After an initial review of the plan, I like it. I think it makes sense to close about 3 schools, open up a new middle school, and offer an application magnet program at McKinley. I wonder how the community will react to the multi-pronged approach and choosing three schools to close.

CURRENT HS/MS/ES/PK-8
Spingarn, Dunbar, McKinley, Phelps, Buroughs, Brookland @ Bunker Hill, Browne, Langdon, Noyes, Wheatley, Marshall (to 4th)

PREFERENCES OF WARD FIVE
34% want standalone middle
25% have no preference
24% want 2-3 educational campuses
15% want 2 large EC(6-12) & 3 PK-8

MINIMUM THRESHOLDS
400 stand-alone ES
600 stand-alone MS
600 PS-8

DRAFT PROPOSAL
Total - 900 MS seats
Total - 2,148 ES seats
4 HS (Spingarn, Dunbar, Phelps, McKinley-w/new application MS)
1 (new) Arts & language MS
1 (new) International Baccalaureate EC PK-8
4 ES (closing 3 ES)

TIMELINE
Solicit feedback - Nov-Dec 2011
Options Decision Meeting - Jan 2012
Implementation SY 2013-14

Did not go but you can read about it here. Three options proposed for Ward 5 (parents could pick any of them). The idea of a magnet school is attractive (w/ 100 slots for Ward 5 residents) but I would worry about sending my 11 year old to a building w/ 18-19 year olds too.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/three-new-middle-schools-proposed-for-northeast-dcs-ward-5/2011/11/18/gIQA5ZiZZN_story.html

Seems like DCPS is working hard to respond to feedback -- but they need to get more Ward 5 parents (esp middle class parents) into Ward 5 elementaries to have the middle school options in the Ward succeed, IMO.

How was it? I d be Intetested in funding out.

Did anyone go to any of these meetings? How was it? Take-aways? Please share. Thanks.

Anonymous wrote:Meetings for parents Ward 5 in October and November 2011
Join us for the continuing conversation on the Ward 5 Great Schools Initiative.

If you are a parent at... Noyes Brookland Burroughs Langley
Your meeting date is... 10/25/2011 11/1/2011 10/24/2011 10/31/2011
Your meeting location is... Noyes Brookland Langdon Langley
Your meeting time is... 8:00 - 9:00am 8:00 - 9:00am 6:00 - 7:00pm 6:00-7:00pm

If you are a parent at... Brown Wheatley Langdon Marshall
Your meeting date is... 11/1/2011 10/26/2011 10/24/2011 10/27/2011
Your meeting location is... Brown Wheatley Langdon Marshall
Your meeting time is... 5:30-6:30pm 5:30 -6:30pm 6:00-7:00pm 4:45 - 5:30pm

Will bubbly wine and cheese be served?

Meetings for parents Ward 5 in October and November 2011
Join us for the continuing conversation on the Ward 5 Great Schools Initiative.

If you are a parent at... Noyes Brookland Burroughs Langley
Your meeting date is... 10/25/2011 11/1/2011 10/24/2011 10/31/2011
Your meeting location is... Noyes Brookland Langdon Langley
Your meeting time is... 8:00 - 9:00am 8:00 - 9:00am 6:00 - 7:00pm 6:00-7:00pm

If you are a parent at... Brown Wheatley Langdon Marshall
Your meeting date is... 11/1/2011 10/26/2011 10/24/2011 10/27/2011
Your meeting location is... Brown Wheatley Langdon Marshall
Your meeting time is... 5:30-6:30pm 5:30 -6:30pm 6:00-7:00pm 4:45 - 5:30pm

The OOB numbers are available -- you can get them by subtracting in my msg above. Again, 1,105 Ward 5 middle schoolers in DCPS total, 654 Ward 5 middle schoolers in ward 5 schools.

Best bet for charter school numbers is probably the PCSB (I do not know whether they have it, just guessing). Doubt you'll get private numbers anywhere.

Here is DCPS's page about that meeting but it doesn't look like they put up the data from the handout unfortunately:

http://www.dc.gov/DCPS/Parents+and+Community/Community+Initiatives/Ward+5+Great+Schools+Initiative

I wish I knew how many potential Ward 5 DCPS students were enrolled elsewhere-- in charters, privates, or OOB. Is this info available anywhere?

DCPS provided audited enrollment data (from Oct 2010) at the meeting last week. There are currently 790 students in grades 6-8, split among 7 education campuses (highest enrollment at any given EC is 173 (at Browne, lowest at Burroughs w/ 75). This includes students enrolled from other wards, of course.

Ward 5 students enrolled in middle school grades in ward 5 number 654. This represents 59% of all Ward 5 middle schoolers in DCPS schools. There are 1,105 Ward 5 middle schoolers in DCPS schools overall. Obviously there are more in charters and private, but I don't have those numbers.

How many students could in Ward 5 send to a new middle school? How many middle school students are there in Ward 5? Not asking how many would actually choose it, just want to know how large the recruiting pool is.