Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

We do have a right to public feedback and discussion involving the affected school communities *before* dramatic decisions and major reversals in course are made, no? Big meetings are held over much much less.

+1000. In addition, the community has been patiently waiting year after year while our elected officials have been telling us Shaw MS will be coming soon. They knew all along that was not so but kept lying to us. This was just handled poorly all around and everyone got screwed, the Shaw MS supporters, Banneker supporters, the community. No one is a winner here folks.

I completely agree with this sentiment. However, and this is honest, I wonder what the right course of action is. What do we as parents and citizens do next?

Do you throw up your hands and give up? Do you accept the decision of Banneker getting the space, and move on to advocate for the next space? Do you focus your energies on reversing the Banneker decision? Do you focus on improving the current Middle school feeder pathway? Do you move out of DC completely?

We all only have so much energy and time. And there are multiple choices here for each of us to follow. We can all agree that the decision making process was completely flawed... but what do we do next. And what will have the greatest impact on the most people.

And my problem with these Cardozo Feeder meetings is that, at least from my perspective, everyone is working a different one of these angles. So if all of our goals are different (even if we all ultimately just want good Middle School options for DC kids), how do we ever make any progress?

It would be extremely helpful if the Banneker supporters joined forces with Shaw MS supporters to demand a plan that would be beneficial to both communities. Unlikely, I know. I totally get it that Banneker is getting the renovated facility that they justly deserve, so why would they rock the boat? I'm not dumping on Banneker. But it saddens me that everyone is playing to Bowser's plans and the divide and conquer strategy was intentional, make no mistake about it. And it worked! As we continue to yawn and shrug, she'll keep on pulling this crap on other communities.

Yes this is a good idea. Banneker folks via their silly twitter feed are all about them selves and sound very entitled to something that they we just given 5 minutes ago, and something they never asked for it seems. And the Save Shaw people just want to derail the whole Banneker move whatever the cost.

I hope that DCPS and the DME realized that those people are a vocal few.

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely agree that the divide and conquer strategy is nothing new in D.C. Also that major decisions are made quietly among a small group and then announced as "final." I've seen it work very successfully before, and many are playing right along to get what they want. Also agree that there are zero winners here. Banneker will probably get its space, but at what level of cost and resentment in the historic Shaw community--which is actually incredibly diverse, and the schools are Title I, despite what is often implied here.

\

Of COURSE you have title I schools...it's SHAW, y'all. You got public housing drilled in all over the place, and you want 7th grade algebra in friggin' middle school. Puh-leeeze. It's a bit awe-some to even be reading these half-baked ideas here. Bordering on crazy.

Getting high school parents organized, especially when they live all over the city, not just as Banneker.

High school flies by — and by junior year high achieving students and their parents are rightly most focused on their college searches and applications. Students also get to school on their own — and parents just aren’t around as much. High schools aren’t a family gathering place the way an elementary school is.

You see far more engagement about middle and high school by parents of elementary school students — who have longer horizons and frankly aren’t burned out yet.

Absolutely agree that the divide and conquer strategy is nothing new in D.C. Also that major decisions are made quietly among a small group and then announced as "final." I've seen it work very successfully before, and many are playing right along to get what they want. Also agree that there are zero winners here. Banneker will probably get its space, but at what level of cost and resentment in the historic Shaw community--which is actually incredibly diverse, and the schools are Title I, despite what is often implied here.

What the Shaw supporters should realize is that the Mayor's behavior is nothing new in DC politics. You just don't have enough political power to get what you want; and frankly, once the Banneker supporters saw this opportunity and decided they wanted your Shaw site, there's nothing you could have done about it. Or CAN do about it.

What's galling, and I'm completely sympathetic, is that Bowser promised you a new middle school, and she took back her promise. I'm not sure Vince Gray or Arian Fenty would have done something THAT offensive; they probably would not have made the promise in the first place. It's literally shameful that it happened under her "leadership."

But most folks who have lived in DC for a long time would have predicted this outcome. You got nothing until you've got it, especially if you're a "gentrifier." Know your place, and you MIGHT get a consolation prize. Honey versus lemons, and all that.

Your options are probably staying in Shaw and prostrating yourselves to the Mayor in order to get your consolation prize, or moving to Tenleytown, or leaving town completely. Or, if you're rich enough, paying for private. But, if you have that much disposable income, I'm surprised you'd be bothering at all to change the public school situation, much less reading DCUM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

We do have a right to public feedback and discussion involving the affected school communities *before* dramatic decisions and major reversals in course are made, no? Big meetings are held over much much less.

+1000. In addition, the community has been patiently waiting year after year while our elected officials have been telling us Shaw MS will be coming soon. They knew all along that was not so but kept lying to us. This was just handled poorly all around and everyone got screwed, the Shaw MS supporters, Banneker supporters, the community. No one is a winner here folks.

I completely agree with this sentiment. However, and this is honest, I wonder what the right course of action is. What do we as parents and citizens do next?

Do you throw up your hands and give up? Do you accept the decision of Banneker getting the space, and move on to advocate for the next space? Do you focus your energies on reversing the Banneker decision? Do you focus on improving the current Middle school feeder pathway? Do you move out of DC completely?

We all only have so much energy and time. And there are multiple choices here for each of us to follow. We can all agree that the decision making process was completely flawed... but what do we do next. And what will have the greatest impact on the most people.

