A solution for military families in dc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ you can speak for yourself. We live on base and we grocery shop near the Navy Yard, we eat in DC at least once every weekend, and we use public transit. I get my nails done and hair done in DC and we buy tickets for events in DC. We hardly ever go into Virginia or Maryland.

Love the viewpoint that military families in DC are space aliens who travel in little pods to do ALL of their shopping and entertainment elsewhere, whereas virtuous non-military DC families NEVER go to VA or MD big box LOL As to whether generating taxes, costs and benefits of these kinds of relationships are a pretty complicated issue in DC-host to the Federal Government. Do we really want to get into all of that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just want to let readers know that military families from Bolling, of all colors, send their kids to schools other than Leckie. People shouldn’t assume it’s a color issue. I think it’s more the fact that the area in general is pretty bad and high crime. Word of mouth travels fast too and since I have been here I have heard that Leckie is good for the younger kids but not the older kids. Also heard Their administration is not the greatest. I personally scoured this forum to see where the best schools were to try to lottery my kids into before we moved here. I based all my choices on the threads I read and the data that you all provided as locals! Every school my kids have gone to here (4 schools) we legitimately lotteries into. No shortcuts. I always tell people I love the schools in DC. We were in Fairfax schools before we moved here and I like the schools here better! I am so grateful my kids are Going to school in a place with so many opportunities and so much history. I think that DC does a good job in taking care of their military community. Please don’t make generalizations about what we do as military families as a whole because we all make choices that are best for our individual families. Thankfully we have a lot Of choices here!

I'm really glad you've had this good experience and shared this positive note. As per your note though, how does DC do a 'good job' taking care of military families? Can you give some specific examples? Your experience described above sounds like you taking care of your family, as many DC residents do (scouring boards, lottery etc) but not DC government doing anything specifically for your circumstances. We've had a heck of a time with the tax office. They cannot seem to comprehend our military tax status, or maybe they don't want to? I'm just not sure what the extras you feel you are receiving from DC itself are? If you simply mean it can be a pleasant place to live where you (anybody) can give your children a good educational experience with a lot of shoe leather and luck, I would agree.

[Anonymous]

I don’t know what poster means about DC taking care of the military. There is a shuttle on base from DIA to two metro stops but that isn’t DC funded and it isn’t only for military. There is a stipend for using public transportation but that isn’t a DC funded thing. There are some schools that JBAB buses to but that isn’t a DC funded thing either. So, I’m not sure how DC itself is taking care of the military?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want to let readers know that military families from Bolling, of all colors, send their kids to schools other than Leckie. People shouldn’t assume it’s a color issue. I think it’s more the fact that the area in general is pretty bad and high crime. Word of mouth travels fast too and since I have been here I have heard that Leckie is good for the younger kids but not the older kids. Also heard Their administration is not the greatest. I personally scoured this forum to see where the best schools were to try to lottery my kids into before we moved here. I based all my choices on the threads I read and the data that you all provided as locals! Every school my kids have gone to here (4 schools) we legitimately lotteries into. No shortcuts. I always tell people I love the schools in DC. We were in Fairfax schools before we moved here and I like the schools here better! I am so grateful my kids are Going to school in a place with so many opportunities and so much history. I think that DC does a good job in taking care of their military community. Please don’t make generalizations about what we do as military families as a whole because we all make choices that are best for our individual families. Thankfully we have a lot Of choices here!

I'm really glad you've had this good experience and shared this positive note. As per your note though, how does DC do a 'good job' taking care of military families? Can you give some specific examples? Your experience described above sounds like you taking care of your family, as many DC residents do (scouring boards, lottery etc) but not DC government doing anything specifically for your circumstances. We've had a heck of a time with the tax office. They cannot seem to comprehend our military tax status, or maybe they don't want to? I'm just not sure what the extras you feel you are receiving from DC itself are? If you simply mean it can be a pleasant place to live where you (anybody) can give your children a good educational experience with a lot of shoe leather and luck, I would agree.

