Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current parent here at SD and the Kingsbury process played out over multiple years and day 1 was told it was because of desire to just be in one campus so I don’t get why that one parent is so surprised now. I think it was actually very nice of them that they are keeping SD open a few extra years. FWIW Kingsbury is such a lovely campus that I don’t mind the extra 30 min commute. I’ve heard there is one angry LAMB parent that comes on DCUM and posts multiple times as different posters…but still keeping their kids at LAMB. I also heard that some waitlisted parents come on to DCUM to bash schools so they can move up waitlist. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case here, but instead of reading an anonymous board, go check out the school and ask to talk to real parents. We are generally happy to chat about our experience, good and bad.

I don’t believe you’ve really talked to anyone in the SD community. Nobody’s happy about this. The school had a plan for a shuttle and now they gave it up.

You also clearly haven’t met the parents of older kids who were not told from Day one about a plan to move. We were told 3 years ago but earlier than that people were lied to. It goes to show that better options and the ability to lottery into them are few and far between that some families have hung on through thick and thin (pretty drastic thin) and yet they’re still not valued at all.

It was widely discussed in 2016/17 (when my child was at SD) that the ultimate goal was to consolidate all the campuses and that the SD campus would not be a long term option. The administration at the time spoke frequently about the benefits (with regard to the ability to terminate) of the SD lease. We moved campuses for 17/18 because, in part, it was evident at that such a move would be inevitable. If you had asked me then, I would have presumed the SD campus would be closed by 2021.

100% to this. SD was always meant to be a temporary location until they found their permanent, one-campus location. Apparently, some parents didn't seem to know this, but plenty of us did know this and made plans accordingly. And they have worked to accommodate families close to SD to the extent that it is reasonable for them to do so from a learning perspective. They opened an Upper Elementary classroom for kids who were at WR but lived closer to SD. They really want all their Upper Elementary students together in one building for learning purposes, but made this accommodation for SD families. Not all families took advantage of it though and continued the commute to WR, knowing this was the main location for upper elementary classrooms.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current parent here at SD and the Kingsbury process played out over multiple years and day 1 was told it was because of desire to just be in one campus so I don’t get why that one parent is so surprised now. I think it was actually very nice of them that they are keeping SD open a few extra years. FWIW Kingsbury is such a lovely campus that I don’t mind the extra 30 min commute. I’ve heard there is one angry LAMB parent that comes on DCUM and posts multiple times as different posters…but still keeping their kids at LAMB. I also heard that some waitlisted parents come on to DCUM to bash schools so they can move up waitlist. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case here, but instead of reading an anonymous board, go check out the school and ask to talk to real parents. We are generally happy to chat about our experience, good and bad.

I don’t believe you’ve really talked to anyone in the SD community. Nobody’s happy about this. The school had a plan for a shuttle and now they gave it up.

You also clearly haven’t met the parents of older kids who were not told from Day one about a plan to move. We were told 3 years ago but earlier than that people were lied to. It goes to show that better options and the ability to lottery into them are few and far between that some families have hung on through thick and thin (pretty drastic thin) and yet they’re still not valued at all.

It was widely discussed in 2016/17 (when my child was at SD) that the ultimate goal was to consolidate all the campuses and that the SD campus would not be a long term option. The administration at the time spoke frequently about the benefits (with regard to the ability to terminate) of the SD lease. We moved campuses for 17/18 because, in part, it was evident at that such a move would be inevitable. If you had asked me then, I would have presumed the SD campus would be closed by 2021.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone on the K waitlist for SD, but who is much closer to Kingsbury, please reconsider taking a spot to “try out” the commute, knowing it’s going to be too difficult and you’ll likely bail in a year or two. Our family getting off the waitlist means we don’t have to choose between a cross town commute to somewhere like Hyde or moving out of the city. It’s your spot, you can of course do with it what you want, but just wanted to put it out there that there are other families who would give an arm and a leg for that spot.

