Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The reason he believes in a limited percentage of neighborhood slots is that he has spoken with both low income and middle class families who haven't been able to lottery into the nearby charter, and they have expressed difficulty with the time and financial burden of driving or using public transportation to get to a school across town.

First, I think it's great that you're willing to come out from behind anonymity to address this tough crowd. You sound pretty earnest and your support speaks to me as a mother with education issues top of mind.

I can also appreciate an at-large candidate speaking to the needs of low and middle class families on getting access to schools. But I think the position above really underscores a need to bolster the neighborhood offering of DCPS.

We live in Petworth and have proximity to so many great charters that it's painful to be shut out of all of them. But when it gets right down to it, few of them are what I would choose if we simply had a very strong neighborhood school. I understand the trend toward language immersion, but it's not as much a priority in our family as solid reading and math ability at the elementary level. Montessori is also pretty hot right now, but it's not ideal for every kid. We like the expeditonary learning model and it's frustrating to be competing for seats with people who don't know or care what that is.

But the reality is that it's so hard to get into these schools past PK4, and the DCPS options are so suboptimal that it feels irresponsible not to go for every possible shot at every school that's at least decent--which is what diminishes the chances for everyone. It's also what creates the high anxiety at lottery time and the high anguish at results. Many of us can't or won't consider driving across town, making charters an all or nothing proposition. That's crazy, untenable, and puts undue pressure on charters to change what they're all about in order to accomodate.

So I don't want a preference for my neighbors at a nearby charter. i want my neighbors to have a preference for the nearby DCPS. And I want that DCPS to offer a very solid, non-specialized program that's still a responsible choice for those who don't want or need specialized programs.

Maybe John Settles is the one who can start talking about that as a priority that would benefit all wards. Whatever his final position on neighborhood choice, I wish your team all the best. He's a refreshing candidate in a town that's increasingly tough to please, and it seems well on the way to election.

Are you running for anything? I like you!

+1

This was so well put. Could not have said it better myself.

The Settles live out of bounds for Hearst, the school where their kids all go to school. He is the only candidate with school age kids in this race, and would be the only sitting Councilmember with "skin in the game". He is living this, the way we all are, so none of this discussion is theorhetical, as it is for the other candidates in the race.

We need Settles on the Council.

NEIGHBORHOOD PREFERENCE INFO:

Okay, I just returned form a meet and greet with John Settles. He had been forewarned about this issue and actually offered to set up a conference call with our users. If anyone is interested in that, let me know. But, for the time being I told hims simple post here (such as I'm posting now) is probably sufficient.

First, unbeknownst to me, David Grosso has already introduced legislation to allow neighborhood preference. The bill has gone nowhere, but you can see the text here:

http://dcclims1.dccouncil.us/images/00001/20130410125256.pdf

This bill is completely unacceptable to me. It allows a neighborhood preference for 20% of the students, but the preference doesn't apply to pre-K (this seems like a strange limitation to me).

Settles said that this bill is the basis of his position. However, he further said that he believes this should only be applied to situations in which the local DCPS school has been closed and a charter opened in its building. I am not aware of examples that would meet that qualification.

He repeatedly stressed that he does not see charter schools as a replacement for local DCPS schools and that the focus needs to be on creating strong local DCPS schools in every neighborhood.

Having had several conversations about education with Settles, I see his education priorities like this:

1) Getting DCPS and Charters to cooperate in an organized manner so that they are partners not competitors;
2) Fixing DCPS internal structures to increase accountability and improve outputs;
3) Creating great neighborhood schools (this might even be number 2 instead of 3);
..
..
..
Way, way down...

x) Neighborhood preference for charter schools.

Anonymous wrote:Mundo verde and creative minds are two examples of charters located in neighborhoods with low income families. Inspired Teaching as well. For the Pp who believes that this exact situation can't exist.

Are you kidding me? "Located in communities with low income families" does NOT equal "located IN a low income community". Are you seriously trying to characterize Mundo Verde (new or current location), Creative Minds and Inspired Teaching's neighborhoods as low income neighborhoods???

You apparently know nothing about what it means to be low income, a low income community, or which schools would actually fit Jeff's definition of an acceptable neighborhood preference situation. You also have apparently never tried to find housing on what would be an income that qualifies for free and reduced meals in either MV's, CM's, or IT's neighborhoods. Then you would know why your post is ridiculous.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mundo verde and creative minds are two examples of charters located in neighborhoods with low income families. Inspired Teaching as well. For the Pp who believes that this exact situation can't exist.

I think you haven't been to Bloomimgdale recently. Also, neighborhood preference would destroy Mundo Verde, or at least diminish it greatly. You really need to buy into the philosophy, not just live nearby and not have other options.

So I guess the answer is they all agree on neighborhood preference, so don't vote at all or vote for Settles because he "might" change his mind?

