I find it interesting that the hearing video from Monday has yet to be posted. Other hearings held since have already made it online. I hope it's just because it was a long hearing and uploading is more involved. I really hope it's not because powerful people who don't want to have their testimony revealed are trying to keep it from being published.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
DP, I disagree. The Hardy student body has changed, so the Hardy PTO is more so "saving" their own mostly white kids.

The point of the last poster was just that Maret was able to have outsized influence a decade ago because the Hardy student body was mostly low SES, minority, and spread out around the city. Now with demographics changing and more IB kids at Hardy, Maret isn't finding it so easy to get their way.

I have nothing to do with either school, just an observer of the last few pages of this thread.

But in the articles in the post and elsewhere I keep reading about the black and brown kids locked in the detention cages below Jelleff, forced to subsist on old jock straps discarded by their bettors!
You mean they buried the lede about this being about the most affluent PTO trying to curry more favor for their kids who they didn't want to send to private school?
My Word!!!


Somebody better tell Silverman... she'll want to know about that corruption before her kids start and she joins that swamp.

I mean, the title of this sub is " DCPS students shafted again..." maybe we should call it " WARD 2 PTO lobbies for more space "

You’re bad at this. Please stop.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret followed the agreement as did the District.

That agreement has now expired and Maret was expecting a wink-wink deal for an extension due to corrupt politicians like Jack Evans.

They will probably get their way and are now mad that we are pointing out the corruption and that Maret is screwing over DC students.

That agreement doesn't expire until 2029.
The agreement had an extension clause. An extension is not a new agreement.

"The term of this Agreement (the “Term”) shall commence on the date hereof (the“Commencement Date”) and expire on June 29, 2020 (the “Expiration Date”)."

Oh snap. But by all means, PP above, don't let facts and actual contract language inconveniently derail your fictional spin act.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
DP, I disagree. The Hardy student body has changed, so the Hardy PTO is more so "saving" their own mostly white kids.

The point of the last poster was just that Maret was able to have outsized influence a decade ago because the Hardy student body was mostly low SES, minority, and spread out around the city. Now with demographics changing and more IB kids at Hardy, Maret isn't finding it so easy to get their way.

I have nothing to do with either school, just an observer of the last few pages of this thread.

But in the articles in the post and elsewhere I keep reading about the black and brown kids locked in the detention cages below Jelleff, forced to subsist on old jock straps discarded by their bettors!
You mean they buried the lede about this being about the most affluent PTO trying to curry more favor for their kids who they didn't want to send to private school?
My Word!!!
Somebody better tell Silverman... she'll want to know about that corruption before her kids start and she joins that swamp.

I mean, the title of this sub is " DCPS students shafted again..." maybe we should call it " WARD 2 PTO lobbies for more space "

Anonymous wrote:
DP, I disagree. The Hardy student body has changed, so the Hardy PTO is more so "saving" their own mostly white kids.

The point of the last poster was just that Maret was able to have outsized influence a decade ago because the Hardy student body was mostly low SES, minority, and spread out around the city. Now with demographics changing and more IB kids at Hardy, Maret isn't finding it so easy to get their way.

I have nothing to do with either school, just an observer of the last few pages of this thread.

But in the articles in the post and elsewhere I keep reading about the black and brown kids locked in the detention cages below Jelleff, forced to subsist on old jock straps discarded by their bettors!
You mean they buried the lede about this being about the most affluent PTO trying to curry more favor for their kids who they didn't want to send to private school?
My Word!!!
Somebody better tell Silverman... she'll want to know about that corruption before her kids start and she joins that swamp.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more facts that come out, the less I believe that Maret was a white knight back in 2008. Even assuming that DC couldn't find the money back then to renovate Jelleff (which I don't believe-DC was only moderately impacted by the Great Recession), how does it make sense to give away a valuable piece of public property for 10 years at a pittance? The rational, reasonable, noncorrupt thing to do in that scenario would have been to put the renovation of Jelleff on hold until the economy recovered.