Omg. I really cannot believe I just read this ... and that is saying something for DCUM. You're not entitled to someone else's spot just because you think you want it more. This is just crazy.

Pretty much par for the dcum course id actually say.

I don’t think “be thoughtful before using a limited commodity“ is particularly crazy, but Americans aren’t known for community mindedness, now are they.

I take it back. This topped the original comment in terms of DCUMing itself. You can spin this however you want but your post was extraordinarily entitled sounding and not at all about community mindedness, which is entirely unrelated to your request. You want another family to skip attending one of the city's highest rated charter schools because you happen to live close by ... unless they can say for certain they will stick with the commute for 5 years. And you have no idea if there are any families in this situation anyway. For all you know, the person taking the spot you want also lives close to Kingsbury.

NP. That original comment was directed at people "trying out" the commute from SD to Kingsbury. That's not saying they have to be certain they'll stick with it for 5 years or families that live near Kingsbury (or they wouldn't have a commute to try out). LAMB is unique in being one of (or the only?) schools that doesn't backfill in elementary school and it's frustrating for all of us that haven't gotten a seat anywhere yet to hear posters advising others they can always go back to their in-bounds if the charter doesn't work out. There was a recent LAMB thread full of that talk and posters were talking about bike commuting and relying on the shuttle. Now that we know the shuttle isn't an option, families SHOULD think seriously before committing to a commute that "is going to be hell." https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/976876.page

Those families can do whatever they want, they don’t need a random poster asking them to not try it because she wants their spot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone on the K waitlist for SD, but who is much closer to Kingsbury, please reconsider taking a spot to “try out” the commute, knowing it’s going to be too difficult and you’ll likely bail in a year or two. Our family getting off the waitlist means we don’t have to choose between a cross town commute to somewhere like Hyde or moving out of the city. It’s your spot, you can of course do with it what you want, but just wanted to put it out there that there are other families who would give an arm and a leg for that spot.

Omg. I really cannot believe I just read this ... and that is saying something for DCUM. You're not entitled to someone else's spot just because you think you want it more. This is just crazy.

Pretty much par for the dcum course id actually say.

I don’t think “be thoughtful before using a limited commodity“ is particularly crazy, but Americans aren’t known for community mindedness, now are they.

I take it back. This topped the original comment in terms of DCUMing itself. You can spin this however you want but your post was extraordinarily entitled sounding and not at all about community mindedness, which is entirely unrelated to your request. You want another family to skip attending one of the city's highest rated charter schools because you happen to live close by ... unless they can say for certain they will stick with the commute for 5 years. And you have no idea if there are any families in this situation anyway. For all you know, the person taking the spot you want also lives close to Kingsbury.

NP. That original comment was directed at people "trying out" the commute from SD to Kingsbury. That's not saying they have to be certain they'll stick with it for 5 years or families that live near Kingsbury (or they wouldn't have a commute to try out). LAMB is unique in being one of (or the only?) schools that doesn't backfill in elementary school and it's frustrating for all of us that haven't gotten a seat anywhere yet to hear posters advising others they can always go back to their in-bounds if the charter doesn't work out. There was a recent LAMB thread full of that talk and posters were talking about bike commuting and relying on the shuttle. Now that we know the shuttle isn't an option, families SHOULD think seriously before committing to a commute that "is going to be hell." https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/976876.page

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, people commute all over the city for school. I'm in Brightwood Park (that's upper Petworth-ish/Takoma-ish) and my neighbors send their kids to Deal/Wilson. People do it and do it for years.

That’s actually a quick 10-12 min drive. Not the best example.

It's not, though. It's about 25 min if you hit the morning traffic, and then you have to figure out how to get downtown from there (if you work downtown).

I drive from Brightwood to Deal every single day and have been for 5 years. It rarely takes more than 12 minutes. There is hardly any East to west traffic on Military in the morning and any traffic to downtown you’d have to navigate no matter what. There is also a straight shot dedicated bus that takes kids from every part of 16th to Deal or Wilson. Again, I don’t think this is the same comparison for the upset NE parents is all I’m saying.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, people commute all over the city for school. I'm in Brightwood Park (that's upper Petworth-ish/Takoma-ish) and my neighbors send their kids to Deal/Wilson. People do it and do it for years.

