Anonymous wrote:In this case colocating would make more sense than merging. What's the point of the merger?

Francis-Stevens needs new management. It's under enrolled and should have been closed.

In this case colocating would make more sense than merging. What's the point of the merger?

Anonymous wrote:To think there will somehow be a firewall between SWW and 8th grade FS students is naive. Maybe next year there will, and I may even give you 2015. But after that the FS kids will be moving on to SWW. You don't merge schools to make a pk-12 school then make kids test into certain grades.

Not saying good or bad but that is what will happen.

Actually DCPS is doing it next year at Mckinley Tech as a 6-12 campus (part of Ward 5 restructuring of schools) and at SWW as a PS-12. It is being done at 2 schools. BOTH High Schools will remain highly selective and accept applications from "worthy" 8th graders from schools throughout the city that want to be a part of their high school offerings. Both are fractured campuses after 8th grade, but they want the enrollment spike based on the illusion of preference for entry or feeder pattern entry, but that will not exist.

Anonymous wrote:To think there will somehow be a firewall between SWW and 8th grade FS students is naive. Maybe next year there will, and I may even give you 2015. But after that the FS kids will be moving on to SWW. You don't merge schools to make a pk-12 school then make kids test into certain grades.

Not saying good or bad but that is what will happen.

I am willing to make a call. It's bad - for those who see value in a strong selective hs in the dcps system.

Anonymous wrote:The idea for this actually came from the community - read the ideas posted on the engagedcps website.

Which community? A bunch of parents who have no experience with walls? The parents from walls? The students? The staff? As a former Walls parent, I have yet to meet a family whose kid goes to walls who supports this. Walls' class sizes do not need to grow, one of the ways it stays a good school is that it is small enough that student mostly know each other and teachers have a reasonable number of students. In the past couple years they already have been expanding the size-that is why SWW is in such a size crunch. It is a man-made problem, make the class sizes smaller and you don't need to worry about hurting a perfectly fine school.

Anyway, I am glad my son is now out of there, and I feel for all of the parents and children who will have to deal with this move (or change schools, which I know multiple families debating).

Typo, meant SWW not SWS.

This is the para PP is referring to. Basically a proposal to keep FS but give the top flr to SWS. Not merge the schools under SWS management.

"WARD 2
Francis-­?Stevens Education Campus families noted the proposed consolidation school, Marie Reed LC, was not located near their neighborhood. A counter-­?proposal was submitted to expand the number of 9-­?12 grade seats at School Without Walls High School (SWW). The Francis Stevens PTA and school community coalesced around sharing the building with – SWW by maintaining the education campus and placing the high school on the upper floors. Francis Stevens PTA additionally developed a parent-­?led “Growth and Retention” plan to support the DCPS strategic plan by recruiting families to increase enrollment over the next two years."

To think there will somehow be a firewall between SWW and 8th grade FS students is naive. Maybe next year there will, and I may even give you 2015. But after that the FS kids will be moving on to SWW. You don't merge schools to make a pk-12 school then make kids test into certain grades.

Not saying good or bad but that is what will happen.

The idea for this actually came from the community - read the ideas posted on the engagedcps website.

Awesome principal who once told me how great it is to work at a school where all the students are motivated to be there, and know that they can be kicked out if they misbehave. Not sure how much he is going to enjoy running a regular dcps middle school.

Anonymous wrote:21:01...excuse me Walls has one awesome principal and FS has their own. It's space, no different than Maret sharing Jelleff Field with British School 'cept it's all public

It's not space.......SWW is "MANAGING" a PS-12 campus. Read it again.

21:01...excuse me Walls has one awesome principal and FS has their own. It's space, no different than Maret sharing Jelleff Field with British School 'cept it's all public

.... And all the management problems of an underperforming ES|MS. Majority of students and teachers will be outside the selective program, will be difficult for walls leadership to prioritize delivering a good selective program. Eg. FS has metal detectors at its doors (for good reason), not exactly WW.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:SWW is still application and selection. The line about current F-S students only means they don't have to apply to be in PS-8, but after 8th all bets are off and neighborhood feeders come into play if not selected for walls. Seems like they are hoping the SWW name will attract superficial OOB or neighborhood sect, but true PS-12 connection is not there.

one of the worst ideas ideas ever from dcps, high chance or ruining walls, won't save FS.

How will it ruin Walls? They are losing nothing in terms of selectivity and simpy gaining extra space in the FS building.

Anonymous wrote:SWW is still application and selection. The line about current F-S students only means they don't have to apply to be in PS-8, but after 8th all bets are off and neighborhood feeders come into play if not selected for walls. Seems like they are hoping the SWW name will attract superficial OOB or neighborhood sect, but true PS-12 connection is not there.

one of the worst ideas ideas ever from dcps, high chance or ruining walls, won't save FS.