Well I was referring to this (see website) https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families. The placement office works directly with the base school liaison. It’s pretty hard to understand the lottery system and they are very helpful to new families. Just having this process for us is really great imo. Some dcps school principals and teachers etc also make a huge effort to bring us into the community by coming to the base to meet all the parents at once on base. Working with our community in ways like these examples are pretty darn great. I haven’t lived on a base with my children before though so maybe it’s a standard type of deal with a big base in areas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just want to let readers know that military families from Bolling, of all colors, send their kids to schools other than Leckie. People shouldn’t assume it’s a color issue. I think it’s more the fact that the area in general is pretty bad and high crime. Word of mouth travels fast too and since I have been here I have heard that Leckie is good for the younger kids but not the older kids. Also heard Their administration is not the greatest. I personally scoured this forum to see where the best schools were to try to lottery my kids into before we moved here. I based all my choices on the threads I read and the data that you all provided as locals! Every school my kids have gone to here (4 schools) we legitimately lotteries into. No shortcuts. I always tell people I love the schools in DC. We were in Fairfax schools before we moved here and I like the schools here better! I am so grateful my kids are Going to school in a place with so many opportunities and so much history. I think that DC does a good job in taking care of their military community. Please don’t make generalizations about what we do as military families as a whole because we all make choices that are best for our individual families. Thankfully we have a lot Of choices here!

I'm really glad you've had this good experience and shared this positive note. As per your note though, how does DC do a 'good job' taking care of military families? Can you give some specific examples? Your experience described above sounds like you taking care of your family, as many DC residents do (scouring boards, lottery etc) but not DC government doing anything specifically for your circumstances. We've had a heck of a time with the tax office. They cannot seem to comprehend our military tax status, or maybe they don't want to? I'm just not sure what the extras you feel you are receiving from DC itself are? If you simply mean it can be a pleasant place to live where you (anybody) can give your children a good educational experience with a lot of shoe leather and luck, I would agree.

Well I was referring to this (see website) https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families. The placement office works directly with the base school liaison. It’s pretty hard to understand the lottery system and they are very helpful to new families. Just having this process for us is really great imo. Some dcps school principals and teachers etc also make a huge effort to bring us into the community by coming to the base to meet all the parents at once on base. Working with our community in ways like these examples are pretty darn great. I haven’t lived on a base with my children before though so maybe it’s a standard type of deal with a big base in areas.

The link says page not found??

[Anonymous]

https://osse.dc.gov/service/military-families

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:https://osse.dc.gov/service/military-families

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families

Yes, that second document allows military families’ children to be placed at certain schools above other OOB kids (not counting OOB siblings) from the waitlist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://osse.dc.gov/service/military-families

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families

Yes, that second document allows military families’ children to be placed at certain schools above other OOB kids (not counting OOB siblings) from the waitlist.

But it doesn't allow them to displace IB students, and it doesn't create seats that weren't already vacant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://osse.dc.gov/service/military-families

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families

Yes, that second document allows military families’ children to be placed at certain schools above other OOB kids (not counting OOB siblings) from the waitlist.

No, it doesn't say that.

On the front page: "DCPS issued a Chancellor’s Directive to allow such children to enroll, at any point during the school year, in the school of their choice, pending classroom and/or program availability."

Key phrase on pg 5 of the attachment: "If the first school of choice... is unavailable due to limitations on school or program availability, the Student Placement Team will work with the [family] to enroll the eligible student in another appropriate school."

[Anonymous]

People are determined to believe that military families jump the line. They don't. If anything, their kids go to the end by coming at the wrong time of year. That page, while surprisingly coherent simply collates the same information available to all families in DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://osse.dc.gov/service/military-families

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families

Yes, that second document allows military families’ children to be placed at certain schools above other OOB kids (not counting OOB siblings) from the waitlist.

What? Can you please copy and paste where it says this? Because you're wrong and you are spreading misinformation.

Military kids can be placed in a school if there is an open seat for them. Which means the lottery wait list would have had to go through the whole way before there's an actual open seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://osse.dc.gov/service/military-families

https://dcps.dc.gov/page/enrollment-students-military-families

Yes, that second document allows military families’ children to be placed at certain schools above other OOB kids (not counting OOB siblings) from the waitlist.

What? Can you please copy and paste where it says this? Because you're wrong and you are spreading misinformation.

Military kids can be placed in a school if there is an open seat for them. Which means the lottery wait list would have had to go through the whole way before there's an actual open seat.

There is definitely a separate track available for some schools. I’m not trying to pick a fight, and I actually agree with the policy. But the fact is that at some schools (ie Brent) almost all OOB waitlist offers go to military kids. It’s not possible that is by chance.

[Anonymous]

We're a local DC military family and we're not looking to game the system. I kept my old bachelorette pad zoned to Maury and we plan on playing the pre-K3 lottery IB just like everyone else in a year or so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're a local DC military family and we're not looking to game the system. I kept my old bachelorette pad zoned to Maury and we plan on playing the pre-K3 lottery IB just like everyone else in a year or so.

Do you live in said bachelorette pad? Because if you don't, you are gaming the system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're a local DC military family and we're not looking to game the system. I kept my old bachelorette pad zoned to Maury and we plan on playing the pre-K3 lottery IB just like everyone else in a year or so.

LOL!