DC privates educating suburban kids

[Anonymous]

And that's the way it should be in DC....

I'm a NYer and there really aren't many Westchester or NJ kids at the Manhattan privates. There are three privates in the Riverdale section of the Bronx (Riverdale, Horace Mann and Fieldston) that do get kids from Westchester and NJ. It isn't really an issue.

[Anonymous]

DC resident here . . .

Should we apply this thinking to all the tax exempt institutions in DC? A close friend of mine works for a nonprofit that provides family planning advocacy for third world countries -- should they be 0% tax exempt because they only help people outside the country?

What about other organizations that serve children and families. If BCC rescue squad comes to my house in DC, should they lose a portion of their tax exempt funding? What about Imagination Stage -- my (DC) kid took a class there, should they lose a portion of their funding?

There are children in DC who are desperately in need of help, and who we have a duty as citizens to advocate for. They are not the same children applying to Sidwell. Every family that argues that every MD or VA child has options that their snowflake doesn't have, can move to PG -- plenty of affordable housing there.

[Anonymous]

NYC has a large and robust commuter tax, so be careful what comparisons you draw.

The OP and others who think the DC privates owe a greater duty to DC residents are probably the same ones who post on the tuition increase threads decrying tuition increases as unfair and inappropriate because the schools are tax exempt organizations that have some apparent (or not) duty not to raise tuition because that's against the greater good.

~DC resident with a kid who attends a non-DC private.

[Anonymous]

Wow! This is such a frustrating thread.

So you live in DC and you think the school suck? Why did you move there then, moron? Sure, I'd rather live in the District than the suburbs, but I took a hit for the team and moved to the suburbs so the kids could go to good schools. If you decided not to do that, but chose DC (knowing the public schools were not acceptable to you), then suck it up, Frances! You're stuck with private because that's what you CHOSE! Why should the privates give you a leg up because of your lack of foresight or your priorities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC resident here . . .

Should we apply this thinking to all the tax exempt institutions in DC? A close friend of mine works for a nonprofit that provides family planning advocacy for third world countries -- should they be 0% tax exempt because they only help people outside the country?

What about other organizations that serve children and families. If BCC rescue squad comes to my house in DC, should they lose a portion of their tax exempt funding? What about Imagination Stage -- my (DC) kid took a class there, should they lose a portion of their funding?

There are children in DC who are desperately in need of help, and who we have a duty as citizens to advocate for. They are not the same children applying to Sidwell. Every family that argues that every MD or VA child has options that their snowflake doesn't have, can move to PG -- plenty of affordable housing there.

AMEN! Well said!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow! This is such a frustrating thread.

So you live in DC and you think the school suck? Why did you move there then, moron? Sure, I'd rather live in the District than the suburbs, but I took a hit for the team and moved to the suburbs so the kids could go to good schools. If you decided not to do that, but chose DC (knowing the public schools were not acceptable to you), then suck it up, Frances!

Wait. I live in DC, and certainly don't think the schools suck. DD's enrolled in a great elementary school (in NE, no less), and there are plenty of options open for high school. No one can predict where middle schools are going to be in a decade, but if the demographic trends continue, and poverty and dysfunction continue to be priced out of the city, then DC public schools will be better than those in the suburbs...if not, perhaps we'll move. All that aside, I thought the OP's idea was interesting in and of itself, not because of any personal interest.

Oh, and sorry you're so sour about having to move out to the 'burbs. I know how you feel. That would just kill me.

[Anonymous]

It would kill me too to live in the burbs and apparently the move sucked the logic right out of her. In Dc, we need the privates because the publics suck. That's my point. Those of you out in the burbs have your publics...so stay away from our privates!

[Anonymous]

I can assure you I am not interested in your privates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can assure you I am not interested in your privates.

OMG. Please, please, please let this hysterical post be the last word.

[Anonymous]

Well played, PPP.

[Anonymous]

That last post was funny and deserves the last word. Since I've just seen this thread, however, I'd like to pose a question.

