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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
Citation needed.

The number of Ward 3 kids who attend DCPS grew by 25 percent between 2014-15 to 2018-19, the largest increase in the city. Ward 3 also had the largest increase in students attending a DCPS high school over that span, growing by 33 percent. Hence we have schools that are overcrowded.

https://www.dcpolicycenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/State-of-DC-Schools-2018-19-web-res.pdf

If you think that public schools will not be an issue in the Ward 3 primary -- and maybe *the* issue -- you are hopelessly clueless about Ward 3 politics.

I would also wager that, even if a sizable number of Ward 3 kids go to private schools, Ward 3 public school parents are much more likely to vote in the primary and thus are a much more powerful constituency than the Ward 3 private school parents, many of whom I'd wager are Republicans who cannot vote in the Democratic primary and thus will have zero say in who is elected (the Republican candidate, whoever it is, has no hope of winning in the general election). [/quote]

All of this. The numbers of Ward 3 students attending Ward 3 schools ballooned over the last decade. They parents are generally active and engaged and will be watching this race very closely.[/quote]

The candidates really do seem to be splitting into two camps: those who have dealt with DCPS issues in the past, and the GGW, "development at all costs" candidates. I've had numerous conversations with the latter type in the CCDC SAP meetings, and I often ask them: How does adding thousands of residents to the area help schools that already are overcrowded?

The answers they give are often revealing:

-- "We'll figure it all out after adding density" (a recipe for disaster)
-- "Ward 3 residents are all wealthy, they can just send their kids to private schools" (uhh, not all of us, and getting into private schools is not exactly easy)
-- "They will just have to move" (so insulting)
-- blank stare (from the many, many GGW supporters who don't have kids and have not given one ounce of thought to the issue; these people usually don't live in W3, either, but still think they know best)

The candidates who ignore the schools issue do so at their own peril.[/quote]

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