Anonymous
02/06/2018 20:54
Subject: Re:HB Woodlawn Lottery results
Anonymous wrote:HB is an incredible program and a great size. Just because your kids didn't get in don't mess it up for those that are thriving here.
So my kid and many many others get to survive but not thrive in a massively overcrowded MS and a massively overcrowded HS so that relatively speaking a few kids can thrive by attending the equivalent of private school without paying tuition just because they got lucky? Because that’s exactly what is going on.
Signed,
Parent of 8th grader at Swanson whose HS is W-L and who is 150+ on the waitlist for HB
Anonymous
02/06/2018 20:41
Subject: HB Woodlawn Lottery results
Are undocumented given preference to HB?
Anonymous
02/06/2018 19:55
Subject: Re:HB Woodlawn Lottery results
Anonymous wrote:HB is an incredible program and a great size. Just because your kids didn't get in don't mess it up for those that are thriving here.
Stratford wants out and claims it could open 200 more HB seats.
Anonymous
02/06/2018 19:29
Subject: Re:HB Woodlawn Lottery results
HB is an incredible program and a great size. Just because your kids didn't get in don't mess it up for those that are thriving here.
Anonymous
02/06/2018 17:45
Subject: HB Woodlawn Lottery results
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
A good start would be to take at least 80 6th graders, if not 85. Current MS HB enrollment is 80 6th graders, 84 7th graders, and 85 8th graders. Since they can obviously accommodate 85/class at the middle school level, why limit the lottery to 75 for next year's 6th grade class? If the reason is that extra seats are being left open for administrative transfers, that is not right. If enrollment is via lottery, the administrative transfer should be extremely rare.
I don't disagree with this, but I have a hard time believing that adding 10 more kids to the lottery this year would have satisfied people.
I think it would be a good start. At least it shows HB's willingness to accept a class size larger than it's 75 seat/MS grade capacity.
Additionally, many people have an issue with the small size of the school, but I think many people also have an issue with the lack of transparency with the additional students which suddenly appear in the enrollment. If only 75 kids are chosen each year (for 6th grade) through lottery, how do the numbers suddenly go up by 5-9 students per grade? As I understand, the waitlist is maintained by the APS central office through 1 July - after that, it's transferred to HB Woodlawn to maintain. Is that when siblings or those well connected suddenly get offered a spot?
I AM NOT saying this is happening, but without transparency, many fear this is happening, especially when you hear of families with multiple children attending, many of whom were waitlisted at some point but miraculously get offered a spot just before the beginning of the school year.
Maybe HB Woodlawn needs to provide information whenever there is a new enrollment from the waitlist, maybe something like, one student from the XX Elementary school zone left, so waitlist #Y from that school zone was offered admission. Since everyone knows their waitlist number, this would provide enough transparency without giving out personal student details and might alleviate the "conspiracy theories" that are out there. If there isn't any favoritism happening, then this will help alleviate everyone's concerns. The turnover is so small at HB that I don't think this information would be too burdensome to provide.
Or people could trust that the professionals running the school system are following the rules and not create a lot of administrative busywork for them to satisfy your nosiness. Seriously. And then everyone complains about how much the schools cost!
What kind of adult thinks that other adults are going around granting secret favors to some subgroup of anointed people? And that the entire School Board, Superintendent's office, and school administration (because a lot of people would know it happens) would be in on it and support it? Good lord. Grow up.
I, for one, think that. I know quite well two families whose children were being bullied terribly in middle school within the past 1-5 years ( I don't want to be too specific for outing people). I know about the bullying because not only did the parents tell me but my own DCs witnessed some of it. Both families requested a transfer to HB during the school year because of the bullying. One kid got in, the other did not. The parents of the one who got in are/were very active in the local political scene and their DC's school. The one who did not get in, well, not only were the parents not involved with that kind of stuff but are also generally difficult people to deal with. Sure, there could be a myriad of reasons why one got in and the other did not but the fact is that this does not pass the smell test.
So, adults for trust their feelings more than facts. Ok.
Anonymous
02/06/2018 17:17
Subject: HB Woodlawn Lottery results
Anonymous wrote:There is absolutely favoritism in getting in. Most are pure luck, but some are just because the principal likes the family. That’s one issue. Another issue is that it’s crazy that this school gets to be the only one that not massively overcrowded. Those kids are definitely more equal than others.
