Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends also on charter closures and where the kids decide to go. There are a number of charters looking iffy, but they're scattered around and it's hard to say when or if any one of them will collapse or be closed.

I’d be curious to hear people’s rankings on the charters most likely to close. Not the ones that should, I think we have clear evidence ones that should close won’t, but how folks would rank probability of closure for the ones they see most likely to close.

Well, apparently SSMA is experiencing an enrollment decline and the financial trouble that goes with it, as well as years of low test scores. So that's one.

Also look at any school that's on the Financial Monitoring List for a serious budget gap, rather than a one time accounting issue or the fraud at KIPP, that also has low performance academically.
Capital Village
Wildflower
Digital Pioneers
IDEA
Bethune
.

I happened to see the PSCB hearing where IDEA community members testified on behalf of the school. It was incredibly moving. That school has provided powerful experiences for students, teachers, and neighborhood members, and the committee took it off the closure list. I've had some experiences there and would also argue that it's got many assets.

I agree about Bethune, though. It seems to me that that place has seen nothing but turmoil for years.

I'm not sure of its financial status right now. It's on the monitoring list for "below-floor actual and/or budgeted KFIs" which are Key Financial Indicators, but that started in 2023 so maybe the finances are improving. The most recent Accountability Score is in the 6th percentile of high schools, it's really quite low in every metric that goes into that-- academics, graduation rates, everything.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dunbar. Dunbar needs to close. Or something.

They already tried using a contract operator and it was just as bad.

If Dunbar closed, each kid would have to go elsewhere. It doesn't just go poof like a charter can.

PP here. I just don’t know how it’s going to keep going like it is. Dunbar might be the last real driver of charter growth in this city. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has the lowest IB proportion of any high school in the city. Given how the wards it serves has grown, it’s unacceptable that the IB option is as bad as it is (considerably worse than any other high school EOTR, arguably worse than Baillou).

It's going to just keep going, what's going to stop it?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Dunbar. Dunbar needs to close. Or something.

They already tried using a contract operator and it was just as bad.

If Dunbar closed, each kid would have to go elsewhere. It doesn't just go poof like a charter can.

PP here. I just don’t know how it’s going to keep going like it is. Dunbar might be the last real driver of charter growth in this city. I wouldn’t be surprised if it has the lowest IB proportion of any high school in the city. Given how the wards it serves has grown, it’s unacceptable that the IB option is as bad as it is (considerably worse than any other high school EOTR, arguably worse than Baillou).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends also on charter closures and where the kids decide to go. There are a number of charters looking iffy, but they're scattered around and it's hard to say when or if any one of them will collapse or be closed.

I’d be curious to hear people’s rankings on the charters most likely to close. Not the ones that should, I think we have clear evidence ones that should close won’t, but how folks would rank probability of closure for the ones they see most likely to close.

Well, apparently SSMA is experiencing an enrollment decline and the financial trouble that goes with it, as well as years of low test scores. So that's one.

Also look at any school that's on the Financial Monitoring List for a serious budget gap, rather than a one time accounting issue or the fraud at KIPP, that also has low performance academically.
Capital Village
Wildflower
Digital Pioneers
IDEA
Bethune
.

I happened to see the PSCB hearing where IDEA community members testified on behalf of the school. It was incredibly moving. That school has provided powerful experiences for students, teachers, and neighborhood members, and the committee took it off the closure list. I've had some experiences there and would also argue that it's got many assets.

I agree about Bethune, though. It seems to me that that place has seen nothing but turmoil for years.

Anonymous wrote:Dunbar. Dunbar needs to close. Or something.

They already tried using a contract operator and it was just as bad.

If Dunbar closed, each kid would have to go elsewhere. It doesn't just go poof like a charter can.

Dunbar. Dunbar needs to close. Or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It depends also on charter closures and where the kids decide to go. There are a number of charters looking iffy, but they're scattered around and it's hard to say when or if any one of them will collapse or be closed.

I’d be curious to hear people’s rankings on the charters most likely to close. Not the ones that should, I think we have clear evidence ones that should close won’t, but how folks would rank probability of closure for the ones they see most likely to close.

Well, apparently SSMA is experiencing an enrollment decline and the financial trouble that goes with it, as well as years of low test scores. So that's one.

