Reply to Wilson funding petition v. At Risk funding petition

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Reply to "Wilson funding petition v. At Risk funding petition"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele]
Looking beyond our own parochial interests (which I share at this point), if kids 19 and over or with more than 10 unexcused absences are sticking it out at Wilson, there is something about the school that is keeping them there. I would guess that their most likely alternative is dropping out. If so, kids who already probably face significant challenges are going to fall further behind. That can't be good for any of us in the long run. One would hope that DCPS would see these kids as more than unwanted baggage. 
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I am PP, and fair enough, I came across as a bit harsh. But with such high IB demand, there have to be some consequences for students who, by their behavior, do not seem to value very much their OOB spots. Maybe 10 unexcused is low, maybe 15 is more appropriate, but OOB attendance is not an unalienable right. I guess I do support a "love it or leave it" approach to OOB. And no we don't want a city full of high school drop outs, but each of these kids has an IB to attend, plus charters like Next Step PCS in Columbia Heights that specializes in adults finishing high school, and would be a better choice than Wilson for many of the 19+ students. It's just one example of a GED program that could suit these students.

http://www.nextsteppcs.org
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I have no problem with transitioning struggling kids into programs in which they will be better supported. I just don't have a lot of faith in DCPS to do very much to support the transition and I think these kids are likely to fall by the wayside. When I see DCPS taking actions that negatively impact SWW and Wilson, I am pretty pessimistic about what might be happening at the less successful schools.
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And as another PP mentioned, these "fixes" are ideas the Chancellor's office came up with after the fact to respond to cries for Wilson's budget to be restored. After the lottery results are in.  A week before enrollment paperwork is due. So suddenly OOB families who thought the younger sibling would be enrolling in Wilson will not be permitted to based on an existing policy that has not been enforced but suddenly will be? Or 19+ aged students suddenly find out they can't continue at Wilson? And if DCPS suddenly tells dozens of families that their kids with 10+ unexcused abscences can't come back to Wilson, you better believe those families will push back with stacks of doctors notes, etc. These "fixes" aren't going to happen. Aren't going to fix anything. Wilson will continue to have an enrollment of close to 1900 students based on a budget that would have accommodated far fewer students in recent years.[/quote]

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