Kenmore and TJ are not 'massively crowded' nor Wakefield or Yorktown.
In fact it looks like only Swanson's 8th grade class is.
Anonymous
02/06/2018 17:11
Subject: HB Woodlawn Lottery results
I’m gonna press my school board member contact to shut this insane program. May be great in theory but not as applied in current APS conditions.
Anonymous
02/06/2018 17:09
Subject: HB Woodlawn Lottery results
There is absolutely favoritism in getting in. Most are pure luck, but some are just because the principal likes the family. That’s one issue. Another issue is that it’s crazy that this school gets to be the only one that not massively overcrowded. Those kids are definitely more equal than others.
Anonymous
02/06/2018 16:14
Subject: HB Woodlawn Lottery results
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:
A good start would be to take at least 80 6th graders, if not 85. Current MS HB enrollment is 80 6th graders, 84 7th graders, and 85 8th graders. Since they can obviously accommodate 85/class at the middle school level, why limit the lottery to 75 for next year's 6th grade class? If the reason is that extra seats are being left open for administrative transfers, that is not right. If enrollment is via lottery, the administrative transfer should be extremely rare.
I don't disagree with this, but I have a hard time believing that adding 10 more kids to the lottery this year would have satisfied people.
I think it would be a good start. At least it shows HB's willingness to accept a class size larger than it's 75 seat/MS grade capacity.
Additionally, many people have an issue with the small size of the school, but I think many people also have an issue with the lack of transparency with the additional students which suddenly appear in the enrollment. If only 75 kids are chosen each year (for 6th grade) through lottery, how do the numbers suddenly go up by 5-9 students per grade? As I understand, the waitlist is maintained by the APS central office through 1 July - after that, it's transferred to HB Woodlawn to maintain. Is that when siblings or those well connected suddenly get offered a spot?
I AM NOT saying this is happening, but without transparency, many fear this is happening, especially when you hear of families with multiple children attending, many of whom were waitlisted at some point but miraculously get offered a spot just before the beginning of the school year.
Maybe HB Woodlawn needs to provide information whenever there is a new enrollment from the waitlist, maybe something like, one student from the XX Elementary school zone left, so waitlist #Y from that school zone was offered admission. Since everyone knows their waitlist number, this would provide enough transparency without giving out personal student details and might alleviate the "conspiracy theories" that are out there. If there isn't any favoritism happening, then this will help alleviate everyone's concerns. The turnover is so small at HB that I don't think this information would be too burdensome to provide.
Or people could trust that the professionals running the school system are following the rules and not create a lot of administrative busywork for them to satisfy your nosiness. Seriously. And then everyone complains about how much the schools cost!
What kind of adult thinks that other adults are going around granting secret favors to some subgroup of anointed people? And that the entire School Board, Superintendent's office, and school administration (because a lot of people would know it happens) would be in on it and support it? Good lord. Grow up.
I, for one, think that. I know quite well two families whose children were being bullied terribly in middle school within the past 1-5 years ( I don't want to be too specific for outing people). I know about the bullying because not only did the parents tell me but my own DCs witnessed some of it. Both families requested a transfer to HB during the school year because of the bullying. One kid got in, the other did not. The parents of the one who got in are/were very active in the local political scene and their DC's school. The one who did not get in, well, not only were the parents not involved with that kind of stuff but are also generally difficult people to deal with. Sure, there could be a myriad of reasons why one got in and the other did not but the fact is that this does not pass the smell test.
Count me in as another parent who is suspicious of the process and would like to see some transparency, especially for those students admitted after the initial lottery. Too many stories about families with multiple siblings at HB - some with more than two (and not twins) who have attended. With chances of getting in via lottery only about 10% (or less), the odds of a family winning the lottery twice, much less three times, is incredibly low. Yes, I believe favoritism happens at all levels - it's happens at our highest level of government, so why couldn't it happen at the county level? I'm not an IT person, but it doesn't sound like that much administrative "busywork" to provide some kind of waitlist tracking system visible to everyone. The waitlist is obviously already being maintained - it just needs to be made visible (without names).