Bower's top education aide sends his kids to 100 percent open private school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is this different from DCPS Principals who send their children to private school?

Deal has had 0 in person instruction this year- but Principal's child is at a local private that has been in person - hmmmmm

If the principals are making a huge fuss about safety and impeding reopening- then it’s just as bad if not worse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this different from DCPS Principals who send their children to private school?

Deal has had 0 in person instruction this year- but Principal's child is at a local private that has been in person - hmmmmm

If the principals are making a huge fuss about safety and impeding reopening- then it’s just as bad if not worse.

The Deal principal has kids? Does she know about this?

[Anonymous]

It's bad enough when the head of public schools won't send his own kids to those schools.

But it's really just horrendous when that same person actively prevents tens of thousands of public school children from getting an education, because it's supposedly too dangerous, even as he sends his own kids, every single day, to private school.

He should resign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, if his kids were already enrolled and doing well, you think he should pull them from their school and put them in their neighborhood school because one parent changed their job? I can see an argument for that, although I don't necessarily agree with it. Any of you critics ever done something similar?

He shouldn't have run for this office if he had already personally opted out of the system he was supposed to lead.

Perhaps he recognizes that private schools are doing a better job educating kids and wants to help bridge the gap by helping DCPS catch up. Nothing wrong with this.

He moved to DC for the job, so his kids enrolled in private at the same time as he started as DME.

When he was asked about it when he took the job he said it was about having a strong bilingual education. So he must be unimpressed with the bilingual options in DCPS

What bilingual option do you think he had with DCPS?

if the options in DCPS weren't good enough for his kids, maybe he should have worked to improve the options in DCPS. There is an inherent problem with saying the system that he helps run is good enough for some kids, but not good enough for his kids

You didn’t address the question. He wanted a bilingual education for his kids. What option do you think he had at DCPS? I’m not aware of any unless he lucked out in the lottery (charter school) or lived in bounds for Oyster Adams.

maybe the system that he helps run should have the offering more widely available if it is that important

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few thoughts:

It would be difficult- but not impossible - for senior officials to have their kids in DCPS or a charter. Lots of issues around optics, the school asking for favors, implementing policies that may have a positive impact on the school, etc. Just having kids is inherently a conflict of interest. So I get why he would choose private. However, it also looks terrible. I’d prefer if the DME was someone who either had adult children or no kids.

Recalling the Mayor is absolutely possible. The threshold isn’t even that high to start a recall election - its 10% of registered voters.

https://www.dcboe.org/Candidates/Recall-Process

Not a big fan of Ferebee but his kid is in public.

[Anonymous]

This has been known for sometime, since Bowser picked him. I’m glad people are finally waking up. Bowser and Kihn must go! At least our new Ed sce sends both his kids to public school (where he taught and was a principal) and their schools opened on time in September! This is in Connecticut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's interesting that a government bureaucrat can afford to spend $41,000 per child per year sending his kids to private school.

Is his spouse a SAHP who doesn’t bring any income?

Hardly a SAHP. Check out the article. Big money, all on the backs of public school kids.
And btw, they absolutely could have bought/rented in the Oyster in boundary area, which would have been a really good move. But, they clearly don't give a shit about DCPS.

https://educationdc.net/2018/09/29/speaking-of-odd-or-is-the-word-conflicted/

[Anonymous]

Kaya Henderson sent her daughter to Payne elementary for a few years. The public never heard of any "big issues" with the arrangement.

The contract for DC Deputy Mayor could stipulate that he or she resides in the District and that his or her dependent children attend DC public schools. There are other jurisdictions requiring residency and public school attendance per certain civil servant contracts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's bad enough when the head of public schools won't send his own kids to those schools.

But it's really just horrendous when that same person actively prevents tens of thousands of public school children from getting an education, because it's supposedly too dangerous, even as he sends his own kids, every single day, to private school.

He should resign.

He should, with enough noise and public pressure at least he is probably uncomfortable with the public attention -- that's a good thing. Then the city should put a policy in place that mirrors the $150k requirement - live in the district, send your kids to public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this different from DCPS Principals who send their children to private school?

Deal has had 0 in person instruction this year- but Principal's child is at a local private that has been in person - hmmmmm

If the principals are making a huge fuss about safety and impeding reopening- then it’s just as bad if not worse.

The Deal principal has kids? Does she know about this?

The Deal principal does not have kids.
Neither does the 8th grade principal. I don't know about the others (6th and 7th).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Kaya Henderson sent her daughter to Payne elementary for a few years. The public never heard of any "big issues" with the arrangement.

