Reply to An intrinsic problem to the DC charter system

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]In my experience as a founding family, parents need to back up at some point and let the admin run the business. If you have a problem in class, that’s another issue. [/quote]

-Same. It's always nice to be acknowledged  and have ways to contribute that are valued--and charters are frankly not always the best with that kind of follow up, but at the end of the day the buck stops with the admin and faculty, and they don't want (nor should they) a bunch of parent back seat drivers. If you want to be that involved, get a job application I would say.[/quote]

These are all very facile answers when your school hasn't either been subject to a child predator or lost 25% of its teaching staff or has parents leaving in droves due to intense bullying. [/quote]

Right, that's when you vote with your feet.[/quote]

And consider yourself lucky to not be tied there based on your home address. Folks who aren't happy with the administration at your school - I get it, but this is EXACTLY what school choice is. You chose it. You can un-choose it. If there are a million families on the waiting list eager to backfill your seat, there's not much you can do.[/quote]

But I don't think that it should be so drastic of a choice. I do think that bad apples in the leadership or those who've simply outlasted their peak time should be subject to at least some form of questioning from the PCSB. There should be at least some form of public accountability for any school, even if it is constrained substantially to avoid some of the roadblocks often encountered in public systems...[/quote]

Well then you need to get the charter to change the PCSB's mandate.

Right now they can jawbone (and they did -- see Darren Woodruff's public comments to the LAMB Board) about leadership issues and parent complaints.

But the only time they can act is if there is financial impropriety or if a school fails to make academic progress.

There were parents testifying before the Council a couple weeks ago about ways to improve accountability. But right now the system isn't built for it. The assumption was the Boards would be inclined to take stronger action than they have to date. 
[b]
I think there should be requirements that most Board meetings be public (except perhaps personnel decisions/discussions), agendas and minutes being required to be posted publicly, and that the parents who sit on a charter board must be elected by the school's parents (not hand picked by the Board).[/b][/quote]

OP here, thank you for a good discussion. This is what I think is needed. Amendments to the requirements for transparency, and additionally, some reforms to the PCSB to allow for more parent involvement or a method to raise concerns there. I think these problems are solvable and shouldn't require everyone to leave! - that's super disruptive. No, parents need recourse of some kind.

As for the ITS person, thanks. We're happy for you. But your current good luck isn't helpful. Don't think it couldn't happen to you after a few years at Tier 1.

The bottom line is, many of us love our schools and we don't want to let fixable problems bring them down.
[/quote]

This.  Our Pk3 cohort started out satisfied and feeling lucky to be at a HRCS.  But the longer you spend at a school, the greater chance you will become aware of some less good things about it.  There are problems that directly affect only a few students, yet are nonetheless serious and important.  And newer or less involved parents may not pick up on patterns and connections indicative of problems behind the scenes.

I think parents being able to force a DCPSB visit or hearing would be great.  There is no significant loss of autonomy legally, but it would definitely get the administration's attention and force issues out into the open.[/quote]

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