Wilson is 50% over enrolled.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Wow 50%. That’s a lot.

It’s also an exaggeration. Wilson is built for 1600 and has 2100 enrolled. 50% overenrolled would be 2400. I’m not saying the current situation is great. MacArthur is very necessary. But it’s not literally 50% overenrolled.

This trend is just not sustainable. Is there even a target date for MacArthur?

Fall 2023.

That is the dream, but having watched DC, I'm guessing the actual date will be more like Fall 2024. The MacArthur site is actually in pretty good state, but DC knows how to slow things down through a combination of incompetence, cronyism, and lack of accountability. (I'm also pretty doubtful the elementary school across the street will also ever be built)

Hardy can fill a middle school of about 800-900 (current 6th grade class is 200). The new site will have room for that. The only OOB at the new high school will be those with feeder rights from elementary school (Hardy will stop taking lottery students starting next year).

+1. No permitting or design contracts issued yet (as far as we can tell). The site needs extensive work to be turned into a high school and brought up to DCPS standards for the physical plant. This is before any further renovation/construction for expansion. If the school is to open in Fall 23 and have a significant number of lottery slots (we've heard 30-50%), then most decisions have to be made (including staffing, course offerings etc) by Spring '23 in time for the MySchoolDC lottery. That is 10 months away! Besides, the WaPo article quoted Fall 24 as the opening year even though the Ferrebee announcement (which was drafted over a year ago) optimistically stated Fall 23. My guess is that the current 6th graders at Hardy would be the first cohort.

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DCPS has admitted the 30-50% was pretty much a lie. Basically it will be (like wilson/deal) an almost 100% hardy feed-in. There will be OOB, but only through the feeders (at the ES level as hardy isn't taking lottery students either).

In the initial announcements Ferebee and Bowser were saying that half the seats would be "set aside" for OOB. I think someone had to pull them aside and explain that's not how DCPS works.

They could easily set aside at risk seats if that is their intent. If so that is just egregious with how much overcrowding there is at Wilson.

If there is a big set aside, then where do Hardy students go if there is no room at MacArthur?

[Anonymous]

As someone who lives IB for Deal and Wilson, feeder rights should stay. Families accept ES OOB spots with the understanding that they have a guaranteed MS and HS path.

If you're opposed to OOB kids getting spots at your schools, then you shouldn't have bought in a school district with so many underperforming schools and an OOB lottery.

[Anonymous]

PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who lives IB for Deal and Wilson, feeder rights should stay. Families accept ES OOB spots with the understanding that they have a guaranteed MS and HS path.

If you're opposed to OOB kids getting spots at your schools, then you shouldn't have bought in a school district with so many underperforming schools and an OOB lottery.

Families accept ES OOB spots — esp. in 4th and 5th — *because* they have a guaranteed MS and HS path.

It’s a crazy system that distorts logical paths and exacerbates problems system-wide.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

NP, but I’m pretty opposed to the idea that a 13-14 year old should be separated from all his friends for an incremental improvement in PARCC numbers at Coolidge or Roosevelt. If you’re willing to grandfather the kids in the pipeline, I’d hear you out. But if you grandfather the kids in the pipeline, then this has nothing to do with the immediate problem of overcrowding at Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

What other options are available? I'm in favor of magnet schools strategically placed thru out the city. Easier said than done but you have to start somewhere..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

What other options are available? I'm in favor of magnet schools strategically placed thru out the city. Easier said than done but you have to start somewhere..

What do you mean by "magnet school"? If you mean an application school where kids from a variety of neighborhoods have the option to attend...we have those. They are the subject of much debate and consternation here on DCUM. If you mean a by-right school with larger geography, how is that any different than the situation (and issues) we have today?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

What other options are available? I'm in favor of magnet schools strategically placed thru out the city. Easier said than done but you have to start somewhere..

Tracking, and particularly the kind of math options that Deal offers. We have buildings that can handle more students and already have administrators, so we need more kids there, not additional schools in those areas. And it's not about building renovations, it's about curricula and peer group and the two go together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

What other options are available? I'm in favor of magnet schools strategically placed thru out the city. Easier said than done but you have to start somewhere..

What do you mean by "magnet school"? If you mean an application school where kids from a variety of neighborhoods have the option to attend...we have those. They are the subject of much debate and consternation here on DCUM. If you mean a by-right school with larger geography, how is that any different than the situation (and issues) we have today?

