Mundo Verde Public Charter: Failing on Its Most Basic Mission

[Anonymous]

Looks like the teachers’ union has done absolutely nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

Which sort of speaks to how bad the alternatives are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our child is in this same class that op is referring to and we have had a night and day different experience. Yes there has been teacher turnover, but I don’t know what the admin can do to address that when teachers are leaving for higher paying dcps jobs or jobs closer to home. This has been an incredibly difficult year for teachers and so while the rate of change has been bad, it seems concentrated in this one class. Our kid is exceeding all academic expectations, and many of the other kids in the class are as well. Reading at 4th and 5th grade level and doing extremely hard math problems. The specials teachers are amazing, and the general environment is wonderful, with caring teachers and admin.

Not to diminish the op’s experience, but the reports of bullying I have heard on the what’s app chats always lack specificity in a way that makes me not understand what is going on. Just that the kids feelings were hurt, or was run into during recess. It raises questions as to whether the parents are confusing bullying with actual children engaging in growing up and playing. We have actually gotten concerned in the other direction, that this culture of fear around being accused of being a bully has forced kids to withdraw and be incredibly careful when they engage with their peers lest any action be misinterpreted. We have been at Calle ocho since the day it opened and have been so appreciative of the opportunities it has presented and the kindness of the staff. I really hope ops experience improves, but frankly it sounds like it won’t and they should consider other options. The idea that they believe that a second grade classroom is so full of bullying that their kid is in need self defense seems frankly misguided and unlikely.

+1 my DS is in the same classroom and is exceeding academic expectations too. Their teacher has been great the whole year. I am sorry that OP and her DD are having a bad experience, but this is not the case for most families at MV.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In fact I didn’t, I said that I had a different experience and perception, and that I wasn't sure they would change their mind so they may want to look at different options. I also don’t know what the motivation was for this original post. Does smearing the school and the teachers help in any way solve the problem they perceive? Or does it just result in a worse reputation for a school, lessening it’s resources and ability to serve the kids? Constantly bashing the school on these forums seems the worst possible way to actually solve any perceived problems they may have, and I think it is incredibly important that a diverse set of voices who have had different experiences also share their good experiences rather than allow the conversation about this school be dominated only by people who have had negative experiences.

“Consider other options” sounds a lot like “please leave” to me.

Posting a criticism here is often a last resort when a family feels their community does not have their back and would prefer they just shut up and leave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In fact I didn’t, I said that I had a different experience and perception, and that I wasn't sure they would change their mind so they may want to look at different options. I also don’t know what the motivation was for this original post. Does smearing the school and the teachers help in any way solve the problem they perceive? Or does it just result in a worse reputation for a school, lessening it’s resources and ability to serve the kids? Constantly bashing the school on these forums seems the worst possible way to actually solve any perceived problems they may have, and I think it is incredibly important that a diverse set of voices who have had different experiences also share their good experiences rather than allow the conversation about this school be dominated only by people who have had negative experiences.

“Consider other options” sounds a lot like “please leave” to me.

Posting a criticism here is often a last resort when a family feels their community does not have their back and would prefer they just shut up and leave.

Some people say it to mean "please leave" but it can also be just honest advice. MV is not going to suddenly get it together. They aren't going to be able to hire better teachers just because people are raising issues and complaining. The teacher job market is super tight and a school that has a bad reputation for behavior can only recover with many years of effort. Even if the board and leadership did truly face up to these issues, OP's child will graduate before they are resolved. In the nicest possible way, this is the situation. Its unfortunate but sometimes telling people the real situation is the kindest thing you can do.

[Anonymous]

There are people here with many years of experience at MV, including the upper grades, saying the problems at the school are systemic and deeply ingrained. I excused them at first when fellow parents complained because we lucked out with a strong teacher and class cohort in a given year. I don’t know a single family with considerable experience there who would recommend the school. Many stuck it out for DCI or because they didn’t have great options, or they simply thought it would be worse to move during the pandemic.

To the poster whose kid is doing great in the same classroom: are you fine with unaddressed bullying, as long as it isn’t happening to your kid? Are you fine with them doing great academically by MV’s standards, only to learn in middle school that they are behind their peers from other schools? Are you okay with an administration the that willfully ignores the complaints of teachers and parents?

I’m glad you are having a good experience, but please know that it isn’t because of how the school is run. It is in spite of it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

Which sort of speaks to how bad the alternatives are.

