Anonymous wrote:I'm the parent of a rising 4th grader at TR4 and I'm not aware of any behavioral issues. The 5th grade cohort is really small and I haven't heard of any issues there, either. I can't speak to what's happening at the Young Campus.

The thing with behavior is it's not always poor classroom control or widespread minor behavior stuff. It has to do with how the school handles really serious behaviors, like assault or kids with serious emotional or psychological problems. You can go years without having firsthand experience with this kind of thing. But then there will be a major incident and people are often really disappointed in how the school handles it. Yes, these things can arise unpredictability, but how the school manages the aftermath and prevents future issues is a big deal. And if parents feel like they're being gaslit or woke-shamed into tolerating behaviors like severe bullying or things that are actually physically dangerous, then they'll be really unhappy. Just one incident can speak volumes about how the schools handles things, and people don't forget. The school will say "it's just that one kid" but it's not-- it's more than one kid, and the common thread is the school not handling it appropriately.

Anonymous wrote:I'm the parent of a rising 4th grader at TR4 and I'm not aware of any behavioral issues. The 5th grade cohort is really small and I haven't heard of any issues there, either. I can't speak to what's happening at the Young Campus.

We are at a school where a lot of TR families move to in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and the main reason they seem to leave is academic, not behavioral. I don't get the sense TR has behavioral issues in the upper elementary grades that are any different than you'd see at most CH elementary schools, including Maury, Brent, or L-T. But people seem to have issues with the curriculum after ECE ends. I've heard people with kids who are below grade level say they don't feel their kid is getting the support to get on track, and I've heard parents with kids who are at or above grade level say that they feel the academics are just kind of spinning wheels and kids aren't really growing or developing skills.

We're at a DCPS and I have plenty of complaints about it (too much screen time, not enough outdoor time, doesn't always challenge advanced learners well except at teacher discretion) BUT I think the curriculum itself is solid and I feel like my kids are getting a very solid academic baseline that will serve them well moving forward. We also supplement, because we don't feel the curriculum challenges them or gives enough chances for them to explore academic areas of interest. But I don't see any big gaps in baseline knowledge for math or ELA at this point (oldest is in 3rd). Whereas the TR families I've spoken to have talked about big gaps in things like learning math facts and phonics.

So I think the concern is less about behavior (at least for elementary, perhaps there are behavioral concerns at the MS but again, this would be in keeping with issues at other CH MSs, so not really that different) than questioning whether kids are getting the academic foundation they need.

I'm the parent of a rising 4th grader at TR4 and I'm not aware of any behavioral issues. The 5th grade cohort is really small and I haven't heard of any issues there, either. I can't speak to what's happening at the Young Campus.

It’s a sad situation all around….

Their leader is a cast of from DCPS who really doesn't seem to get the "TR way" - add that in to the debt and mismanagement and anything that set it apart will be long gone.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:https://www.tworiverspcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Two-Rivers-Annual-Report-2023-2024.pdf

There's a budget at the end of this annual report. It shows a loss of $1.5 million. For a school with total assets of $54 million but $39 million is facilities, that's not sustainable.

It is uglier than that. The way they account for expenses is opaque at best. They list an expense item as "rent" but I can't find their mortgages and liens. Near as I can tell that's included in "Senior Debt" totaling 43,740,678. So they are counting as assets the facilities but there's debt service due to the tune of $43m. That's about a $9 million cushion. With a 17% burn rate (which I expect to increase as Per Pupil funding hits keep coming and enrollment declines) the school has about 4 more years to do something drastic (e.g. close and sell 4th street) before it implode.

P.S. If Kristina was still there she'd be blaming Covid and racism for the decline!

Do you mean “Dr” K? 😉
I think finances have always been shaky and reliant on a TON of debt.

Anonymous wrote:https://www.tworiverspcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Two-Rivers-Annual-Report-2023-2024.pdf

There's a budget at the end of this annual report. It shows a loss of $1.5 million. For a school with total assets of $54 million but $39 million is facilities, that's not sustainable.

It is uglier than that. The way they account for expenses is opaque at best. They list an expense item as "rent" but I can't find their mortgages and liens. Near as I can tell that's included in "Senior Debt" totaling 43,740,678. So they are counting as assets the facilities but there's debt service due to the tune of $43m. That's about a $9 million cushion. With a 17% burn rate (which I expect to increase as Per Pupil funding hits keep coming and enrollment declines) the school has about 4 more years to do something drastic (e.g. close and sell 4th street) before it implode.