The contract for DC Deputy Mayor could stipulate that he or she resides in the District and that his or her dependent children attend DC public schools. There are other jurisdictions requiring residency and public school attendance per certain civil servant contracts.

Didn't she get some bad press at come point about pulling strings to get her kid into a charter though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure the entire city council also sends their kids to private, except for Charles Allen (JO Wilson) and maybe Robert White?

This is mostly not the case, actually.

McDuffie sends his kids to Georgetown Day (he's on the Board of Trustees there, and I guarantee he doesn't pay a cent in tuition). He needs to be called out on this, as well.

Cheh's kids (now grown) went to Murch, at the very least. Mendo's also-grown daughter graduated from DCPS. Gray's and Bonds's kids also are grown.

Silverman, Pinto and George don't have kids. Nadeau and Robert White have kids who are approaching DCPS age if they aren't there already. Trayon has a child or children but have no clue on his exact situation. Henderson has a daughter but don't know her situation, either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure the entire city council also sends their kids to private, except for Charles Allen (JO Wilson) and maybe Robert White?

This is mostly not the case, actually.

McDuffie sends his kids to Georgetown Day (he's on the Board of Trustees there, and I guarantee he doesn't pay a cent in tuition). He needs to be called out on this, as well.

Cheh's kids (now grown) went to Murch, at the very least. Mendo's also-grown daughter graduated from DCPS. Gray's and Bonds's kids also are grown.

Silverman, Pinto and George don't have kids. Nadeau and Robert White have kids who are approaching DCPS age if they aren't there already. Trayon has a child or children but have no clue on his exact situation. Henderson has a daughter but don't know her situation, either.

White has a kid at DCPS. Henderson has a daughter who is too young for DCPS (I think she just turned 2).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, if his kids were already enrolled and doing well, you think he should pull them from their school and put them in their neighborhood school because one parent changed their job? I can see an argument for that, although I don't necessarily agree with it. Any of you critics ever done something similar?

He shouldn't have run for this office if he had already personally opted out of the system he was supposed to lead.

Perhaps he recognizes that private schools are doing a better job educating kids and wants to help bridge the gap by helping DCPS catch up. Nothing wrong with this.

He moved to DC for the job, so his kids enrolled in private at the same time as he started as DME.

When he was asked about it when he took the job he said it was about having a strong bilingual education. So he must be unimpressed with the bilingual options in DCPS

What bilingual option do you think he had with DCPS?

if the options in DCPS weren't good enough for his kids, maybe he should have worked to improve the options in DCPS. There is an inherent problem with saying the system that he helps run is good enough for some kids, but not good enough for his kids

You didn’t address the question. He wanted a bilingual education for his kids. What option do you think he had at DCPS? I’m not aware of any unless he lucked out in the lottery (charter school) or lived in bounds for Oyster Adams.

It doesn’t matter what he “wanted.” What he clearly wanted was a plum political position without having to be accountable for his personal or public actions.

A lot of us wanted a bilingual education and we got it through the lottery or we didn’t get it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So, if his kids were already enrolled and doing well, you think he should pull them from their school and put them in their neighborhood school because one parent changed their job? I can see an argument for that, although I don't necessarily agree with it. Any of you critics ever done something similar?

He shouldn't have run for this office if he had already personally opted out of the system he was supposed to lead.

Perhaps he recognizes that private schools are doing a better job educating kids and wants to help bridge the gap by helping DCPS catch up. Nothing wrong with this.

He moved to DC for the job, so his kids enrolled in private at the same time as he started as DME.

When he was asked about it when he took the job he said it was about having a strong bilingual education. So he must be unimpressed with the bilingual options in DCPS

What bilingual option do you think he had with DCPS?

if the options in DCPS weren't good enough for his kids, maybe he should have worked to improve the options in DCPS. There is an inherent problem with saying the system that he helps run is good enough for some kids, but not good enough for his kids

You didn’t address the question. He wanted a bilingual education for his kids. What option do you think he had at DCPS? I’m not aware of any unless he lucked out in the lottery (charter school) or lived in bounds for Oyster Adams.

It doesn’t matter what he “wanted.” What he clearly wanted was a plum political position without having to be accountable for his personal or public actions.

A lot of us wanted a bilingual education and we got it through the lottery or we didn’t get it.

And a lot of us at bilingual schools are not getting much out of it, thanks to Kihn's distance learning. Turns out that trying to teach a foreign language to small children over a computer a few hours a day doesn't actually work.