I posted previously about similar dynamics at my kids' charter, and this is true. A bad day at one of these better-regarded charters is still better than a good day at my inbound.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are people here with many years of experience at MV, including the upper grades, saying the problems at the school are systemic and deeply ingrained. I excused them at first when fellow parents complained because we lucked out with a strong teacher and class cohort in a given year. I don’t know a single family with considerable experience there who would recommend the school. Many stuck it out for DCI or because they didn’t have great options, or they simply thought it would be worse to move during the pandemic.

To the poster whose kid is doing great in the same classroom: are you fine with unaddressed bullying, as long as it isn’t happening to your kid? Are you fine with them doing great academically by MV’s standards, only to learn in middle school that they are behind their peers from other schools? Are you okay with an administration the that willfully ignores the complaints of teachers and parents?

I’m glad you are having a good experience, but please know that it isn’t because of how the school is run. It is in spite of it.

This. Okay, your kid is doing fine, but they are witnessing violence and meltdowns and their learning time is being consumed by it. My kid was not being bullied but she did get injured just from being nearby a scuffle. It happens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

Which sort of speaks to how bad the alternatives are.

I posted previously about similar dynamics at my kids' charter, and this is true. A bad day at one of these better-regarded charters is still better than a good day at my inbound.

What is your IB? What was your experience there?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

Which sort of speaks to how bad the alternatives are.

I posted previously about similar dynamics at my kids' charter, and this is true. A bad day at one of these better-regarded charters is still better than a good day at my inbound.

Same! Everyone leaves my IB between first and third grade. In addition, we have 0% chance at DCI if we stayed at our IB.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

Which sort of speaks to how bad the alternatives are.

I posted previously about similar dynamics at my kids' charter, and this is true. A bad day at one of these better-regarded charters is still better than a good day at my inbound.

Same! Everyone leaves my IB between first and third grade. In addition, we have 0% chance at DCI if we stayed at our IB.

Well, for the kids who are in upper elementary now, MV really was a better option several years ago. Nowadays I guess it just depends what you're willing to tolerate in exchange for Spanish and the unspecified probability of DCI. But the way MV burns through its K and older waitlists, any family with a kid at Langley, Seaton, or Garrison past preschool has effectively chosen that over MV. And those schools have full or near-full K classes. This was not the case 5 years ago. And it's part of why MV's star has dimmed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

Which sort of speaks to how bad the alternatives are.

I posted previously about similar dynamics at my kids' charter, and this is true. A bad day at one of these better-regarded charters is still better than a good day at my inbound.

Same! Everyone leaves my IB between first and third grade. In addition, we have 0% chance at DCI if we stayed at our IB.

Well, for the kids who are in upper elementary now, MV really was a better option several years ago. Nowadays I guess it just depends what you're willing to tolerate in exchange for Spanish and the unspecified probability of DCI. But the way MV burns through its K and older waitlists, any family with a kid at Langley, Seaton, or Garrison past preschool has effectively chosen that over MV. And those schools have full or near-full K classes. This was not the case 5 years ago. And it's part of why MV's star has dimmed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are several former families posting here. We spend seven years at MV. My older child went from prek- 5th and we pulled my second child. I know dozens and dozens of parents who tried to solve similar problems, and all left in frustration. These are families who joined the school in the first or second year if its existence with nothing but enthusiasm and hope. And families who joined a few years later, hoping for the best. All tried to change things when they saw problems arise. They had senior roles in the Padres parent organization, They tried to stop expansion. They supported the forming of the union. They volunteered in the classrooms.

The administration shuts down dissent and is secretive about what's going on. And then they craft some spin-doctored talking points that don't address any of the concerns families raise. It is not a situation that can be changed, unless the senior administration is replaced.

I know two families who pulled kids mid-year this year because things were untenable.

Leave now or leave later.

Not at MV but according to the retention data they aren’t bleeding students.

Which sort of speaks to how bad the alternatives are.

I posted previously about similar dynamics at my kids' charter, and this is true. A bad day at one of these better-regarded charters is still better than a good day at my inbound.

Same! Everyone leaves my IB between first and third grade. In addition, we have 0% chance at DCI if we stayed at our IB.

Well, for the kids who are in upper elementary now, MV really was a better option several years ago. Nowadays I guess it just depends what you're willing to tolerate in exchange for Spanish and the unspecified probability of DCI. But the way MV burns through its K and older waitlists, any family with a kid at Langley, Seaton, or Garrison past preschool has effectively chosen that over MV. And those schools have full or near-full K classes. This was not the case 5 years ago. And it's part of why MV's star has dimmed.

Laugh all you want, the numbers are there. People are choosing Langley over MV in K, 1st, 2nd. LANGLEY.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like the teachers’ union has done absolutely nothing.

Wrong. It has made it harder to get rid of teachers who cannot control a classroom and allow bullying.