Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is too bad that Walls is so tight on space and is already overcrowded in their building. Their 9th grade class is only around 150 students. It would be helpful if they could expand to 200 per class but they have absolutely no extra classroom space. Also no sports facilities. The soccer teams have to commute all the way to RFK to practice. All the money that DC spends on modernization, can’t they negotiate something with GW to expand Walls?

THis!

No chance because many kids at walls are not at risk. Expand Bennekar, no problem, even against neighborhood resistance. Not one word about Walls. In fact the push now is for Walls to have more equal representation across all wards.....

GW's enrollment is increasing and even if they had space, I don't think DCPS can afford it. Walls isn't a comprehensive high school with all the amenities and opportunities that come with it. If you want sports, go to your neighborhood high school. The solution is to get people to enroll in the other high school options.

Anonymous wrote:It is too bad that Walls is so tight on space and is already overcrowded in their building. Their 9th grade class is only around 150 students. It would be helpful if they could expand to 200 per class but they have absolutely no extra classroom space. Also no sports facilities. The soccer teams have to commute all the way to RFK to practice. All the money that DC spends on modernization, can’t they negotiate something with GW to expand Walls?

There's a beautiful field at Jelleff Rec Center that's really just around the corner from them. Too bad they can't use it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is too bad that Walls is so tight on space and is already overcrowded in their building. Their 9th grade class is only around 150 students. It would be helpful if they could expand to 200 per class but they have absolutely no extra classroom space. Also no sports facilities. The soccer teams have to commute all the way to RFK to practice. All the money that DC spends on modernization, can’t they negotiate something with GW to expand Walls?

THis!

No chance because many kids at walls are not at risk. Expand Bennekar, no problem, even against neighborhood resistance. Not one word about Walls. In fact the push now is for Walls to have more equal representation across all wards.....

Anonymous wrote:It is too bad that Walls is so tight on space and is already overcrowded in their building. Their 9th grade class is only around 150 students. It would be helpful if they could expand to 200 per class but they have absolutely no extra classroom space. Also no sports facilities. The soccer teams have to commute all the way to RFK to practice. All the money that DC spends on modernization, can’t they negotiate something with GW to expand Walls?

THis!

It is too bad that Walls is so tight on space and is already overcrowded in their building. Their 9th grade class is only around 150 students. It would be helpful if they could expand to 200 per class but they have absolutely no extra classroom space. Also no sports facilities. The soccer teams have to commute all the way to RFK to practice. All the money that DC spends on modernization, can’t they negotiate something with GW to expand Walls?

Anonymous wrote:DPR facilities are not DCPS facilities. If you want them to be, get the Council to mandate it. Dealing with this as a oe-off is not going to work.

I think all public schools should have preference — charters and DCPS.

The Council has already mandated it, it's in the DC Code that DCPS and charters get priority at DPR facilities. DPR refuses to follow the law.

DPR facilities are not DCPS facilities. If you want them to be, get the Council to mandate it. Dealing with this as a oe-off is not going to work.

I think all public schools should have preference — charters and DCPS.

Absolutely true about the Wilson swim team barely being able to use the Wilson pool. DPR gives no preference to Wilson and prefers to lease it out. In fact they regard the Wilson kids as a nuisance. My son gave up on the Wilson swim team because it was such a hassle.

PSA: It is TAKOMA people. And they are going to Takoma DC — not Takoma Park, Maryland.

Tacoma is in Washington State.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure. Of course you’re glad to be in Fairfax County. That’s why you’re typing in the DCPS forum . I can safely say I have NEVER visited the VA Schools forum because I’m just not that interested.

I would not have visited the DC school forum had it not for one of my kids SAT this past weekend @Wilson HS. My DD and I brought tennis racquets to play at the tennis courts adjacent to Wilson but the courts look awful so my DD refused to play in it. I decided to go online to find out more about Wilson HS and I found out that Wilson HS swim team can't even use the swimming pool after school because it has been leased exclusively to private schools and that the Deal team has to travel to Tacoma park to swim there. If this is the best DC can offer, thanks but no thanks.

