Reply to A Note from a Public School Mom of Three & a Candidate's Wife

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]The reason he believes in a limited percentage of neighborhood slots is that he has spoken with both low income and middle class families who haven't been able to lottery into the nearby charter, and they have expressed difficulty with the time and financial burden of driving or using public transportation to get to a school across town. [/quote]

First, I think it's great that you're willing to come out from behind anonymity to address this tough crowd.  You sound pretty earnest and your support speaks to me as a mother with education issues top of mind.

I can also appreciate an at-large candidate speaking to the needs of low and middle class families on getting access to schools.  But I think the position above really underscores a need to bolster the neighborhood offering of DCPS.

We live in Petworth and have proximity to so many great charters that it's painful to be shut out of all of them.  But when it gets right down to it, few of them are what I would choose if we simply had a very strong neighborhood school.  I understand the trend toward language immersion, but it's not as much a priority in our family as solid reading and math ability at the elementary level.  Montessori is also pretty hot right now, but it's not ideal for every kid.  We like the expeditonary learning model and it's frustrating to be competing for seats with people who don't know or care what that is.

But the reality is that it's so hard to get into these schools past PK4, and the DCPS options are so suboptimal that it feels irresponsible not to go for every possible shot at every school that's at least decent--which is what diminishes the chances for everyone.  It's also what creates the high anxiety at lottery time and the high anguish at results. Many of us can't or won't consider driving across town, making charters an all or nothing proposition.  That's crazy, untenable, and puts undue pressure on charters to change what they're all about in order to accomodate.

So I don't want a preference for my neighbors at a nearby charter.  i want my neighbors to have a preference for the nearby DCPS.  And I want that DCPS to offer a very solid, non-specialized program that's still a responsible choice for those who don't want or need specialized programs.

Maybe John Settles is the one who can start talking about that as a priority that would benefit all wards. Whatever his final position on neighborhood choice, I wish your team all the best.  He's a refreshing candidate in a town that's increasingly tough to please, and it seems well on the way to election.[/quote]

Are you running for anything?  I like you![/quote]

+1[/quote]

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