleff fields after school? So that’s a nonstarter, wasn’t it just renewed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how such an impactful decision re: schools for Wards 2 and 3 means that dcps will have just one meeting with each impacted school, and that's it.

This tells me they've already made their decision and all this is wasted time for theatric purposes only.

My vote would be a second high school. Preferably make current Hardy MS a high school since it's on Wisconsin Ave and easier bus access.

Yeah, I'm sure the decisions have already been made. Though Hardy MS seems too small to be a HS. The space is just too small. But I agree, there needs to be a new Western HS. I wish they'd just had the foresight for the Duke Ellington site. But then again, DCPS isn't made up of the best and brightest...

I think the bigger issue is kids who walk to school will now be driven (Glover Park to Foxhall can be 2 mi+, due to the lack of east-west connections). There is going to be such a mess. Most of these students will be closer to Hyde (which honestly makes much more sense).

A high school at Hardy’s space would be a mini school only. It doesn’t have the fields or the space to accommodate a robust high school offering a variety of sports and a curriculum with the same caliber of course choices as Wilson. What a joke that would be to have when losing the Wilson feed.

Jelleff, across the street. Plus, if they really wanted to spend some money, they could dig out a parking lot under the current lot and create a big sports playing field on top. Even better, the new Western could share classrooms with the always-underused Duke Ellington building and create a really awesome campus incorporating the already impressive magnet arts and music program.

Doesn’t Maret have an exclusive use for the Jelleff fields after school? So that’s a nonstarter, wasn’t it just renewed?

The Mayor can break any friggin' contract she wants. Just offer Maret a substitute short term or long term while the Renovation goes on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love how such an impactful decision re: schools for Wards 2 and 3 means that dcps will have just one meeting with each impacted school, and that's it.

This tells me they've already made their decision and all this is wasted time for theatric purposes only.

My vote would be a second high school. Preferably make current Hardy MS a high school since it's on Wisconsin Ave and easier bus access.

Yeah, I'm sure the decisions have already been made. Though Hardy MS seems too small to be a HS. The space is just too small. But I agree, there needs to be a new Western HS. I wish they'd just had the foresight for the Duke Ellington site. But then again, DCPS isn't made up of the best and brightest...

I think the bigger issue is kids who walk to school will now be driven (Glover Park to Foxhall can be 2 mi+, due to the lack of east-west connections). There is going to be such a mess. Most of these students will be closer to Hyde (which honestly makes much more sense).

A high school at Hardy’s space would be a mini school only. It doesn’t have the fields or the space to accommodate a robust high school offering a variety of sports and a curriculum with the same caliber of course choices as Wilson. What a joke that would be to have when losing the Wilson feed.

Jelleff, across the street. Plus, if they really wanted to spend some money, they could dig out a parking lot under the current lot and create a big sports playing field on top. Even better, the new Western could share classrooms with the always-underused Duke Ellington building and create a really awesome campus incorporating the already impressive magnet arts and music program.

Doesn’t Maret have an exclusive use for the Jelleff fields after school? So that’s a nonstarter, wasn’t it just renewed?

The Mayor can break any friggin' contract she wants. Just offer Maret a substitute short term or long term while the Renovation goes on.

Why would the Mayor do that for this purpose when she wouldn’t not enter into the contract so Hardy and the kids who attend jelleff afterschool could use it? Seems disingenuous to suggest she’d actually be willing to do something to ensure a new high school at that site had access to fields.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why would the Mayor do that for this purpose when she wouldn’t not enter into the contract so Hardy and the kids who attend jelleff afterschool could use it? Seems disingenuous to suggest she’d actually be willing to do something to ensure a new high school at that site had access to fields.

Well, she’s done a very similar thing in Foxhall. First, she extends Lan School’s lease of the public Old Hardy building for 15 years when the community was screaming for it to be repurposed for a new ES. Then, she announces that a brand new 75k sqft public ES will be build on adjacent land currently used as a public park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Are there any instance in DCPS of a school that serves only grades 3-5? Pros, cons?

The transportation impact is a lot greater than a traditional elementary school because you're pulling from a bigger area, so people are traveling further and fewer people are within walking distance.

+1 this will be an additional hardship for those of us who will already be traveling quite a distance to get to Hardy. We will make it work if we have to, but are also considering a switch to a Deal feeder if this goes through. I wonder how much people like us will serve to work against the crowd alleviation. Deal & Wilson may just get MORE crowded as Hardy folks flock over there?

I don't follow the logic here. Anyone willing to travel a long distance to Hardy isn't going to have a problem sucking up the extra time to travel to a new HS/MS off MacArthur. IMO, the main burden resulting from building a big school over at MacArthur is not on the parents/caregivers, but on the road itself (Reservoir), which is a one-laner each way. And for anyone who might bring up M street as a main artery, don't even go there, you fool.

DCPS would do better giving the old GDS site to the City for affordable housing construction, and instead building a "New Western" over at the Jelleff property, IMO.

The path of least resistance runs through Whitehaven Freeway and Canal Rd. But, if I were the city, I’d also be looking very hard at the old Palisades Trolley Trail and thinking about how much it might cost to put a streetcar line there. With Uncle Joe and his love for all things rail, it wouldn’t be hard to get federal funding for surely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Decision will be in May. GDS will reopen fall of 2022 and Foxhall will open Fall of 2024."

Thanks for this 21:34. Need to ripoff the bandaid and move forward. There is no perfect solution.

I agree with PP who said DCPS will have to address fallout from the equity issue.