That’s actually a quick 10-12 min drive. Not the best example.

It's not, though. It's about 25 min if you hit the morning traffic, and then you have to figure out how to get downtown from there (if you work downtown).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, people commute all over the city for school. I'm in Brightwood Park (that's upper Petworth-ish/Takoma-ish) and my neighbors send their kids to Deal/Wilson. People do it and do it for years.

That’s actually a quick 10-12 min drive. Not the best example.

I'm PP. I commuted to NE for the past three years. Because that's how the lottery broke out for us. My total commute was about 75 minutes. It's not great but it was something I did for my kid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As someone on the K waitlist for SD, but who is much closer to Kingsbury, please reconsider taking a spot to “try out” the commute, knowing it’s going to be too difficult and you’ll likely bail in a year or two. Our family getting off the waitlist means we don’t have to choose between a cross town commute to somewhere like Hyde or moving out of the city. It’s your spot, you can of course do with it what you want, but just wanted to put it out there that there are other families who would give an arm and a leg for that spot.

Omg. I really cannot believe I just read this ... and that is saying something for DCUM. You're not entitled to someone else's spot just because you think you want it more. This is just crazy.

Pretty much par for the dcum course id actually say.

I don’t think “be thoughtful before using a limited commodity“ is particularly crazy, but Americans aren’t known for community mindedness, now are they.

I take it back. This topped the original comment in terms of DCUMing itself. You can spin this however you want but your post was extraordinarily entitled sounding and not at all about community mindedness, which is entirely unrelated to your request. You want another family to skip attending one of the city's highest rated charter schools because you happen to live close by ... unless they can say for certain they will stick with the commute for 5 years. And you have no idea if there are any families in this situation anyway. For all you know, the person taking the spot you want also lives close to Kingsbury.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Current parent here at SD and the Kingsbury process played out over multiple years and day 1 was told it was because of desire to just be in one campus so I don’t get why that one parent is so surprised now. I think it was actually very nice of them that they are keeping SD open a few extra years. FWIW Kingsbury is such a lovely campus that I don’t mind the extra 30 min commute. I’ve heard there is one angry LAMB parent that comes on DCUM and posts multiple times as different posters…but still keeping their kids at LAMB. I also heard that some waitlisted parents come on to DCUM to bash schools so they can move up waitlist. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case here, but instead of reading an anonymous board, go check out the school and ask to talk to real parents. We are generally happy to chat about our experience, good and bad.

I don’t believe you’ve really talked to anyone in the SD community. Nobody’s happy about this. The school had a plan for a shuttle and now they gave it up.

You also clearly haven’t met the parents of older kids who were not told from Day one about a plan to move. We were told 3 years ago but earlier than that people were lied to. It goes to show that better options and the ability to lottery into them are few and far between that some families have hung on through thick and thin (pretty drastic thin) and yet they’re still not valued at all.

Look, I'm not a LAMB parent, but I feel the need to comment on this. The way the lottery and charter systems work in DC creates ZERO incentive for charter schools to care about student retention and value loyalty. Why would they when there are hundreds of families who would take your family's seats and not have your complaints? The past year has shown that NONE of the charters, nor DCPS for that matter, prioritize parent satisfaction. Fair or unfair, that's the system and the schools hold all of the cards, not you. You can complain until you're blue in the face, but the fact of the matter is you know you have nowhere better to go, and even if you left, someone else would be counting their blessings to take your place. It's frustrating and disappointing, but it's what all of us that chose to play the lottery signed up for. Now be grateful you "won" that lottery and sit down and shut up. (That last bit is the school speaking, not me.)

