The best way to get into JKLMM as an out of bounds student...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is from the Oyster website:

"*NOTE* Beginning in 2010-2011: All students who enter Oyster-Adams for the first time under the 'in-boundary' process in 2010-2011, will risk losing their space if they move out of boundary after the beginning of the school year or in the future years. Students who move mid year will be allowed to finish the school year at Oyster-Adams but may then be asked to re-apply via the lottery for subsequent years. This is necessary to ensure manageable class sizes and to counter a documented pattern of families moving to the boundary for one year only to gain access to the school’s in-boundary status."

This is a good policy. DCPS should implement it everywhere.

Why? One of the core principles of the OOB system is that changing schools is disruptive for kids. Why is it any less disruptive for kids who got into their school by virtue of living in-boundary? Why do kids who got their position through a lottery -- a lottery! -- get some special privilege?

DCPS is a neighborhood based school system. OOB seats should be just a handful of the total, to fill seats that would go vacant otherwise. If you move your life across the city then you should attend that neighborhood's school.

The current hodgepodge of some schools / principals that allow kids to stay as an IB student regardless of where they live and others (eg Oyster) that don't is unfair on its face and encourages people to try and game the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is from the Oyster website:

"*NOTE* Beginning in 2010-2011: All students who enter Oyster-Adams for the first time under the 'in-boundary' process in 2010-2011, will risk losing their space if they move out of boundary after the beginning of the school year or in the future years. Students who move mid year will be allowed to finish the school year at Oyster-Adams but may then be asked to re-apply via the lottery for subsequent years. This is necessary to ensure manageable class sizes and to counter a documented pattern of families moving to the boundary for one year only to gain access to the school’s in-boundary status."

This is a good policy. DCPS should implement it everywhere.

Why? One of the core principles of the OOB system is that changing schools is disruptive for kids. Why is it any less disruptive for kids who got into their school by virtue of living in-boundary? Why do kids who got their position through a lottery -- a lottery! -- get some special privilege?

Is the bolded part even true? I doubt it but am happy to be shown that I'm wrong.

[Anonymous]

Hi OP,

I'm a Ward 6 parent and I think you can relax a bit regarding middle schools.

I agree that it would be great if we had a Deal in Ward 6, but we don't, but we have lots of other options. Getting into Hardy isn't that difficult and lots of Hill kids go there and do well.

BASIS and Latin are possibilities.

Who knows where SH Jefferson and EH will be by the time your kid is ready for middle school?

Plus there are the charter middle schools that don't get a lot of love from dcurbanmom but that are in some ways even better than Deal.

Plus there are private schools that maybe you could swing paying for a few years that may be a perfect fit for your kid. Maybe you could qualify for financial aid.

I feel you-- I really do!! But doing all this scrambling to go your kid into an elementary school on the other side of town (where, based on the attitude on dcurbanmom, it seems you will be looked up as an interloper) just so that you can get lined up into Deal (and that isn't really a guarantee-- maybe the JKLM you get into gets redirected into a different middle school).

And even if you get into a JKLM and manage the commute and the school does maintain its Deal feed-- what if after all that Deal loses its shine a bit? What if the principal gets lured into Wilson-- or to Jefferson, even?

Nothing is guaranteed. So why go to all the trouble of commuting as OOB, or actually move across town to establish IB, when things will likely work out ok if you just stay put for the time being?

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is from the Oyster website:

"*NOTE* Beginning in 2010-2011: All students who enter Oyster-Adams for the first time under the 'in-boundary' process in 2010-2011, will risk losing their space if they move out of boundary after the beginning of the school year or in the future years. Students who move mid year will be allowed to finish the school year at Oyster-Adams but may then be asked to re-apply via the lottery for subsequent years. This is necessary to ensure manageable class sizes and to counter a documented pattern of families moving to the boundary for one year only to gain access to the school’s in-boundary status."

This is a good policy. DCPS should implement it everywhere.

Why? One of the core principles of the OOB system is that changing schools is disruptive for kids. Why is it any less disruptive for kids who got into their school by virtue of living in-boundary? Why do kids who got their position through a lottery -- a lottery! -- get some special privilege?