Application schools--We don't have any on the elem and middle school level that I'm aware of. I'm talking a true magnet program that most cities have. That would relieve a lot of the clamoring that occurs for the Deal-Wilson feeder.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

What other options are available? I'm in favor of magnet schools strategically placed thru out the city. Easier said than done but you have to start somewhere..

Tracking, and particularly the kind of math options that Deal offers. We have buildings that can handle more students and already have administrators, so we need more kids there, not additional schools in those areas. And it's not about building renovations, it's about curricula and peer group and the two go together.

Agreed...But I dont' think DC can actually track according to a court order as some have alluded too. Don't need any new buildings just programming...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

What other options are available? I'm in favor of magnet schools strategically placed thru out the city. Easier said than done but you have to start somewhere..

Tracking, and particularly the kind of math options that Deal offers. We have buildings that can handle more students and already have administrators, so we need more kids there, not additional schools in those areas. And it's not about building renovations, it's about curricula and peer group and the two go together.

Agreed...But I dont' think DC can actually track according to a court order as some have alluded too. Don't need any new buildings just programming...

They're doing it at Deal. They have multiple math levels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who lives IB for Deal and Wilson, feeder rights should stay. Families accept ES OOB spots with the understanding that they have a guaranteed MS and HS path.

If you're opposed to OOB kids getting spots at your schools, then you shouldn't have bought in a school district with so many underperforming schools and an OOB lottery.

Families accept ES OOB spots — esp. in 4th and 5th — *because* they have a guaranteed MS and HS path.

It’s a crazy system that distorts logical paths and exacerbates problems system-wide.

That's what happens when you have a city with only one traditional high school that is even arguably preforming well

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP what if you were told that people in other parts of the city didn’t want successful students all clustered in your neighborhood while leaving theirs to go to Deal or Wilson?

I'm in another part of the city and I'm not sending my kids to our zoned middle or high school, and neither are most of the people who live here. And not because they're at Deal/Wilson. I think it would be far better if we all did, but closing off one alternative isn't going to make that happen. (And DCPS has options to make other schools more attractive that they aren't using.)

What other options are available? I'm in favor of magnet schools strategically placed thru out the city. Easier said than done but you have to start somewhere..

Tracking, and particularly the kind of math options that Deal offers. We have buildings that can handle more students and already have administrators, so we need more kids there, not additional schools in those areas. And it's not about building renovations, it's about curricula and peer group and the two go together.

Agreed...But I dont' think DC can actually track according to a court order as some have alluded too. Don't need any new buildings just programming...

They're doing it at Deal. They have multiple math levels.

This back and forth illustrates the fundamental problem with all of these discussions and why I think the issue persists without a plan or clarity as to why there isn't a plan. As a starting point I would suggest people stop using the word "tracking". Besides having a historical and cultural meaning can sound like a dog whistle to some, it isn't a defined term that everyone understands to mean the same thing. As a result it also results in some people dismissing "tracking" as a non-starter out of some mangled interpretation of a "court order" when no court prohibits "tracking"; to the extent they ruled on anything it would have been specific policies (or outcomes).

If you continue to scream "Yes, Tracking!", "No TRACKING" at each other without defining what you mean then it continues to be what most of DCUM usually is, useless, childish shouting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone who lives IB for Deal and Wilson, feeder rights should stay. Families accept ES OOB spots with the understanding that they have a guaranteed MS and HS path.

If you're opposed to OOB kids getting spots at your schools, then you shouldn't have bought in a school district with so many underperforming schools and an OOB lottery.

Families accept ES OOB spots — esp. in 4th and 5th — *because* they have a guaranteed MS and HS path.

It’s a crazy system that distorts logical paths and exacerbates problems system-wide.

That's what happens when you have a city with only one traditional high school that is even arguably preforming well

As a great philosopher once said, "No shit, Sherlock." No one, and I mean no one, disagrees that at present there is only one decent traditional HS. The solution to that issue is what this is all about. Now I don't agree with a great deal of the proposals, solutions, comments on this forum but at least those posters have the decency to offer solutions. You, my friend, chose to chime and tell us the one thing we all already know. Here are a few other things you might have said that would have conveyed similarly useful information.

Fire is hot
The sun rises in morning and sets in the evening
Ice is cold