Re: [WardFive] Re: Grosso Introduces Bill to Allow for Neighborhood Preference in Charter Schools

Commissioner Thomas,

It is a genious piece of legislation. I had a conversation with a friend today and he told me that this is not about kids in Ward 5, 7 and 8. It is about the kids in Wards 1, 2 and 3.  Allowing Charters to have the option to make this "neighborhood preference" allows for a Ward 3 Charter to choose kids in their neighborhood first while Charters in Ward 5,7 and 8 don't have to allow for that.  Another way to keep certain kids out of schools slated for the "affluent".  Genious PLAN!! Makes you wonder!!  Definitely something to think about.

 
So Commish, This is like the "ethics reform". I don't believe in "first steps".  You only need first steps when you must have "first steps".

 

The real question is WHY aren't childern in the neighborhood given a preference?

 

And if they want to utilize DCPS buildings (not purchase them - but lease them), they should have to accept kids from our neighborhood. 

 

So, Part of a conversation I had this week -- someone asked me - "how do we know that the "lottery" is a fair process. It was further pointed out that some Charter Schools are really disproportionate to our actual population in DC Schools; especially in NE and SE.

 

From a business perspective, The reason that Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, bloomingdales and godiva are not in certain areas is because of the demographics. When placing a business into an area, the goal is to service the population in the communoty -and by chance, some others who venture the area as a convenience. I can't imagine placing a school in a hood and kids who can walk to school aren"t by right/proximity have a first choice to attend -- kind of like a first right of refusal.

As to the lottery -- there needs to be a real transparent system in place. A simple application and a computerized choice/acceptance
 
Rob Ramson.   

 

 

This is a good first step and I applaud Councilmember Grosso for introducing the legislation but my question is this:  Why does it need to be voluntary?  Why can't charter schools be required to maintain an enrollment that includes a certain percentage of neighborhood students?  These schools are being granted charters by the taxpayers of the District of Columbia.  As taxpayers, we should demand neighborhood accountability, not just offer to allow the schools to consider it as an option.  As I said at the outset, this is a good first step but we need to go much further. 

Bradley A. Thomas

 

On 04/09/13, Councilmember At-Large David Grosso<dcalhoun@dccouncil.us> wrote:

 

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For Immediate Release  March 9, 2013 Contact: Dionne Johnson Calhoun  (202) 724-8105      Grosso Introduces Bill to Allow for Neighborhood Preference in Charter Schools   Today, Councilmember Grosso (I-At Large) introduced the Public Charter School Neighborhood Preference Act of 2013 in an effort to make high quality charter schools accessible to students that live in the surrounding neighborhood. The legislation would allow newly opened chartered schools to voluntarily provide an enrollment priority for applicants who reside within a particular neighborhood cluster.   Currently, there are 13 states that allow for a neighborhood preference in the charter school enrollment process. In the District, forty-three percent of our students are enrolled in charter schools. "For far too long this government has tried to ignore the presence of Charter schools in our neighborhoods, resulting in a lack of coordination, haphazard growth, and an inability to really progress with our education reform efforts," Grosso said.   "I am extremely pleased to introduce this important piece of legislation today. One of my top priorities on the Council is to work with the Committee on Education, parents and the community to ensure that every child has a high quality education," said Grosso. "This bill simply provides a charter school the option to make an investment in a particular neighborhood of this city, if it so chooses. With proper oversight and safeguards, it my hope that this would improve access to quality schools for students who live in under-served neighborhoods. While this legislation certainly does not solve all of our issues, it is a step in the right direction."    ###   Dionne Calhoun Communications Director & Community Affairs Councilmember At-Large David Grosso 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 406 Washington, D.C. 20004 (202) 724-8105     Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.

Forward this email This email was sent to b-ashton-thomas@verizon.net by dcalhoun@dccouncil.us |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Councilmember At-Large David Grosso | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 406 | Washington | DC | 20004

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