Your DD refused to play on a less than ideal tennis court? Pathetic. Sounds like your DD is an entitled brat like her mom. That still doesn’t justify why you’ve spent the last 5 days on a DC school forum. You must live a sad sad life out in the boonies.

The best tennis courts are east of the park. The Fort Reno courts are especially bad.

And yes, lol to your daughter refusing to play.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure. Of course you’re glad to be in Fairfax County. That’s why you’re typing in the DCPS forum . I can safely say I have NEVER visited the VA Schools forum because I’m just not that interested.

I would not have visited the DC school forum had it not for one of my kids SAT this past weekend @Wilson HS. My DD and I brought tennis racquets to play at the tennis courts adjacent to Wilson but the courts look awful so my DD refused to play in it. I decided to go online to find out more about Wilson HS and I found out that Wilson HS swim team can't even use the swimming pool after school because it has been leased exclusively to private schools and that the Deal team has to travel to Tacoma park to swim there. If this is the best DC can offer, thanks but no thanks.

Is this true? Wilson swim team can't use Wilson pool??!!

NP. There is a big debate going on in another thread about DC Department of Public Park just singed a new 10 years deal with Maret to have exclusive use of some facilities at prime hours while shutting out DC public school kids from using the facilities even when the facility is right across from the school. Another thread talk about Wilson swim team has to travel to Tacoma Park to practice because the pool at Wilson has been leased to other private schools during prime hours.

The PP is correct about the tennis courts near Wilson high school. It is awful tennis courts with cracks and weed on the tennis courts. You might trip and hurt yourself when chasing for the balls. They are not safe.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one is arguing that Deal isn’t too big. They simply pointed out that sending another elementary or two to Wells isn’t going to be as simple as it sounds to people who live miles away and have never seen the site.

Someone here assumed that Wells would be as under-enrolled as Coolidge was and essentially vacant, but appears that isn’t the case (which is a good thing overall).

Good grief! The entire leadership of DCPS is arguing that Deal isn’t too big!

No they aren’t. They are really saying that there isn’t a quick solution that everyone — even among the current feeders — will find acceptable. If you listen that’s the message (the code word is equity).

Press for a firm boundary review date. That’s the only solution in sight.

Anonymous wrote:No one is arguing that Deal isn’t too big. They simply pointed out that sending another elementary or two to Wells isn’t going to be as simple as it sounds to people who live miles away and have never seen the site.

Someone here assumed that Wells would be as under-enrolled as Coolidge was and essentially vacant, but appears that isn’t the case (which is a good thing overall).

Good grief! The entire leadership of DCPS is arguing that Deal isn’t too big!

No one is arguing that Deal isn’t too big. They simply pointed out that sending another elementary or two to Wells isn’t going to be as simple as it sounds to people who live miles away and have never seen the site.

Someone here assumed that Wells would be as under-enrolled as Coolidge was and essentially vacant, but appears that isn’t the case (which is a good thing overall).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Across the park, you have brand new modernized schools that are sitting half empty

Wells is already at capacity. Are people suggesting to transport Shepherd and Lafayette kids to Brookland? If so, might as well bus Janney kids and create more diversity across the city.

Does Wells have trailers for classrooms and common space that’s been converted to classrooms?

Right? Define 'at capacity" PP because it seems like there is no such thing when it comes to Wilson and Deal, so why does Wells get to claim a cap?

Since they are sharing a building with two other schools.

Cry me a river. With more than 1500 students, Deal operates the equivalent of five DCPS Middle Schools in one location.

Each individual grade at Deal enrolls approximately 500 students, which is 40% larger than the average whole school enrollment at other middle schools (approximately 300 students).

Deal is the largest middle school in the city and the second largest school in the system, right behind Wilson High School (to which it feeds).

Deal serves kids from every ward in the city.

#facts