And my problem with these Cardozo Feeder meetings is that, at least from my perspective, everyone is working a different one of these angles. So if all of our goals are different (even if we all ultimately just want good Middle School options for DC kids), how do we ever make any progress?

It would be extremely helpful if the Banneker supporters joined forces with Shaw MS supporters to demand a plan that would be beneficial to both communities. Unlikely, I know. I totally get it that Banneker is getting the renovated facility that they justly deserve, so why would they rock the boat? I'm not dumping on Banneker. But it saddens me that everyone is playing to Bowser's plans and the divide and conquer strategy was intentional, make no mistake about it. And it worked! As we continue to yawn and shrug, she'll keep on pulling this crap on other communities.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

We do have a right to public feedback and discussion involving the affected school communities *before* dramatic decisions and major reversals in course are made, no? Big meetings are held over much much less.

+1000. In addition, the community has been patiently waiting year after year while our elected officials have been telling us Shaw MS will be coming soon. They knew all along that was not so but kept lying to us. This was just handled poorly all around and everyone got screwed, the Shaw MS supporters, Banneker supporters, the community. No one is a winner here folks.

I completely agree with this sentiment. However, and this is honest, I wonder what the right course of action is. What do we as parents and citizens do next?

Do you throw up your hands and give up? Do you accept the decision of Banneker getting the space, and move on to advocate for the next space? Do you focus your energies on reversing the Banneker decision? Do you focus on improving the current Middle school feeder pathway? Do you move out of DC completely?

We all only have so much energy and time. And there are multiple choices here for each of us to follow. We can all agree that the decision making process was completely flawed... but what do we do next. And what will have the greatest impact on the most people.

And my problem with these Cardozo Feeder meetings is that, at least from my perspective, everyone is working a different one of these angles. So if all of our goals are different (even if we all ultimately just want good Middle School options for DC kids), how do we ever make any progress?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

We do have a right to public feedback and discussion involving the affected school communities *before* dramatic decisions and major reversals in course are made, no? Big meetings are held over much much less.

+1000. In addition, the community has been patiently waiting year after year while our elected officials have been telling us Shaw MS will be coming soon. They knew all along that was not so but kept lying to us. This was just handled poorly all around and everyone got screwed, the Shaw MS supporters, Banneker supporters, the community. No one is a winner here folks.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

We do have a right to public feedback and discussion involving the affected school communities *before* dramatic decisions and major reversals in course are made, no? Big meetings are held over much much less.

Yes - the ANC is the venue for this.

The ANC? You've got to be kidding.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

We do have a right to public feedback and discussion involving the affected school communities *before* dramatic decisions and major reversals in course are made, no? Big meetings are held over much much less.

Yes - the ANC is the venue for this.

Anonymous wrote:^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

We do have a right to public feedback and discussion involving the affected school communities *before* dramatic decisions and major reversals in course are made, no? Big meetings are held over much much less.

^^ Yes. Entitled.

School boundaries and locations are not fixed. They change.

You have a right to public education. You do not have a right to public education in the facility of your choice

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for PP: DCPS is so student-mobile, there are students criss-crossing the city EVERY F-ing Day all over the place. Having a middle school in a place that is easy to travel to in many ways makes more sense than a neighborhood model that relies on people traveling against the normal travel flow of the city to downtown and back.

So why build another neighborhood school?

I would vastly prefer that DCPS accelerate the plan it has floated to make the old Banneker building a city-wide, test-in MS.

Ah! Why a neighborhood school? That's because it's only a neighborhood school once it's full.

You have a neighborhood school in a building facility within the Cardozo building (same as New North/Wells is getting). Work on a separate principal (Wells has one) and effective partitioning.

But it’s too far away. These people live in the city but their children can’t be expected to go to the next neighborhood for middle school. Entitled.

Entitled? To a neighborhood middle school that existed for nearly 100 years, was taken away temporarily, and then snatched away without notice? What the actual eff are you talking about?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for PP: DCPS is so student-mobile, there are students criss-crossing the city EVERY F-ing Day all over the place. Having a middle school in a place that is easy to travel to in many ways makes more sense than a neighborhood model that relies on people traveling against the normal travel flow of the city to downtown and back.

So why build another neighborhood school?

I would vastly prefer that DCPS accelerate the plan it has floated to make the old Banneker building a city-wide, test-in MS.

Ah! Why a neighborhood school? That's because it's only a neighborhood school once it's full.

You have a neighborhood school in a building facility within the Cardozo building (same as New North/Wells is getting). Work on a separate principal (Wells has one) and effective partitioning.

They are NOT housed in the same building.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:for PP: DCPS is so student-mobile, there are students criss-crossing the city EVERY F-ing Day all over the place. Having a middle school in a place that is easy to travel to in many ways makes more sense than a neighborhood model that relies on people traveling against the normal travel flow of the city to downtown and back.

So why build another neighborhood school?

I would vastly prefer that DCPS accelerate the plan it has floated to make the old Banneker building a city-wide, test-in MS.

Ah! Why a neighborhood school? That's because it's only a neighborhood school once it's full.

You have a neighborhood school in a building facility within the Cardozo building (same as New North/Wells is getting). Work on a separate principal (Wells has one) and effective partitioning.

But it’s too far away. These people live in the city but their children can’t be expected to go to the next neighborhood for middle school. Entitled.