P.S. If Kristina was still there she'd be blaming Covid and racism for the decline!

Life in Trump’s America means nothing….so whatever school doesn’t matter. Sidwell, Stu Hobson, who cares…

https://www.tworiverspcs.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Two-Rivers-Annual-Report-2023-2024.pdf

There's a budget at the end of this annual report. It shows a loss of $1.5 million. For a school with total assets of $54 million but $39 million is facilities, that's not sustainable.

Sad — well it served to keep UMC in neighborhood while’s DCPS options became viable. Now they have, so…job well done?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping the day will come when TR has to more seriously reckon with its mismanagement. Maybe this year is the year.

There will be no reckoning. I think it's going to fizzle and ultimately get shut down. My recommendation is to leave well before that happens.

This. Step one will be shutting down 4th street. When JOW reopens that'll be the end. Combined with the emergence of SH as a viable MS option, TR will no longer get UMC neighborhood families.

Shuttering and selling 4th will save operational expenses, increase reserves when they sell and mask enrollment issues. Will give Young a reprieve for a few years. Until they run that into the ground too.

I do think it's at a tipping point, as you say due to JOW and SH but also due to financial reserves being drawn down (operating at a deficit last year I believe) and running through the waitlist. There are post-lottery enrollments that aren't shown in the data, so schools can pick up some kids over the summer, but there's also summer melt as waitlists move. Count Day will speak volumes, as will the PCSB FAR if they ever publish it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping the day will come when TR has to more seriously reckon with its mismanagement. Maybe this year is the year.

There will be no reckoning. I think it's going to fizzle and ultimately get shut down. My recommendation is to leave well before that happens.

This. Step one will be shutting down 4th street. When JOW reopens that'll be the end. Combined with the emergence of SH as a viable MS option, TR will no longer get UMC neighborhood families.

Shuttering and selling 4th will save operational expenses, increase reserves when they sell and mask enrollment issues. Will give Young a reprieve for a few years. Until they run that into the ground too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t matter with Trump and co. Nothing does. Why am I even alive?

Pull it together. I'm sorry TR is a mess but don't be ridiculous. Your kids actually DO matter, and while Trump is awful he presently has very little to do with your school problems in DC (that could change but one thing at a time).

Just figure it out. If you are on this board, you are likely an UMC professional with a lot of resources. If you are at TR and lamenting its decline, check out post-lottery applications at Watkins, Payne, JO Wilson, and Brent. Those last two are burning through their waitlists because they are in swing spaces this year, but if you get into one of them, the bonus is that you would then get to attend the nice new campus when it's done. And JO feeds to Stuart-Hobson, which has a 100+ waitlist for 6th right now.

You need to get over yourself.

And UMC doesn’t really mean much anymore….lot’s of resources but can’t buy yourself into a credible by-right school zone….a complete joke. And I say this while recognizing that the supposed “good” schools in Montgomery County, Arlington, FF, etc…are also increasingly iffy prospects.

But yes, agree with idea of getting into JOW now depending on time horizon. Will at least be a nice facility and will likely completely destroy the value prop for TR4 for families in that neighborhood.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It doesn’t matter with Trump and co. Nothing does. Why am I even alive?

Pull it together. I'm sorry TR is a mess but don't be ridiculous. Your kids actually DO matter, and while Trump is awful he presently has very little to do with your school problems in DC (that could change but one thing at a time).

Just figure it out. If you are on this board, you are likely an UMC professional with a lot of resources. If you are at TR and lamenting its decline, check out post-lottery applications at Watkins, Payne, JO Wilson, and Brent. Those last two are burning through their waitlists because they are in swing spaces this year, but if you get into one of them, the bonus is that you would then get to attend the nice new campus when it's done. And JO feeds to Stuart-Hobson, which has a 100+ waitlist for 6th right now.

You need to get over yourself.

This comment has appeared on several threads. Has nothing to do with TR…

Anonymous wrote:I am hoping the day will come when TR has to more seriously reckon with its mismanagement. Maybe this year is the year.

There will be no reckoning. I think it's going to fizzle and ultimately get shut down. My recommendation is to leave well before that happens.