Is the bolded part even true? I doubt it but am happy to be shown that I'm wrong.

I've never heard this argument associated with OOB. It is used by those who were at one time IB to stay in now OOB schools. IT was also used to justify the 'follow the feeder pattern' decision.

OOB has always been discussed as a way to allow some family choice, ensure schools were fully utilized and problem to ensure some amount of diversity and predominantly affluent schools.

[Anonymous]

^^ Probably ensure some diversity...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hi OP,

I'm a Ward 6 parent and I think you can relax a bit regarding middle schools.

I agree that it would be great if we had a Deal in Ward 6, but we don't, but we have lots of other options. Getting into Hardy isn't that difficult and lots of Hill kids go there and do well.

BASIS and Latin are possibilities.

Who knows where SH Jefferson and EH will be by the time your kid is ready for middle school?

Plus there are the charter middle schools that don't get a lot of love from dcurbanmom but that are in some ways even better than Deal.

Plus there are private schools that maybe you could swing paying for a few years that may be a perfect fit for your kid. Maybe you could qualify for financial aid.

I feel you-- I really do!! But doing all this scrambling to go your kid into an elementary school on the other side of town (where, based on the attitude on dcurbanmom, it seems you will be looked up as an interloper) just so that you can get lined up into Deal (and that isn't really a guarantee-- maybe the JKLM you get into gets redirected into a different middle school).

And even if you get into a JKLM and manage the commute and the school does maintain its Deal feed-- what if after all that Deal loses its shine a bit? What if the principal gets lured into Wilson-- or to Jefferson, even?

Nothing is guaranteed. So why go to all the trouble of commuting as OOB, or actually move across town to establish IB, when things will likely work out ok if you just stay put for the time being?

Good luck!

OP Here... I hear you. We know that if we stay in the city, then we will most likely do private for high school... we think we like our in-bound elementary school option, we just want to make sure those middle school years are preparing our children for a good private high school. It would be great the Ward 6 middle school problem is solved by then!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

This is from the Oyster website:

"*NOTE* Beginning in 2010-2011: All students who enter Oyster-Adams for the first time under the 'in-boundary' process in 2010-2011, will risk losing their space if they move out of boundary after the beginning of the school year or in the future years. Students who move mid year will be allowed to finish the school year at Oyster-Adams but may then be asked to re-apply via the lottery for subsequent years. This is necessary to ensure manageable class sizes and to counter a documented pattern of families moving to the boundary for one year only to gain access to the school’s in-boundary status."

This is a good policy. DCPS should implement it everywhere.

Why? One of the core principles of the OOB system is that changing schools is disruptive for kids. Why is it any less disruptive for kids who got into their school by virtue of living in-boundary? Why do kids who got their position through a lottery -- a lottery! -- get some special privilege?

Is the bolded part even true? I doubt it but am happy to be shown that I'm wrong.

It's the rationale for the "once you're in, you're in" aspect of OOB. No matter how crowded a school eventually becomes, or what eventually becomes of boundaries, OOB kids never have to worry about their spots. Kids who got into PK3 in 2001 OOB are still set at Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are Hearst families that can walk to Deal, I doubt it would be cut from Deal.

+1000

But that is not exactly relevant when 80% of the students come from areas east of Rock Creek Park and most of them by car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are Hearst families that can walk to Deal, I doubt it would be cut from Deal.

Talk to the parents at Eaton about that certainty. Eaton fed to Deal for like more than &0 years and it's walking distance to Hearst. Any school is vulnerable except Janney. Even more so than Eaton, Hearst families are scattered around DC's wards. Fewer than 20 percent live in Ward 3, so it's far less likely that any Councilmember would go to bar for Hearst over a school with more parents who vote locally.

Murch is not in any danger of losing access to Deal, given that it is next door/across Reno Rd/closer than Janney

But the Murch community is not as politically active as Janney's. Modern Janney is on its second or third renovation in 10 years while the Murch trailer park continues to beg for its renovation to move forward.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are Hearst families that can walk to Deal, I doubt it would be cut from Deal.

