Anonymous
04/25/2014 10:35
Subject: DCI - MS/HS where do Catania and Bowser stand?
Bowser lost my vote in the primary the moment she talked about neighborhood preference for charters. I'm not surprised at all that she has backpedalled on support for DCI funding like this. I've listened carefully to her speak about her views on education in DC several times: she is clueless, truly has no plan and no real life understanding of either the issues or the possible solutions. Her comments often show she doesn't know what she's talking about. It's maddening that's she's most likely our next Mayor, since for me education is THE biggest issue.
I supported Bowser on the first round (and I am happy I did), but she lost my vote after changing her view of controlled choice in a matter of days. After seeing that her first "pro-controlled choice statement" generated overwhelming complaint emails, she rectified it three days later in a goofy way.
Catania's statement was, from day 1, articulated, clear and precise against lotteries and moving kids to lower performing schools. He has the vote of my family of Democrats.
Anonymous
04/25/2014 10:25
Subject: DCI - MS/HS where do Catania and Bowser stand?
Anonymous wrote:To be clear: Muriel Bowser DOES NOT support restoring the $6 million grant to DCI.
When she met with current and future DCI parents she was quite clear:
First, she backed off from having voted for the grant by claiming that it was sprung on the council in the budget process. That's false.
Second, she told the parents to prove that they cannot make DCI work without this money. That's an impossible task because DCI's organizers are committed and will make the school work with or without the grant -- if they have the grant they can focus that much more on the hard work to open a great school rather than chasing other funding sources. Energy that goes to one can't go to the other.
Bowser is happy to have DCI (and other charters) in Ward 4 so she can take the credit, but she's not willing to actually work to make the school happen. In the same meeting, she expressed a very anti-charter viewpoint, expressing her irrational fear that if charters are too successful, there will be no neighborhood schools. That's why she doesn't support capital funding for charters.
For those who skipped to the end: Bowser does not support restoring the $6 million grant to DCI.
Bowser lost my vote in the primary the moment she talked about neighborhood preference for charters. I'm not surprised at all that she has backpedalled on support for DCI funding like this. I've listened carefully to her speak about her views on education in DC several times: she is clueless, truly has no plan and no real life understanding of either the issues or the possible solutions. Her comments often show she doesn't know what she's talking about. It's maddening that's she's most likely our next Mayor, since for me education is THE biggest issue.
Anonymous
04/25/2014 10:21
Subject: DCI - MS/HS where do Catania and Bowser stand?
To be clear: Muriel Bowser DOES NOT support restoring the $6 million grant to DCI.
When she met with current and future DCI parents she was quite clear:
First, she backed off from having voted for the grant by claiming that it was sprung on the council in the budget process. That's false.
Second, she told the parents to prove that they cannot make DCI work without this money. That's an impossible task because DCI's organizers are committed and will make the school work with or without the grant -- if they have the grant they can focus that much more on the hard work to open a great school rather than chasing other funding sources. Energy that goes to one can't go to the other.
Bowser is happy to have DCI (and other charters) in Ward 4 so she can take the credit, but she's not willing to actually work to make the school happen. In the same meeting, she expressed a very anti-charter viewpoint, expressing her irrational fear that if charters are too successful, there will be no neighborhood schools. That's why she doesn't support capital funding for charters.
For those who skipped to the end: Bowser does not support restoring the $6 million grant to DCI.
When she met with current and future DCI parents she was quite clear:
First, she backed off from having voted for the grant by claiming that it was sprung on the council in the budget process. That's false.
Second, she told the parents to prove that they cannot make DCI work without this money. That's an impossible task because DCI's organizers are committed and will make the school work with or without the grant -- if they have the grant they can focus that much more on the hard work to open a great school rather than chasing other funding sources. Energy that goes to one can't go to the other.
Bowser is happy to have DCI (and other charters) in Ward 4 so she can take the credit, but she's not willing to actually work to make the school happen. In the same meeting, she expressed a very anti-charter viewpoint, expressing her irrational fear that if charters are too successful, there will be no neighborhood schools. That's why she doesn't support capital funding for charters.
For those who skipped to the end: Bowser does not support restoring the $6 million grant to DCI.
Anonymous
04/25/2014 10:21
Subject: Re:DCI - MS/HS where do Catania and Bowser stand?
Re: co-location, that is really not realistic for DCI to do with another high school. It was one thing for them to consider co-location with an elementary school (Bridges) for swing space, but a permanent location would be crazy to co-locate with another high school.
As a consortium of 5 elementary schools getting together to form a middle and high school, the creation of the school climate and school norms is going to be essential and hard. Doing that at a middle or high school that already has its own climate (even if it's a very good one), and figuring out how to start out new and establish identity in a building that has "belonged" to another school for years would just be a nightmare.
DCI is very wise to look for their own space where they can design it, choose what rooms/parts to use and how, and where they are in control. Co-location as a long term plan would be a disaster.
As a consortium of 5 elementary schools getting together to form a middle and high school, the creation of the school climate and school norms is going to be essential and hard. Doing that at a middle or high school that already has its own climate (even if it's a very good one), and figuring out how to start out new and establish identity in a building that has "belonged" to another school for years would just be a nightmare.
DCI is very wise to look for their own space where they can design it, choose what rooms/parts to use and how, and where they are in control. Co-location as a long term plan would be a disaster.
Anonymous
04/25/2014 10:16
Subject: DCI - MS/HS where do Catania and Bowser stand?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Trying to get back to the original question - I thought the reason the DCI funding was removed was because it was ILLEGAL. So not sure Bowser or Catania can do much about that except change the law addressing that - will they do this for such a small constituency?
The specific mechanism they planned to use to distribute the money was found illegal- a rather weak reason and money has been given to other non-profits using the same or similar mechanisms in the past, but nevertheless, yes it was found illegal and is unlikely to be reversed. However, there are many ways in which the city could distribute the funds including offering up a vacant DCPS building or co-locating at an under-enrolled school (like Roosevelt) instead. So what DCI is asking Bowser or Catania to do is to help find another mechanism or solution to help DCI secure a space. It will cost way more than $6 million so what DCI is requesting is a pretty small fraction of what the overall cost will be. But without a jump start, it will make raising the funds elsewhere very difficult since most banks want to see other skin in the game.
Or Dunbar. Letting DCI share the space with the existing school even temporarily will help and a better use of the taxpayer's money instead of having a brand new spanking 124 million building like Dunbar that is currently at less than half capacity.
What's your source that Dunbar is at "less than half capacity"?? I've been there in the last couple of months and the classrooms look plenty full to me. Where is your source on that?
New building is designed for 1100 students:
http://m.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-leaders-to-celebrate-new-dunbar-high-school-facility/2013/08/18/19f8374c-0832-11e3-8974-f97ab3b3c677_story.html
Current enrollment is 593 and falling every yr: http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/district-of-columbia/districts/district-of-columbia-public-schools/dunbar-high-school-4642
Current enrollment at Dunbar is 628 according to the DCPS school profiles website:
http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Dunbar+High+School
That is certainly way less than 1100, but it's not going down, it's going up.