Low In Boundary at Hearst?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette Reno is schedule FY 2015 and 2016. Murch is scheduled FY 2016 and 2017.

Not that big of a difference.

Wasn't talking about relative renovation dates. The point is that Lafayette is also an option for Murch's overcrowding, particularly for Murch houses closer to Lafayette. DCPS demographic projections are for continued decreased enrollment as the Lafayette neighborhood ages, which has already started (down to 689 with 85% in bound, where they've been over 700 in the past with in bound in the 90s) -- at the same time, the building is getting bigger starting next year. So there should be some room in the coming years to expand the boundary to include at least the Ward 4 people zoned for Murch. It should be considered. Lafayette is not shrinking as fast as Murch is growing, though, so it won't solve the whole problem. It could be another outlet though.

But Hearst has the in-boundary capacity now, seems to make sense to have families zoned there now --as opposed to theoretically in the future at L after renovations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lafayette Reno is schedule FY 2015 and 2016. Murch is scheduled FY 2016 and 2017.

Not that big of a difference.

Wasn't talking about relative renovation dates. The point is that Lafayette is also an option for Murch's overcrowding, particularly for Murch houses closer to Lafayette. DCPS demographic projections are for continued decreased enrollment as the Lafayette neighborhood ages, which has already started (down to 689 with 85% in bound, where they've been over 700 in the past with in bound in the 90s) -- at the same time, the building is getting bigger starting next year. So there should be some room in the coming years to expand the boundary to include at least the Ward 4 people zoned for Murch. It should be considered. Lafayette is not shrinking as fast as Murch is growing, though, so it won't solve the whole problem. It could be another outlet though.

But Hearst has the in-boundary capacity now, seems to make sense to have families zoned there now --as opposed to theoretically in the future at L after renovations.

Yes, that's why I said "another outlet."

[Anonymous]

Maybe if Principal discretion was removed for IB students who moved OOB there would not be a need to have these discussions?

[Anonymous]

I also think it is strange to use Wisconsin as a dividing line across the board. At the margins, fine. But if you use it as a strict dividing line, then you close out people one block away from Janney.

I don't have a dog in using Wisconsin as a boundary, since we would still be zoned the same. But in principle if you are a very short walk from a school, you should have the option of going there -- especially in a part of the city where people buy for walkability.

For example, we are actually slightly closer to Janney than to Murch, but we are zoned for Murch. The are both good schools, and even though Murch is a little farther it is really not much farther: maybe an extra block or two. Of course, Janney is closer to the Metro and would make our lives easier, but this is fine.

But if we were two blocks from Janney, and 12 from Murch, I would be very unhappy -- especially if it were a change from the time we bought our house.

[Anonymous]

NP here and another Murch parent whose family is being proposed for rezoning to Hearst. We walk with our pre-k kid every day to and from school. The walk is easy and flat, and our two year old is even able to manage it. We have walked to Hearst to play, although my kids have never made it the whole walk without asking to get on shoulders or getting in a stroller. It's further and has some substantial hills. We would probably still walk most days, but we would definitely drive more frequently.

I'm not panicked about the proposed change in isolation. We can work with Hearst, although it is not our preference. My biggest reason for fighting the change is the possibility of what it would mean under a choice set scenario. While I can live with Hearst, I have zero interest in commuting to Eaton or Oyster.

Anyway, I have an open mind about Hearst and I will be attending the open house in the morning to confirm.

I will also say that it seems very unlikely that the border won't be moved north. Moving it all of the way to Chesapeake is silly. Albemarle makes more sense, but I have a clear bias as a family that is north of Albemarle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here and another Murch parent whose family is being proposed for rezoning to Hearst. We walk with our pre-k kid every day to and from school. The walk is easy and flat, and our two year old is even able to manage it. We have walked to Hearst to play, although my kids have never made it the whole walk without asking to get on shoulders or getting in a stroller. It's further and has some substantial hills. We would probably still walk most days, but we would definitely drive more frequently.

I'm not panicked about the proposed change in isolation. We can work with Hearst, although it is not our preference. My biggest reason for fighting the change is the possibility of what it would mean under a choice set scenario. While I can live with Hearst, I have zero interest in commuting to Eaton or Oyster.

Anyway, I have an open mind about Hearst and I will be attending the open house in the morning to confirm.

I will also say that it seems very unlikely that the border won't be moved north. Moving it all of the way to Chesapeake is silly. Albemarle makes more sense, but I have a clear bias as a family that is north of Albemarle.

So --be against the choice sets and not against the rezoning, perhaps? I really think we should all come together as a community and be against the things that are the worse in an organized front.

I am really, really impressed and warmed by the fact that you are coming to visit Hearst tomorrow. I would encourage you to introduce yourself to Dr. B. and say that you are current family at Murch who is concerned about the proposed changes and ask her about your points of concern for the school. She is a warm person.