+1000

But that is not exactly relevant when 80% of the students come from areas east of Rock Creek Park and most of them by car.

Hearst is about 75% oob, but that doesn't mean that 25% lives across the park--there are people wotp who go there. (Next year, I know a few Eaton families transferring there.) And you are ignoring that Shepherd and Bancroft are 100% EOTP. I think Bancroft is likely to feed to McFarland in the next revision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are Hearst families that can walk to Deal, I doubt it would be cut from Deal.

Talk to the parents at Eaton about that certainty. Eaton fed to Deal for like more than &0 years and it's walking distance to Hearst. Any school is vulnerable except Janney. Even more so than Eaton, Hearst families are scattered around DC's wards. Fewer than 20 percent live in Ward 3, so it's far less likely that any Councilmember would go to bar for Hearst over a school with more parents who vote locally.

Murch is not in any danger of losing access to Deal, given that it is next door/across Reno Rd/closer than Janney

But the Murch community is not as politically active as Janney's. Modern Janney is on its second or third renovation in 10 years while the Murch trailer park continues to beg for its renovation to move forward.

The architect's design is being shown to the community on June 9. http://www.murchschool.org/community-meeting-on-murch-modernization-june-9-6-pm/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what exactly do you mean by best way? It sounds like you want some answer besides putting these schools on your lottery list every year.

OP here. I just wanted to know what the best options were if you didn't want to move, but yet wanted to get into a Deal feeder school. I guess another option would be to rent out our current house for a year, and move IB to an apartment?

You have to prove residency every year, dear. Otherwise everyone would do what you suggested.

So if you register one year as an inbound student, you have to re-register every year after that?

Yes, of course.

Not sure this is accurate. I believe that once you are into the school ... provided you remain in DC ... you're good. They check every year to make sure you are in DC.

As a parent at murch I have to provide residency proof just like I did the first time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, what exactly do you mean by best way? It sounds like you want some answer besides putting these schools on your lottery list every year.

OP here. I just wanted to know what the best options were if you didn't want to move, but yet wanted to get into a Deal feeder school. I guess another option would be to rent out our current house for a year, and move IB to an apartment?

You have to prove residency every year, dear. Otherwise everyone would do what you suggested.

So if you register one year as an inbound student, you have to re-register every year after that?

Yes, of course.

Not sure this is accurate. I believe that once you are into the school ... provided you remain in DC ... you're good. They check every year to make sure you are in DC.

As a parent at murch I have to provide residency proof just like I did the first time.

The question / debate is whether they only check to confirm that you are a DC resident, or do they also check that your address is IB for Murch? And whether they should do the latter in addition to the former.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are Hearst families that can walk to Deal, I doubt it would be cut from Deal.

Talk to the parents at Eaton about that certainty. Eaton fed to Deal for like more than &0 years and it's walking distance to Hearst. Any school is vulnerable except Janney. Even more so than Eaton, Hearst families are scattered around DC's wards. Fewer than 20 percent live in Ward 3, so it's far less likely that any Councilmember would go to bar for Hearst over a school with more parents who vote locally.

Murch is not in any danger of losing access to Deal, given that it is next door/across Reno Rd/closer than Janney

But the Murch community is not as politically active as Janney's. Modern Janney is on its second or third renovation in 10 years while the Murch trailer park continues to beg for its renovation to move forward.

You are so annoying. You keep calling it the murch trailer park as if are perfectly content having our kids in portables or as if you are somehow personally responsible for the number of rents at Janney. Get off of your high horse and please stop calling it the trailer park. Our kids are smart and do great considering the condition of the school.

[Anonymous]

You people that are dreaming about a change in the OOB feeder system or even the individual school feeder systems are not living in reality. By the time this fight comes up again, many on this board will be planning for college graduation. Exhibit A: Crestwood and 16th Street Heights will keep their Deal feeder right into the 2020s. The politicians do not want to have this discussion again anytime soon.