Reply to Greater Greater Washington story on school enrollment growth

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One of GGW's stated goals is to get people out of single-occupancy vehicles in DC. Someone tell me how a citywide lottery could possibly advance that goal? DC isn't about to purchase the fleet of school buses that would be needed, leaving parents in such a scenario to rely upon WMATA -- have fun with that -- or (more likely) their own cars.

It's one of a billion reasons a citywide lottery is a non-starter. Wish GGW would admit that.[/quote]

Nick here.

The article is my words and doesn't reflect any "official" GGW position. Please read what I wrote. I'm not advocating for an all-lottery system. Far from it. My intent in writing the article was to ring the alarm that if the city doesn't start going in a different direction from where it is currently headed, a neighborhood-based school system may not be sustainable. [/quote]

Um, but DC already doesn't have a neighborhood-based system.  It seems like the quasi-free market we have here with charter schools will solve the issue.  Also, you may be underestimating the degree to which parents are willing to pack into schools they consider "good" (eg Lafayette and Deal).  It's pretty clear what parents' revealed preferences are: they value whiter, higher SES schools more than they value class size.

If parents *truly* prioritized class size/overcrowding, then they'd be jumping up to fight for re-districting.  But we all know why they aren't, and we all know why they aren't.  [/quote]

And yet those same parents are embracing Hardy.  But why?  It can't be because they are as racist as you say.[/quote]

Is it really "those same parents" though?  I mean, you can't have it both ways: Cassandra about overcrowding, yet claim that there is some reason (other than racism) that people just REFUSE to consider redistricting.  Put up or shut up: if you refuse to consider moving your kid to an underenrolled school, then you can't complain about overcrowding.  So to the extend that Hardy parents were willing to put their money where their mouths were -- good for them. more people should do the same. [/quote]

Let's say a kid live in Kent or Palisades. You really think that kid should have to travel to Ward 6 to attend HS? We have to remember that many parts of this city have essentially very limited public transportation, especially in the western half of the city. A kid in the Palisades needs to take a bus to Foggy Bottom and then take two train lines to attend Eastern or Dunbar? That's nuts.

The fact of the matter is that the west side of DC needs another HS. The Mayor won't even entertain it due to racial optics and political pandering, which is a completely irrational policy position. Sending a kid from the west side of DC to fill the empty seats at Ballou, Anacostia, or Woodson is not the solution. It's the pinnacle of insanity.[/quote]

And yet how many Palisades kids would happy attend Walls or Latin? Lots, methinks.  With respect to Palisades in particular, I have little sympathy - you chose to move to an area with limited public transportation.  That said, if you wanted to make the case for school buses from areas with poor transit, I would be open to that. [/quote]

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