I have to ask though, if you already have a child in PK then why would you be affected? Wouldn't your family be grandfathered in?

Best of luck in the morning!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here and another Murch parent whose family is being proposed for rezoning to Hearst. We walk with our pre-k kid every day to and from school. The walk is easy and flat, and our two year old is even able to manage it. We have walked to Hearst to play, although my kids have never made it the whole walk without asking to get on shoulders or getting in a stroller. It's further and has some substantial hills. We would probably still walk most days, but we would definitely drive more frequently.

I'm not panicked about the proposed change in isolation. We can work with Hearst, although it is not our preference. My biggest reason for fighting the change is the possibility of what it would mean under a choice set scenario. While I can live with Hearst, I have zero interest in commuting to Eaton or Oyster.

Anyway, I have an open mind about Hearst and I will be attending the open house in the morning to confirm.

I will also say that it seems very unlikely that the border won't be moved north. Moving it all of the way to Chesapeake is silly. Albemarle makes more sense, but I have a clear bias as a family that is north of Albemarle.

So --be against the choice sets and not against the rezoning, perhaps? I really think we should all come together as a community and be against the things that are the worse in an organized front.

I am really, really impressed and warmed by the fact that you are coming to visit Hearst tomorrow. I would encourage you to introduce yourself to Dr. B. and say that you are current family at Murch who is concerned about the proposed changes and ask her about your points of concern for the school. She is a warm person.

I have to ask though, if you already have a child in PK then why would you be affected? Wouldn't your family be grandfathered in?

Best of luck in the morning!

That's one of the problems. There are so many uncertainties here and I don't deal well with uncertainty. Grandfathering has been discussed, but the specifics are up in the air. I imagine our pre-k kid would be allowed to stay, but it is far less certain that my younger two would be allowed to attend Murch.

Oh, and I agree about the need to focus on the worst aspects of the proposals. The difficulty is that they did such a skillful job in proposing such a broad array of options that each strike fear in different segments of the community to different degrees. It's hard to figure out what is the greatest threat and thereby deserving the greatest focus. are they proposing a city-wide lottery to distract me from the boundary changes; are the boundary changes meant to distract me from the city-wide lottery; are all of these proposals meant to make whatever they plan for round two seem less terrible? i don't know.

[Anonymous]

Another problem with Hearst is the sudden and constant teacher turnover. A second grade teacher and her assistant left this month with hardly any warning. The school is on it's 4th nurse this year. Frankly there is an issue which needs to be addressed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts on why Hearst has such a low percentage of in-boundary students (18%).

I'm guessing a lot of kids in that area go to private school but even so 18% seems really low!

People who can afford to buy multi-million dollar homes within spitting distance of St. Albans and Sidwell Friends aren't relying on DCPS.

You're totally full of it. We live in a Victorian house in Cleveland Park and our kids went to Eaton.

Y
But, you rent the basement of that $3.7 million house.

Lol that's hysterical and I'm sure true!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Another problem with Hearst is the sudden and constant teacher turnover. A second grade teacher and her assistant left this month with hardly any warning. The school is on it's 4th nurse this year. Frankly there is an issue which needs to be addressed.

You should not post things like this without context. I'm sure if I called JKLMM today I could find out that at least one school had a teacher leave in the last six months. When I toured the school many teachers, including the librarian, had been there for many, many years. The principal is very invested and has been there a number of years and has expressed desire to remain for many more.

Either you are a Hearst parent and need to talk to Dr. B if you have a real concern instead of posting on an annon site or, you are a troll trying to stir up a fight. Please keep this discussion to relevant issues. Why does posting about a "4th nurse" have any bearing on the school. Don't make this discussion a mudslinging match.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here and another Murch parent whose family is being proposed for rezoning to Hearst. We walk with our pre-k kid every day to and from school. The walk is easy and flat, and our two year old is even able to manage it. We have walked to Hearst to play, although my kids have never made it the whole walk without asking to get on shoulders or getting in a stroller. It's further and has some substantial hills. We would probably still walk most days, but we would definitely drive more frequently.

I'm not panicked about the proposed change in isolation. We can work with Hearst, although it is not our preference. My biggest reason for fighting the change is the possibility of what it would mean under a choice set scenario. While I can live with Hearst, I have zero interest in commuting to Eaton or Oyster.

Anyway, I have an open mind about Hearst and I will be attending the open house in the morning to confirm.

I will also say that it seems very unlikely that the border won't be moved north. Moving it all of the way to Chesapeake is silly. Albemarle makes more sense, but I have a clear bias as a family that is north of Albemarle.

So --be against the choice sets and not against the rezoning, perhaps? I really think we should all come together as a community and be against the things that are the worse in an organized front.