You make it sound like DC sold the land. You need to start organizing for 2029 when the deal truly expires and DC gets pressure to sell to the highest bidder. Maret's lease deal may have been the only thing keeping this property in public hands as is.

Anonymous wrote:What really happened, most likely, is that Evans and Maret entered into a cozy little deal, like things have always been done in DC. Back then, Hardy had a school body that was overwhelmingly non-white, and came from out of boundary. Maret and Evans could easily ignore their interests, since their parents didn't have the time or money to organize an effective resistance.

However, the last 10 years have seen a change in Hardy. There are many more students attending who are from upper-middle class families that have the ability to organize and protect the Hardy student body's interests. Sure, the Maret backers are, on average, richer and better connected. But, as we've seen in their response, they're stunned that someone would push back against them and tell them "no." They've probably never had to care what the less wealthy thought about them before this situation.

Back with this "White Savior" trope.. must make you feel good!

The two deals seem to have been done at the same time. DC has never functionally had full control of the land.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more facts that come out, the less I believe that Maret was a white knight back in 2008. Even assuming that DC couldn't find the money back then to renovate Jelleff (which I don't believe-DC was only moderately impacted by the Great Recession), how does it make sense to give away a valuable piece of public property for 10 years at a pittance? The rational, reasonable, noncorrupt thing to do in that scenario would have been to put the renovation of Jelleff on hold until the economy recovered.

You make it sound like DC sold the land. You need to start organizing for 2029 when the deal truly expires and DC gets pressure to sell to the highest bidder. Maret's lease deal may have been the only thing keeping this property in public hands as is.

Anonymous wrote:What really happened, most likely, is that Evans and Maret entered into a cozy little deal, like things have always been done in DC. Back then, Hardy had a school body that was overwhelmingly non-white, and came from out of boundary. Maret and Evans could easily ignore their interests, since their parents didn't have the time or money to organize an effective resistance.

However, the last 10 years have seen a change in Hardy. There are many more students attending who are from upper-middle class families that have the ability to organize and protect the Hardy student body's interests. Sure, the Maret backers are, on average, richer and better connected. But, as we've seen in their response, they're stunned that someone would push back against them and tell them "no." They've probably never had to care what the less wealthy thought about them before this situation.

Back with this "White Savior" trope.. must make you feel good!

How dumb are you? This is language from Maret's original contact with DPR:

"The term of this Agreement (the “Term”) shall commence on the date hereof (the“Commencement Date”) and expire on June 29, 2020 (the “Expiration Date”)."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret followed the agreement as did the District.

That agreement has now expired and Maret was expecting a wink-wink deal for an extension due to corrupt politicians like Jack Evans.

They will probably get their way and are now mad that we are pointing out the corruption and that Maret is screwing over DC students.

That agreement doesn't expire until 2029.
The agreement had an extension clause. An extension is not a new agreement.

I really just really wish this situation would hurry up and end up in court so that it can be revealed that the agreement and its extension are bogus.

Agreed. This will be decided by the courts, not the DC government. Hardy parents should organize with SWW and families from other charter/public school to bring a lawsuit. That's the only way it gets resolved, unless the Council steps in.

Anonymous wrote:The more facts that come out, the less I believe that Maret was a white knight back in 2008. Even assuming that DC couldn't find the money back then to renovate Jelleff (which I don't believe-DC was only moderately impacted by the Great Recession), how does it make sense to give away a valuable piece of public property for 10 years at a pittance? The rational, reasonable, noncorrupt thing to do in that scenario would have been to put the renovation of Jelleff on hold until the economy recovered.

You make it sound like DC sold the land. You need to start organizing for 2029 when the deal truly expires and DC gets pressure to sell to the highest bidder. Maret's lease deal may have been the only thing keeping this property in public hands as is.

Anonymous wrote:What really happened, most likely, is that Evans and Maret entered into a cozy little deal, like things have always been done in DC. Back then, Hardy had a school body that was overwhelmingly non-white, and came from out of boundary. Maret and Evans could easily ignore their interests, since their parents didn't have the time or money to organize an effective resistance.