Anonymous wrote:Current parent here at SD and the Kingsbury process played out over multiple years and day 1 was told it was because of desire to just be in one campus so I don’t get why that one parent is so surprised now. I think it was actually very nice of them that they are keeping SD open a few extra years. FWIW Kingsbury is such a lovely campus that I don’t mind the extra 30 min commute. I’ve heard there is one angry LAMB parent that comes on DCUM and posts multiple times as different posters…but still keeping their kids at LAMB. I also heard that some waitlisted parents come on to DCUM to bash schools so they can move up waitlist. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case here, but instead of reading an anonymous board, go check out the school and ask to talk to real parents. We are generally happy to chat about our experience, good and bad.

I don’t believe you’ve really talked to anyone in the SD community. Nobody’s happy about this. The school had a plan for a shuttle and now they gave it up.

You also clearly haven’t met the parents of older kids who were not told from Day one about a plan to move. We were told 3 years ago but earlier than that people were lied to. It goes to show that better options and the ability to lottery into them are few and far between that some families have hung on through thick and thin (pretty drastic thin) and yet they’re still not valued at all.

Anonymous wrote:Also, people commute all over the city for school. I'm in Brightwood Park (that's upper Petworth-ish/Takoma-ish) and my neighbors send their kids to Deal/Wilson. People do it and do it for years.

That’s actually a quick 10-12 min drive. Not the best example.

Anonymous wrote:Current parent here at SD and the Kingsbury process played out over multiple years and day 1 was told it was because of desire to just be in one campus so I don’t get why that one parent is so surprised now. I think it was actually very nice of them that they are keeping SD open a few extra years. FWIW Kingsbury is such a lovely campus that I don’t mind the extra 30 min commute. I’ve heard there is one angry LAMB parent that comes on DCUM and posts multiple times as different posters…but still keeping their kids at LAMB. I also heard that some waitlisted parents come on to DCUM to bash schools so they can move up waitlist. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case here, but instead of reading an anonymous board, go check out the school and ask to talk to real parents. We are generally happy to chat about our experience, good and bad.

I don’t believe you’re a current parent. They didn’t keep SD open to be nice. They kept it open because their zoning decision doesn’t allow them to consolidate for three years. They’re not allowed to have that number of kids in the kingsbury building.

Also, people commute all over the city for school. I'm in Brightwood Park (that's upper Petworth-ish/Takoma-ish) and my neighbors send their kids to Deal/Wilson. People do it and do it for years.

Anonymous wrote:Current parent here at SD and the Kingsbury process played out over multiple years and day 1 was told it was because of desire to just be in one campus so I don’t get why that one parent is so surprised now. I think it was actually very nice of them that they are keeping SD open a few extra years. FWIW Kingsbury is such a lovely campus that I don’t mind the extra 30 min commute. I’ve heard there is one angry LAMB parent that comes on DCUM and posts multiple times as different posters…but still keeping their kids at LAMB. I also heard that some waitlisted parents come on to DCUM to bash schools so they can move up waitlist. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case here, but instead of reading an anonymous board, go check out the school and ask to talk to real parents. We are generally happy to chat about our experience, good and bad.

Not at LAMB, but at another charter with a similar long waitlist, and I agree with this. What you read in DCUM is so different from reality, I always recommend to just ask on their neighborhood list serve or try to find current parents. I hope no one decides which school to attend based on DCUM.

Current parent here at SD and the Kingsbury process played out over multiple years and day 1 was told it was because of desire to just be in one campus so I don’t get why that one parent is so surprised now. I think it was actually very nice of them that they are keeping SD open a few extra years. FWIW Kingsbury is such a lovely campus that I don’t mind the extra 30 min commute. I’ve heard there is one angry LAMB parent that comes on DCUM and posts multiple times as different posters…but still keeping their kids at LAMB. I also heard that some waitlisted parents come on to DCUM to bash schools so they can move up waitlist. I’m not saying that’s necessarily the case here, but instead of reading an anonymous board, go check out the school and ask to talk to real parents. We are generally happy to chat about our experience, good and bad.