I live in the suburbs but work at a top independent school. OP, do you think that faculty and staff in DC private schools should also be limited to DC residents? I'm just curious because your attitude makes me want to put my talents to work for the children in my own neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I completely agree with pp. We wanted our kid to go to Visitation. But no, all of the suburban girls had to prove how "cool" they were by going to school in "G'town". I thought the Catholics should behave better...guess not...given the priest scandal and lack of women leaders.
DC people don't have a choice with the publics...people in MD and VA have good choices.

My kid was just as smart or smarter than any other kid...at an Ivy now. Every time I see those cars driving into the city schools from MD and VA -- it really irks me.

so you're saying that the parents who were -- yes, I'll say it -- smart enough to move out of the disctrict so they had a real choice about where their kids would go to school shouldn't be able to choose YOUR school? The DC privates should be reserved for the children of parents too stupid or selfish to move to a place where the public schools are actually an option? DC people DO have a choice -- MOVE. You don't have a right to the private school spots.

Wow -- this post made me really angry.

[Anonymous]

The DC privates should be reserved for the children of parents too stupid or selfish to move to a place where the public schools are actually an option? DC people DO have a choice -- MOVE.

This post obviously made you angry, since you're being irrational. The OP wasn't complaining about DCPS. Quite happy with DCPS here--you just need to move in-boundary for one of the many decent schools. No need to do something drastic like shoot yourself in the head...or move to the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I completely agree with pp. We wanted our kid to go to Visitation. But no, all of the suburban girls had to prove how "cool" they were by going to school in "G'town". I thought the Catholics should behave better...guess not...given the priest scandal and lack of women leaders.
DC people don't have a choice with the publics...people in MD and VA have good choices.

My kid was just as smart or smarter than any other kid...at an Ivy now. Every time I see those cars driving into the city schools from MD and VA -- it really irks me.

so you're saying that the parents who were -- yes, I'll say it -- smart enough to move out of the disctrict so they had a real choice about where their kids would go to school shouldn't be able to choose YOUR school? The DC privates should be reserved for the children of parents too stupid or selfish to move to a place where the public schools are actually an option? DC people DO have a choice -- MOVE. You don't have a right to the private school spots.

Wow -- this post made me really angry.

"Smart enough to move out of the district?" That's an eye-roller, Applebee baby...

Personally, I don't see any reason for privates to offer any preferences they don't want to and would be opposed to that policy. However, it does make a certain degree of sense to remove the tax-exempt status to the extent that students come from the burbs. If a school is 75% DC and 25% burb, then let 'em pay 25% of their property's assessed value, and pass on the surcharge to the burb families. Don't like it? Don't move to Applebee country. Who cares what the burb families think of DC tax policy anyway?

[Anonymous]

Obviously you are selfish or incompetent--or possibly both. If you think the D.C. schools are so bad that your DC just HAS to go private, then you should have been a responsible parent and moved to an area with good public schools. It's common knowledge that the top-tier privates are very difficult to get into--even for kids with top scores. It's also common knowledge that very few areas in D.C. have good public schools, so unless you live in one of those areas, you deliberately put your own child's education at risk. Instead of whining on this thread about your own poor parenting choices, you really should hang your head in shame. Disgusting!

Anonymous wrote: I know this topic has been brought up before, but this is just one thing that continues to irk me. Don’t DC privates have some responsibility to the city and its residents especially since most (if not all) are tax exempt entities. I remember Anthony Williams wasn’t too happy about this, and now I can totally see his point. Why isn’t there a tier system that will allow for qualified city children to get in first before taking in suburban kids (I’d feel better about this if we had a commuter tax but that is a different issue all together). This about scarce resources being given to people who don’t even live here. Don’t get me wrong, most of the kids and families are great but I’m tired of seeing qualified DC children losing out on their first or second choice schools that seem to be filled with suburban kids that come from areas with already good public schools. That’s not fair.