I am really, really impressed and warmed by the fact that you are coming to visit Hearst tomorrow. I would encourage you to introduce yourself to Dr. B. and say that you are current family at Murch who is concerned about the proposed changes and ask her about your points of concern for the school. She is a warm person.

I have to ask though, if you already have a child in PK then why would you be affected? Wouldn't your family be grandfathered in?

Best of luck in the morning!

That's one of the problems. There are so many uncertainties here and I don't deal well with uncertainty. Grandfathering has been discussed, but the specifics are up in the air. I imagine our pre-k kid would be allowed to stay, but it is far less certain that my younger two would be allowed to attend Murch.

Oh, and I agree about the need to focus on the worst aspects of the proposals. The difficulty is that they did such a skillful job in proposing such a broad array of options that each strike fear in different segments of the community to different degrees. It's hard to figure out what is the greatest threat and thereby deserving the greatest focus. are they proposing a city-wide lottery to distract me from the boundary changes; are the boundary changes meant to distract me from the city-wide lottery; are all of these proposals meant to make whatever they plan for round two seem less terrible? i don't know.

I'm the PP and there have been several threads about DME stating verbally that they will NOT move already enrolled kids, and at least one thread that said they would likely grandfather siblings.

I'm just really trying to encourage the conversation to focus our energy and not divide us as parents. As a whole, we should be VOCAL about not wanting choice sets and the city wide lottery in a unified front.

[Anonymous]

For all the nervous Murch families, another of the many bonuses of Hearst is that they are getting a PS3 class in 2015. Enough seats for 15 kids. So think of all the day care/nanny costs you will save by now being in bounds for Hearst...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP here and another Murch parent whose family is being proposed for rezoning to Hearst. We walk with our pre-k kid every day to and from school. The walk is easy and flat, and our two year old is even able to manage it. We have walked to Hearst to play, although my kids have never made it the whole walk without asking to get on shoulders or getting in a stroller. It's further and has some substantial hills. We would probably still walk most days, but we would definitely drive more frequently.

I'm not panicked about the proposed change in isolation. We can work with Hearst, although it is not our preference. My biggest reason for fighting the change is the possibility of what it would mean under a choice set scenario. While I can live with Hearst, I have zero interest in commuting to Eaton or Oyster.

Anyway, I have an open mind about Hearst and I will be attending the open house in the morning to confirm.

I will also say that it seems very unlikely that the border won't be moved north. Moving it all of the way to Chesapeake is silly. Albemarle makes more sense, but I have a clear bias as a family that is north of Albemarle.

I went to the open house and was very impressed. I'm really glad I went. The school seems to be very much on the right track and I would be surprised if it isn't considered on par with Janney and Murch in a number of years. Frankly, if I were a family with a child that hadn't attended Murch yet, I wouldn't be as worried about the boundary change. That said, I do still think it's silly for folks on Chesapeake to have to walk to a school so much further away from their home than Murch is.

Regardless, this chicken little, at least, has concluded that the sky is not, in fact, going to fall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For all the nervous Murch families, another of the many bonuses of Hearst is that they are getting a PS3 class in 2015. Enough seats for 15 kids. So think of all the day care/nanny costs you will save by now being in bounds for Hearst...

Oh, and this was the first thing I excitedly mentioned to my husband when he asked how the open house went.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP here and another Murch parent whose family is being proposed for rezoning to Hearst. We walk with our pre-k kid every day to and from school. The walk is easy and flat, and our two year old is even able to manage it. We have walked to Hearst to play, although my kids have never made it the whole walk without asking to get on shoulders or getting in a stroller. It's further and has some substantial hills. We would probably still walk most days, but we would definitely drive more frequently.

I'm not panicked about the proposed change in isolation. We can work with Hearst, although it is not our preference. My biggest reason for fighting the change is the possibility of what it would mean under a choice set scenario. While I can live with Hearst, I have zero interest in commuting to Eaton or Oyster.

Anyway, I have an open mind about Hearst and I will be attending the open house in the morning to confirm.

I will also say that it seems very unlikely that the border won't be moved north. Moving it all of the way to Chesapeake is silly. Albemarle makes more sense, but I have a clear bias as a family that is north of Albemarle.

I went to the open house and was very impressed. I'm really glad I went. The school seems to be very much on the right track and I would be surprised if it isn't considered on par with Janney and Murch in a number of years. Frankly, if I were a family with a child that hadn't attended Murch yet, I wouldn't be as worried about the boundary change. That said, I do still think it's silly for folks on Chesapeake to have to walk to a school so much further away from their home than Murch is.

Regardless, this chicken little, at least, has concluded that the sky is not, in fact, going to fall.

Thanks for your input. We are also in the possible switch zone, I appreciate that you went to investigate.