[WardFive] Re: [ward5] Fwd: [tenleytown] Councilmember Cheh on School Boundaries

Hello Aaron,

 

How about we trim Schools in Ward 3 and send all those extra kids over to the schools over here in the Wards that have low enrollment.  Further, let's treat the kids over in Ward 3 as Charter schools are doing if it isn't so already -- make it a lottery - one that is held in a public location with a fair process that can't be rigged.  Let some of those parents go through the same inconveniences and be forced to make the financial decisions, take the same travel risks and tie up their time.

 

Eric, this is that "economic evolution of Jim Crow Laws" that we discussed yesterday.  Instead of closing our Public Schools because of "low enrollment", let's all work together to fill them up.  We can create a lottery system for the entire city held in May of 2013 so that all children and parents have the same opportunity at schools.  That will force a balance and thus force "Central" office of DCPS to be more even.  We won't even need Charter Schools.

 

Let's start there.  Then we will see how parents (have and have nots) work together to get the "extra" funds that individual school programs need.

 

Just a thought!!  Maybe Kenyan can steal this and evolve it into some real legislation unless he has got his majic wand tucked too far under Wells.

 

Rob

 

 

On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 10:09 AM, Aaron McCormick <aaron.mccormick01@gmail.com> wrote:

 

FYI my DC folks

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "lsingletondccouncil" <lsingleton@dccouncil.us>
Date: Nov 13, 2012 9:44 AM
Subject: [tenleytown] Councilmember Cheh on School Boundaries
To: <tenleytown@yahoogroups.com>

 

There have been some posts concerning school boundaries and a bill I introduced that we will have a hearing on this coming Thursday. Some of the postings are quite in error, and I write now to provide the correct information.

In the last 3 years, enrollment in Ward 3 public schools has increased by 23%. Now, all 10 Ward 3 DCPS schools are over capacity – even the ones that we just modernized and expanded. Although this is a great endorsement of our school reform movement, this enrollment surge could start to negatively affect the quality of instruction in these schools. One way to address this enrollment surge is to reexamine school boundaries and feeder patterns – something that has not happened since the 1970s.

Earlier this year, I introduced the School Boundary Review Act, which would create an independent, apolitical process to reexamine school boundaries every 10 years, just like the District does with Ward and ANC boundaries. Under this legislation, the Mayor would appoint a commission every decade to review school boundaries and feeder patterns, taking into account school capacities, population changes, projected development, and other relevant factors. The Commission would operate in the open, hold public hearings, and invite feedback from the public. It would then present recommended changes to the Mayor who would finalize them at least 15 months before they would take effect.

Provisions in the bill would ensure that students currently enrolled in a school would be able to remain in their school and feeder pattern, even if they no longer live in the school's boundary and siblings of students already enrolled in a school would still be able to attend the school, despite boundary changes.

The bill itself would only create a process to examine school boundaries and feeder patterns. It does not propose any substantive changes -- I repeat, it does NOT propose any substantive changes -- to boundaries or feeders for any school, including Lafayette and Deal.

Council Chairman Phil Mendelson has scheduled a hearing on this bill on November 15 and 19, 2012. Attached is a hearing notice and a copy of the bill. If you are concerned about overcrowding in schools and potential boundary changes, we invite you sign up to testify at the hearing.

Regards,
Mary

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