Bottom line, Ward 3/Wilson Feeders have succeeded in our campaign of Opportunity Hoarding. We already had the highest performing schools with the lowest levels of poverty, violence and people of color. In a few years we'll STILL have the best schools, but with smaller classes, nicer art rooms, and a few more "at risk" Black & Brown OOB kids who won't feel stigmatized at all.

I include myself among the hoarders. With 2 kids in Wilson feeder and no luck with charter lotteries, I've been concerned with Wilson becoming unmanageable and overcrowded.

But the exacerbation of racial and social inequeties of the pandemic era is more troubling to me than which of the private colleges we can afford that my kids will attend.

We're fine financially. Our kids will be fine. The Wilson feeders will be fine.

But most of the kids now in public and charters will not be fine for a long time.

I don't know how to fix this. I feel guilty about my privilege and I'm trying to donate to and to volunteer with efforts east of Connecticut Ave. Mostly to make me feel like I'm not a hypocrite for having a #BlackLivesMatter window sign while demanding better school buildings for white kids.

As very small, very personal step, I've stopped getting involved with advocating for our schools and giving money to our PTA for the "extras" and appreciation of teachers with 6 figure salaries. The teachers will be fine.

I'm sure folks will slam me for choosing to no longer bei "involved" in pushing the interests my own kids' schools.

But that's OK. We'll be fine.

I like you. People like are reasons I stay on DCUM.

Thank you.

-Black mom

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"Decision will be in May. GDS will reopen fall of 2022 and Foxhall will open Fall of 2024."

Thanks for this 21:34. Need to ripoff the bandaid and move forward. There is no perfect solution.

I agree with PP who said DCPS will have to address fallout from the equity issue.

Bottom line, Ward 3/Wilson Feeders have succeeded in our campaign of Opportunity Hoarding. We already had the highest performing schools with the lowest levels of poverty, violence and people of color. In a few years we'll STILL have the best schools, but with smaller classes, nicer art rooms, and a few more "at risk" Black & Brown OOB kids who won't feel stigmatized at all.

I include myself among the hoarders. With 2 kids in Wilson feeder and no luck with charter lotteries, I've been concerned with Wilson becoming unmanageable and overcrowded.

But the exacerbation of racial and social inequeties of the pandemic era is more troubling to me than which of the private colleges we can afford that my kids will attend.

We're fine financially. Our kids will be fine. The Wilson feeders will be fine.

But most of the kids now in public and charters will not be fine for a long time.

I don't know how to fix this. I feel guilty about my privilege and I'm trying to donate to and to volunteer with efforts east of Connecticut Ave. Mostly to make me feel like I'm not a hypocrite for having a #BlackLivesMatter window sign while demanding better school buildings for white kids.

As very small, very personal step, I've stopped getting involved with advocating for our schools and giving money to our PTA for the "extras" and appreciation of teachers with 6 figure salaries. The teachers will be fine.

I'm sure folks will slam me for choosing to no longer bei "involved" in pushing the interests my own kids' schools.

But that's OK. We'll be fine.

Very brave of you to decide to simply free ride off the effort of others at your schools. Keep speaking truth to power!!

[Anonymous]

Though honestly, does this mean that current Stoddert-area families get PK4 again? Big, if true.

Also, are they going to start running busses? There are no city busses for most of these students.

[Anonymous]

If they turn the old GDS building on MacArthur into a new middle school, what current deal feeder ES would be likely to move there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they turn the old GDS building on MacArthur into a new middle school, what current deal feeder ES would be likely to move there?

If they did that most likely they would make Hardy on Wisconsin a high school and move Hardy to GDS. GDS is really far away from any Deal feeders. It's also smack-dab in the middle of Hardy's boundaries. Even if you moved all of the feeders from Hardy to a new middle school at GDS that doesn't help Deal because Hardy is far away from all the Deal feeders too.

Also, adding another feeder is the last thing in the world Wilson needs. Hardy is actually projected to be OK for capacity, if they take back the Fillmore space. Adding another middle school that doesn't alleviate crowding at Deal and adds a few hundred eight graders each year with the right to attend Wilson doesn't help anything.

Of course, never count out DCPS' ability to do absolutely the wrong thing.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been lobbying my family to leave DC since both my husband and I can WFH permanently post-pandemic. If we lose access to Wilson I’ll finally have the ammo I need to convince them.

[Anonymous]

So when they say a new high school could open 22-23 do they intend to force Wilson juniors and seniors to switch schools mid-stream when they’ve joined teams and clubs and activities? That’s crazy. I assume dcps has committed it grandfathering Wilson students who already attend the school? They would likely open the new school with just 9th and add a grade each year, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they turn the old GDS building on MacArthur into a new middle school, what current deal feeder ES would be likely to move there?

If they did that most likely they would make Hardy on Wisconsin a high school and move Hardy to GDS. GDS is really far away from any Deal feeders. It's also smack-dab in the middle of Hardy's boundaries. Even if you moved all of the feeders from Hardy to a new middle school at GDS that doesn't help Deal because Hardy is far away from all the Deal feeders too.

Also, adding another feeder is the last thing in the world Wilson needs. Hardy is actually projected to be OK for capacity, if they take back the Fillmore space. Adding another middle school that doesn't alleviate crowding at Deal and adds a few hundred eight graders each year with the right to attend Wilson doesn't help anything.

Of course, never count out DCPS' ability to do absolutely the wrong thing.

DCPS has refused to say which elementaries that currently feed to Deal would switch Hardy if they open a new middle school at the GDS lower school. But the likely candidates are Janney, Hearst, and Bancroft (and DCPS at least acknowledges that when you say it to them). DCPS has said that they would move 1-2 elementary schools.