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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]One of the -- if not, the -- smartest kids at Brent stayed for 5th grade. His parents were willing to consider Jefferson based on everything they heard. Well, a little deeper digging this year and... nope. They're going to pony up for private after all.[/quote]

His parents would have been smart to have kept these thoughts to themselves. The Jefferson Academy boosting terrain is ripe for making neighborhood enemies, or at least losing friends, right now.  There were a lot of familiar names on that petition.  [/quote]

You don't think this is a little melodramatic? My spouse and I signed the petition, and we certainly don't dislike anyone because of choices they've made. We'd appreciate learning more about why people are making the decisions they are and what can be done to improve the Brent middle school situation (being realistic, I'm not sure that the pan-Capitol Hill middle school plan is realistic but it is an interesting idea). I've spoken with several of the people who circulated the petition, and while they could appropriately be described as Jefferson boosters, I wouldn't describe them as having any animosity whatsoever towards those who make different decisions. I think a lot of the accusations made here (coming from one or a handful of people?) are flame throwing and not do not fairly represent the "Jefferson boosters". We love being at Brent, but some of the parents do have the knack of taking any topic and making discussion hostile (e.g., change of language instruction, celebrating holidays).

Also, an earlier comment about not going to PTA meetings due to discussion of Jefferson? I've been to a number of the recent PTA meetings, and Jefferson updates constituted anywhere between 1 and 10 minutes of the 1.5 hour agenda. Most discussion was about Brent curriculum, PTA fundraising, PTA and school budgets, new aftercare program for underachieving students, teaching partners and where to find them, lottery results, etc. If you can't stand the thought of Jefferson, I don't think that aspect would be at all hard to tune out.[/quote]

How long have you been on the Brent scene? If you go back 7 or 8 years, MS related discussions at PTA meetings were intentionally lively and inclusive. I remember polite but heated debates about whether we should lobby to get a feed to Stuart Hobson, or push for Ward 6 DCPS buildings to be handed off to high SES friendly charters, or battle to create a test-in academy at Jefferson.  Everyone had their say and parents surveys related to MS weren't uncommon.  These days, the MS agenda has been hijacked by a small number of parents of 2nd-4th graders who present our collective options as Jefferson spruced-up-by-a-monster-renovation or nothing definite (lottery luck at BASIS or Latin). There is no hostile discussion because there is no discussion. Some of us tried going to the PTA MS committee meetings, but were told to hit the road (in so many words) because we weren't on board with what struck us as a false narrative (if you spruce it up, the high SES families will come in droves).  This is a recipe for few turning up to the Jefferson party for 6th grade, even if tens of millions have been lavished on the building. Not buying the no animosity whatsoever take. Thoughts of different decisions are to be kept to oneself these days for the sake of avoiding conflict, melodramatically or not.

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