However, the last 10 years have seen a change in Hardy. There are many more students attending who are from upper-middle class families that have the ability to organize and protect the Hardy student body's interests. Sure, the Maret backers are, on average, richer and better connected. But, as we've seen in their response, they're stunned that someone would push back against them and tell them "no." They've probably never had to care what the less wealthy thought about them before this situation.

Back with this "White Savior" trope.. must make you feel good!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret followed the agreement as did the District.

That agreement has now expired and Maret was expecting a wink-wink deal for an extension due to corrupt politicians like Jack Evans.

They will probably get their way and are now mad that we are pointing out the corruption and that Maret is screwing over DC students.

That agreement doesn't expire until 2029.
The agreement had an extension clause. An extension is not a new agreement.

"The term of this Agreement (the “Term”) shall commence on the date hereof (the“Commencement Date”) and expire on June 29, 2020 (the “Expiration Date”)."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Because that violates DC law. Any government agency that enters into a public private partnership must follow discreet set of steps, including a public RFP process and a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis.

Please read the DC regs on PPPs: https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/titles/2/chapters/2A/

And no, the Maret deal is not "free" to DC. You are lying. For example, Hardy pays $800 every time a sports team needs to travel by chartered bus to another part of the city to practice or play games.

Those rules where not in place when this deal was created. An extension doesn't qualify
Hardy is not DC, it's DCPS. Jellef is not DC, it's DPR.
Ellington is DCPS. If Maret were taking over Ellington's field, which is the field originally slated for Hardy (Listen to the DPR testimony) then you'd have a more legitimate complaint.
As far as I know DPR pays nothing for the field at Jellef., If you know differently, citations would help.

1. Here are the rules that were in place for PPPs when Maret and DPR negotiated the original deal. They didn't adhere to the laws, particularly as it relates to public disclosure and annual audit: https://code.dccouncil.us/dc/council/code/sections/2-273.06.html
2. The renewal WOULD be subject to the new regs applied to the PPPs. Maret does not get to continue their original 10 year agreement under the old rules on PPPs. The renewal should have been open to a public RFP process to see if DC could get a better deal. Further, the renewal should include a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis.
3. ALL DC government agencies - including DCPS and DPR - are subject to the DC Code's procurement and PPP regulations.
4. The Elllington field has never been "slated for Hardy." It is owned and controlled by Ellington at this time; funds for maintenance comes out of the Ellington budget. Bowser is trying to transfer the property to DPR. There is no guarantee at this time that Hardy will get access to Ellington. Further, no monies have been allocated by the DC government for a renovation of Ellington field.
5. The DC government paid over $15 million for the Jelleff land using debt. Taxpayer funds are used annually to service that debt. I'm not sure why you are conflating DPR with "paying for Jelleff." It doesn't matter. Taxpayers are paying so Maret can use the field - the debt service plus the costs to transport Hardy, SWW, and other public/charter students around the city for practices and games at the cost of $800/bus ride. That's insane.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more facts that come out, the less I believe that Maret was a white knight back in 2008. Even assuming that DC couldn't find the money back then to renovate Jelleff (which I don't believe-DC was only moderately impacted by the Great Recession), how does it make sense to give away a valuable piece of public property for 10 years at a pittance? The rational, reasonable, noncorrupt thing to do in that scenario would have been to put the renovation of Jelleff on hold until the economy recovered.

What really happened, most likely, is that Evans and Maret entered into a cozy little deal, like things have always been done in DC. Back then, Hardy had a school body that was overwhelmingly non-white, and came from out of boundary. Maret and Evans could easily ignore their interests, since their parents didn't have the time or money to organize an effective resistance.

However, the last 10 years have seen a change in Hardy. There are many more students attending who are from upper-middle class families that have the ability to organize and protect the Hardy student body's interests. Sure, the Maret backers are, on average, richer and better connected. But, as we've seen in their response, they're stunned that someone would push back against them and tell them "no." They've probably never had to care what the less wealthy thought about them before this situation.

