Ah got it--this one's easy then, school already said there'd be an aftercare bus, too. |
Maury’s swing space was a “village” of trailers on the Eliot-Hines playground. The footprint was pretty small (maybe 300 kids?) and the trailer complex was actually quite nice. I think DCPS can find the space for it. Agree that waiting is far preferable to an hour long bus ride for ECE. |
Brent doesn't have 60 3 year olds. It has three mixed age ECE classrooms with half 3/4 year olds and half 4/5 year olds. Exaggerating isn't helping your point. |
Did not know that! sounds like a fair solution but I’m not sure it’s that easy to put in the electric & water there. |
I don’t speed. Buses are only slower because they make stops along the way, which a Brent bus would not. Have folks tried plugging Meyer into their GPS? I live right near Garfield Park and right now (during the mid-afternoon) it says 19 minutes, taking the 395 North tunnel from 695. I drive that tunnel every day during commuting hours and know what I’m talking about. Anyway, my family did two years at the trailer park near Two Rivers Young. Getting there is a pain too and that hill is a MASSIVE car bottleneck. Careful what you wish for. Meyer does not sound much worse. |
Garfield Park is still owned by the federal government. DC has administrative control through a transfer of jurisdiction, and is limited to using it for recreational purposes. Not a school. |
The community would fight this. |
What about the field across from Jefferson? |
I think the argument against is the anticipated opposition to tearing up a neighborhood park to install a trailer city for 400+ kids/teachers/staff. |
the “community” can suck it. I’ve been at ANC meetings where the “neighbors” whine about elementary schools, and it’s pathetic. remember when they *sued* to stop Appletree? ludicrous. |
400+ kids/teachers/staff whose school district is offering them a real school building 3 miles away with busses to get there and back. Do you people hear yourselves? |
That particular incident was insane. And now that AT location has become a vital pre-K overflow for Maury families. |
And literally no impact that I can tell on traffic/parking - which was the “neighbors” stated concern. (Actually I’m sure their real concern was that black children might enroll in Appletree.) |
As much as we'd love Garfield, I can understand the issues. And even RFK, though I think that's far more workable than some are admitting.
But there are two extremely credible alternatives here that DCPS seems to be ignoring for some reason. 1. The TR/Young campus that SWS used, which will be used by JOW but would be available just one year later. I guess it's a budget gamble but that absolutely seems worth it. I suppose I understand the scheduling issue, but as others have said, this doesn't seem worth the pain of Meyer. 2. If you don't want to take the budget gamble or delay for just a year, the second option would be what Maury did at Elliot-Hine. E-H has since been modernized and has a lovely turf field there now, and while that could still work if DCPS chose to make it happen, right next to it sits a wildly underused field for Eastern HS. That field at Eastern addresses some of the issues an RFK site would need to have addressed, primarily fencing/security. It has a fence, it's on DCPS property, it's even closer to Brent by a couple of blocks. It's just off East Capitol so it's very accessible to parents. Why not focus on Eastern's field? It's perfect. |
I do, I hear myself wondering, "Garfield isn't an actual option and I don't understand why people won't identify one that might actually pan out instead of engaging in magical thinking." The argument isn't Meyer vs. Garfield; it's Meyer vs. finding something that the district will agree to use. |