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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]But if the choice is selling a home for $575k to a household that makes $200k and has no kids, versus $900k to a household that makes $300k and has 2 kids, DC might be better off with the former. Any increase in real estate transfer, property, sales, and income tax just isn't big enough to make up for the cost of educating 2 kids for 15 years each. Especially since property tax increases are capped at 10% a year, DINKs may spend more on theater tickets and restaurants and other high-revenue activities, and parents get certain tax breaks for having dependents.

DC's elected officials don't have much incentive to gentrify schools. It will limit access to those schools for people in poorer neighborhoods, thus hurting their base. The new residents aren't loyal to the existing political establishment. Moving in high-income families doesn't bring in much more revenue, if any. And the DC council set up a system where any excess revenue goes into rainy day funds (which are already huge and not available for ongoing needs, just emergencies) and towards income tax reductions.  Highly educated parents with kids performing at or above grade level are just not a priority for DC.[/quote]

10:03 here.  This is sort of what I was getting out (although haven't been in DC long and so couldn't articulate this as clearly).  It seems that as long as educated (mostly white) families are seen as a transient, perhaps demanding, minority of the larger population with school-aged kids, there is little incentive to cater to this group.  Not to mention what some politicians and educators may see as a moral if not political imperative to educate the kids who walk through the door, not those who *could* be convinced to attend these schools down the road.

Just playing devil's advocate--I'd love to see such programs available; just not sure if there's enough incentive to make that happen anytime soon.[/quote]

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