Also look at any school that's on the Financial Monitoring List for a serious budget gap, rather than a one time accounting issue or the fraud at KIPP, that also has low performance academically.
Capital Village
Wildflower
Digital Pioneers
IDEA
Bethune

Also look at any school that's had a review with conditions lately, but you'd have to pick through the recent PCSB hearings over the past two years or so. One is Girls Global.

Plus anything with low CAPE scores or Summative Scores: Rocketship, maybe Howard Middle School, whatever has the lowest stats.

When the Financial Analysis Report comes out (which it hasn't since 2023), it will be a very interesting read. As will the OSSE enrollment spreadsheets which are in late winter. Basically any school with a significant enrollment decline (that wasn't intentional, obviously), or a significant budget deficits, especially if closing it requires them to move locations, is in trouble.

Anonymous wrote:It depends also on charter closures and where the kids decide to go. There are a number of charters looking iffy, but they're scattered around and it's hard to say when or if any one of them will collapse or be closed.

I’d be curious to hear people’s rankings on the charters most likely to close. Not the ones that should, I think we have clear evidence ones that should close won’t, but how folks would rank probability of closure for the ones they see most likely to close.

Deal’s sixth grade should be put in it’s own building somewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge, Wells, and Whittier are all over capacity in one of the fastest growing neighborhoods for families in DC. It's wild to me that DCPS just told Whittier they'll basically modernize to the same capacity and instead of building a new building for Wells just added a cafeteria for Coolidge.

+1000

This is the part of the city I was going to mention. Wells was overcrowded right after it was built. Whittier keeps growing its enrollment despite a horrible old building. When that new building is built it will be immediately overcrowded. Why? Because DCPS refuses to plan for growth and make the school bigger. DCPS is a truly terrible organization.

They need a second HS but the problem is that school would almost certainly need Shepherd as a feeder and the Mayor will never let that happen. So instead Coolidge and J-R will remain massively overcrowded and growing and the solution will be to limit OOB Coolidge enrollment (fine) and address zero systemic issues.

I don’t think they need a second high school. Coolidge should take fewer OOB kids. Whittier needs to be much bigger than what they are projecting. But I don’t think most of those Whittier kids would actually attend Coolidge. Most of the families we know left before middle school.

Ludlow’s new expansion can’t open fast enough. There’s a second grade class in the art room and multiple specials on carts.

Anonymous wrote:This is less of a DCPS problem and more of a DME problem. DME needs to actually implement and enforce the recommendation in the boundary study that charters and DCPS engage in the same planning process to determine new schools, expansions, etc.

I agree. It does seem the PCSB is emphasizing demonstrated need and population forecasts this a little more in recent years, and has stopped it's reckless habit of allowing tons of new schools.

This is less of a DCPS problem and more of a DME problem. DME needs to actually implement and enforce the recommendation in the boundary study that charters and DCPS engage in the same planning process to determine new schools, expansions, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge, Wells, and Whittier are all over capacity in one of the fastest growing neighborhoods for families in DC. It's wild to me that DCPS just told Whittier they'll basically modernize to the same capacity and instead of building a new building for Wells just added a cafeteria for Coolidge.

+1000

This is the part of the city I was going to mention. Wells was overcrowded right after it was built. Whittier keeps growing its enrollment despite a horrible old building. When that new building is built it will be immediately overcrowded. Why? Because DCPS refuses to plan for growth and make the school bigger. DCPS is a truly terrible organization.

They need a second HS but the problem is that school would almost certainly need Shepherd as a feeder and the Mayor will never let that happen. So instead Coolidge and J-R will remain massively overcrowded and growing and the solution will be to limit OOB Coolidge enrollment (fine) and address zero systemic issues.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge, Wells, and Whittier are all over capacity in one of the fastest growing neighborhoods for families in DC. It's wild to me that DCPS just told Whittier they'll basically modernize to the same capacity and instead of building a new building for Wells just added a cafeteria for Coolidge.

Where is Wells actually located?

Wells classrooms occupy the southern third of the main Coolidge building. The annex along Sheridan holds the admin offices and a daycare for Coolidge student-parents.

I was on the advisory team for that project. DCPS estimated enrollment of 480 for Wells and 860 for Coolidge. We told them the numbers were too low. (At the time, Coolidge was only about 300, and Whittier—as a Pk-8–was about the same. Now, Wells is about 540 and Coolidge is 1000-1100 depending on the day.

We were never going to get the standalone middle school if we didn’t bundle it with the Coolidge project, and we wouldn’t have this success if we hadn’t established the new middle school. We just needed to build for more space for all of them.