I'm sorry but the OOB EOTP parents who make the sacrifice to get their kids into Deal Wilson feeders, or people like us who have to go in a completely different direction to get to our charter which is no longer sponsoring buses.... Or people who have followed a charter thru several different locations. This is education.

Parents make tons of sacrifices, not just 'difficulty in transportation.' We know quite a few parents who are renting in Ward 3 because they cannot afford to buy and will continue unless Wilson goes lottery, the same way we know parents who are renting in MoCo.

We were never walking distance from our IB ES school, and our oldest did 3 schools in 3 years because we felt a different charter would be better and we are still glad we made the decision because it is for 4 kids all the way through high school. I just don't see these neighborhood preferences as anything but pandering.

I would never send my kids to a language immersion school. Perhaps more to the point, I would never send my kids to KIPP. I guess you would have to do this on a case by case basis, but whose judgement would matter? I just see this as a way to weaken the charters which are educating 43% of our kids because............... DCPS could not or would not. Now suddenly they want to make it ok to close schools if there are charters in the area at the expense of the charters and the families whose first choice would be a decent DCPS?

Mrs. Settles, if it is true, does your decision to move your children from a charter to a feeder school for Deal/Wilson (are you IB or OOB?) have anything to do with your husband's position on this issue? We know why Bowser is doing it, to get votes.

No one wants to hear jack from Ward 3 but the only schools that have really succeeded besides BASIS with Title I populations are charters like KIPP, which are not for everyone. My kids would not respond well to that kind of discipline, especially in younger grades.

1/4 of the seats for Latin according to here, which has 111 open spaces, 57 reserved for sibs, would be what? Leave less than 30 spaces open for the lottery? This would NOT be fair.

Unless someone can give me a reason to vote AGAINST another candidate by voting for Settles, I think I am sitting this one out since no one supports the only issue I care about..............

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mundo verde and creative minds are two examples of charters located in neighborhoods with low income families. Inspired Teaching as well. For the Pp who believes that this exact situation can't exist.

I think you haven't been to Bloomimgdale recently. Also, neighborhood preference would destroy Mundo Verde, or at least diminish it greatly. You really need to buy into the philosophy, not just live nearby and not have other options.

And, all of these schools are moving next year. Which neighborhood are you referring to? Their current neighborhoods or their new ones? See how that gets complicated really fast?

Anonymous wrote:Mundo verde and creative minds are two examples of charters located in neighborhoods with low income families. Inspired Teaching as well. For the Pp who believes that this exact situation can't exist.

I think you haven't been to Bloomimgdale recently. Also, neighborhood preference would destroy Mundo Verde, or at least diminish it greatly. You really need to buy into the philosophy, not just live nearby and not have other options.

Mundo verde and creative minds are two examples of charters located in neighborhoods with low income families. Inspired Teaching as well. For the Pp who believes that this exact situation can't exist.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:John definitely has our votes. We know the Settles slightly and although he favors neighborhood preference, if he is open, then he is open. Also, he has the most common sense solution to housing-buy housing stock (there is more, you'll have to go to the website). He is not a duck and cover kind of person, you will always know where he stands.

I'm sorry, but it is pure insanity to vote for a candidate who has a specific position on something, that I disagree with, but to vote for them anyway because they're "open". The time to be open and do research as a candidate is BEFORE stating the position. Not to say "I'm in favor of this thing which, now I'm realizing a lot more people oppose than I thought, but vote for me anyway and we'll talk after I get elected". I'm only voting for a candidate who opposes neighborhood preference for charters. Period.

As Jeff has mentioned, all candidates favor some sort of neighborhood preference is some cases. Are you not going to vote for at large?

Jeff also pointed out that the charter neighborhood preference idea hasn't really been that prominent. It's unfortunate that the primary is happening right on the heels of the lottery, because the results are going to be top of mind for many voters and it's just too easy to jump on a solution that they wished they had right now.

It's just the primary. There's still time to raise voices around the issue and present reasoned arguments before anyone takes office. What you want is a candidate who's open and unafraid to change their stated position if it makes sense. John Settles seems to be that candidate. And if he takes up the argument in favor of strengthening DCPS and leaving charters out of neighborhood preference, it could influence the mayoral race as well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The reason he believes in a limited percentage of neighborhood slots is that he has spoken with both low income and middle class families who haven't been able to lottery into the nearby charter, and they have expressed difficulty with the time and financial burden of driving or using public transportation to get to a school across town.

First, I think it's great that you're willing to come out from behind anonymity to address this tough crowd. You sound pretty earnest and your support speaks to me as a mother with education issues top of mind.

I can also appreciate an at-large candidate speaking to the needs of low and middle class families on getting access to schools. But I think the position above really underscores a need to bolster the neighborhood offering of DCPS.

We live in Petworth and have proximity to so many great charters that it's painful to be shut out of all of them. But when it gets right down to it, few of them are what I would choose if we simply had a very strong neighborhood school. I understand the trend toward language immersion, but it's not as much a priority in our family as solid reading and math ability at the elementary level. Montessori is also pretty hot right now, but it's not ideal for every kid. We like the expeditonary learning model and it's frustrating to be competing for seats with people who don't know or care what that is.