Good point.

Up until recently, few people in the neighborhoods around Hardy cared much about what went on there, so long as the student body didn't cause problems. Georgetowners cared even less about the aftercare program at Jelleff, because none of their kids went there, and they didn't know anybody involved. So, Evans and Maret didn't have to care about the interests of "those people".

But, there's been a change with Hardy, as more and more of the in-boundary kids from schools like Key and Stoddert go there. That's why you have organizations like the Palisades Citizens Association involved in this situation. This type of pushback is similar to what we've seen with the Old Hardy situation. People in Wards 2 and 3 are sending more and more of their kids to DCPS, and they're getting more involved in how the District runs the schools.

Maret and Evans better hope this doesn't end up in litigation. They certainly don't want to have to open their records about this deal up to discovery, because I doubt that would end well for them.

Careful, you're starting to make Hardy PTO/A sound like "White Saviors"

DP, I disagree. The Hardy student body has changed, so the Hardy PTO is more so "saving" their own mostly white kids.

The point of the last poster was just that Maret was able to have outsized influence a decade ago because the Hardy student body was mostly low SES, minority, and spread out around the city. Now with demographics changing and more IB kids at Hardy, Maret isn't finding it so easy to get their way.

I have nothing to do with either school, just an observer of the last few pages of this thread.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maret followed the agreement as did the District.

That agreement has now expired and Maret was expecting a wink-wink deal for an extension due to corrupt politicians like Jack Evans.

They will probably get their way and are now mad that we are pointing out the corruption and that Maret is screwing over DC students.

That agreement doesn't expire until 2029.
The agreement had an extension clause. An extension is not a new agreement.

I really just really wish this situation would hurry up and end up in court so that it can be revealed that the agreement and its extension are bogus.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The more facts that come out, the less I believe that Maret was a white knight back in 2008. Even assuming that DC couldn't find the money back then to renovate Jelleff (which I don't believe-DC was only moderately impacted by the Great Recession), how does it make sense to give away a valuable piece of public property for 10 years at a pittance? The rational, reasonable, noncorrupt thing to do in that scenario would have been to put the renovation of Jelleff on hold until the economy recovered.

What really happened, most likely, is that Evans and Maret entered into a cozy little deal, like things have always been done in DC. Back then, Hardy had a school body that was overwhelmingly non-white, and came from out of boundary. Maret and Evans could easily ignore their interests, since their parents didn't have the time or money to organize an effective resistance.

However, the last 10 years have seen a change in Hardy. There are many more students attending who are from upper-middle class families that have the ability to organize and protect the Hardy student body's interests. Sure, the Maret backers are, on average, richer and better connected. But, as we've seen in their response, they're stunned that someone would push back against them and tell them "no." They've probably never had to care what the less wealthy thought about them before this situation.

Good point.

Up until recently, few people in the neighborhoods around Hardy cared much about what went on there, so long as the student body didn't cause problems. Georgetowners cared even less about the aftercare program at Jelleff, because none of their kids went there, and they didn't know anybody involved. So, Evans and Maret didn't have to care about the interests of "those people".

But, there's been a change with Hardy, as more and more of the in-boundary kids from schools like Key and Stoddert go there. That's why you have organizations like the Palisades Citizens Association involved in this situation. This type of pushback is similar to what we've seen with the Old Hardy situation. People in Wards 2 and 3 are sending more and more of their kids to DCPS, and they're getting more involved in how the District runs the schools.

Maret and Evans better hope this doesn't end up in litigation. They certainly don't want to have to open their records about this deal up to discovery, because I doubt that would end well for them.

Careful, you're starting to make Hardy PTO/A sound like "White Saviors"

Anonymous wrote:Maret followed the agreement as did the District.

That agreement has now expired and Maret was expecting a wink-wink deal for an extension due to corrupt politicians like Jack Evans.

They will probably get their way and are now mad that we are pointing out the corruption and that Maret is screwing over DC students.

That agreement doesn't expire until 2029.
The agreement had an extension clause. An extension is not a new agreement.