But the reality is that it's so hard to get into these schools past PK4, and the DCPS options are so suboptimal that it feels irresponsible not to go for every possible shot at every school that's at least decent--which is what diminishes the chances for everyone. It's also what creates the high anxiety at lottery time and the high anguish at results. Many of us can't or won't consider driving across town, making charters an all or nothing proposition. That's crazy, untenable, and puts undue pressure on charters to change what they're all about in order to accomodate.

So I don't want a preference for my neighbors at a nearby charter. i want my neighbors to have a preference for the nearby DCPS. And I want that DCPS to offer a very solid, non-specialized program that's still a responsible choice for those who don't want or need specialized programs.

Maybe John Settles is the one who can start talking about that as a priority that would benefit all wards. Whatever his final position on neighborhood choice, I wish your team all the best. He's a refreshing candidate in a town that's increasingly tough to please, and it seems well on the way to election.

Are you running for anything? I like you!

X 1000! I'd vote for you too!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The reason he believes in a limited percentage of neighborhood slots is that he has spoken with both low income and middle class families who haven't been able to lottery into the nearby charter, and they have expressed difficulty with the time and financial burden of driving or using public transportation to get to a school across town.

First, I think it's great that you're willing to come out from behind anonymity to address this tough crowd. You sound pretty earnest and your support speaks to me as a mother with education issues top of mind.

I can also appreciate an at-large candidate speaking to the needs of low and middle class families on getting access to schools. But I think the position above really underscores a need to bolster the neighborhood offering of DCPS.

We live in Petworth and have proximity to so many great charters that it's painful to be shut out of all of them. But when it gets right down to it, few of them are what I would choose if we simply had a very strong neighborhood school. I understand the trend toward language immersion, but it's not as much a priority in our family as solid reading and math ability at the elementary level. Montessori is also pretty hot right now, but it's not ideal for every kid. We like the expeditonary learning model and it's frustrating to be competing for seats with people who don't know or care what that is.

But the reality is that it's so hard to get into these schools past PK4, and the DCPS options are so suboptimal that it feels irresponsible not to go for every possible shot at every school that's at least decent--which is what diminishes the chances for everyone. It's also what creates the high anxiety at lottery time and the high anguish at results. Many of us can't or won't consider driving across town, making charters an all or nothing proposition. That's crazy, untenable, and puts undue pressure on charters to change what they're all about in order to accomodate.

So I don't want a preference for my neighbors at a nearby charter. i want my neighbors to have a preference for the nearby DCPS. And I want that DCPS to offer a very solid, non-specialized program that's still a responsible choice for those who don't want or need specialized programs.

Maybe John Settles is the one who can start talking about that as a priority that would benefit all wards. Whatever his final position on neighborhood choice, I wish your team all the best. He's a refreshing candidate in a town that's increasingly tough to please, and it seems well on the way to election.

Are you running for anything? I like you!

+1

Another Settles voter. I have had the opportunity to work with him through the Hearst community and find him to be very smart, very hardworking and yes, open to good arguments.

I just watched the video as well and thought it was very good. He seems like a viable option especially for education.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:John definitely has our votes. We know the Settles slightly and although he favors neighborhood preference, if he is open, then he is open. Also, he has the most common sense solution to housing-buy housing stock (there is more, you'll have to go to the website). He is not a duck and cover kind of person, you will always know where he stands.

I'm sorry, but it is pure insanity to vote for a candidate who has a specific position on something, that I disagree with, but to vote for them anyway because they're "open". The time to be open and do research as a candidate is BEFORE stating the position. Not to say "I'm in favor of this thing which, now I'm realizing a lot more people oppose than I thought, but vote for me anyway and we'll talk after I get elected". I'm only voting for a candidate who opposes neighborhood preference for charters. Period.

As Jeff has mentioned, all candidates favor some sort of neighborhood preference is some cases. Are you not going to vote for at large?

Not PP, but he or she could write in a candidate.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:John definitely has our votes. We know the Settles slightly and although he favors neighborhood preference, if he is open, then he is open. Also, he has the most common sense solution to housing-buy housing stock (there is more, you'll have to go to the website). He is not a duck and cover kind of person, you will always know where he stands.

I'm sorry, but it is pure insanity to vote for a candidate who has a specific position on something, that I disagree with, but to vote for them anyway because they're "open". The time to be open and do research as a candidate is BEFORE stating the position. Not to say "I'm in favor of this thing which, now I'm realizing a lot more people oppose than I thought, but vote for me anyway and we'll talk after I get elected". I'm only voting for a candidate who opposes neighborhood preference for charters. Period.

As Jeff has mentioned, all candidates favor some sort of neighborhood preference is some cases. Are you not going to vote for at large?