Do charter schools really need early dismissal Wednesdays?

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Janeese Lewis George says she wants to give teachers more professional development days, so if she's elected, expect even more time out of school.

Wait, did she really say that???

No, I don't think she did, but I think I know how this misinformation came to be:
1) In some survey (I think the WTU survey), Lewis George said she supported "more differentiated professional development" ...if you read it, you can tell it means "professional development that is differentiated better" not "more professional development"
2) Matt Yglesias then tweeted a screenshot of it and said something along the lines of: Lewis George is calling for less classroom time
3) People then accepted his totally incorrect reading of it and retweeted it saying oh no she wants less class time

The bottom lines are: Lewis George didn't advocate for less classroom time - Matt Yglesias made that up, and if you're annoyed about half-day Wednesdays, that is not actually a mayoral issue because the mayor is over DCPS but doesn't set policies like that for charters and only charters do half-day Wednesdays.

This is Janeese talking out of both sides of her mouth, per usual. She came out in favor of PD days, then, when the inevitable blowback came, pretended that didn't necessarily mean less classtime and came up with this meaningless "professional development that is differentiated better" phrasing.

The basic trade JLG has made with the teachers union throughout her career is that she gives them carte blanche over her education policies in exchange for them giving her its get-out-the-vote operation at election time.

I am a teacher, I was in every meeting we had with her. This is not true, stop lying because as a whole we didn’t support McDuffie, who refused to meet with us or really anyone for that matter.

If you have been paying attention teachers would like less PD days or more meaningful ones. Also you want the experts who teach children to have NO say in policies? That’s a very odd stance.

Thank you for saying this. McDuffie and his team have barely engaged on education issues.

They skipped the education debate. Regardless of where you stand on JLG I can't fathom voting for a guy who has put in basically zero effort and refuses to do any actual constituent work.

Janeese wants to slash funding for charter schools, reduce classtime so teachers can get more time off and opposes raising education standards, including created gifted and talented programs. No thanks. I want someone who won't just do the bidding of the teachers union.

You must be the same person. Stop lying. I am a teacher, the union does not want this. You also must not be engaged in education, teachers have testified FOR higher standards not against.

There will be no slashing of charter funds. Tell me where JLG says this.

It’s fine to want someone else to win, albeit a poor choice if you have children in public schools -what’s not fine is lying out of your ass to slander a candidate but also the very people who teach children.

The budget that's currently before the city council would slash charter funding. The charter community has gone completely ape shit over it. Has JLG said she opposes it? She filled out a questionnaire saying teachers need more PD days. Where has she said she wants to raise educational standards? She's never said any such thing. She's been in the government for almost a decade.

Where’s the link to the questionnaire? I have it (as a teacher) and I do not see anything about more PD. Also you do realize more PD wouldn’t mean LESS school, it’d mean more days for teachers. 🙄

The charter community? No, a few of them. Because that 10k is a lie. It’s about $900.
Have those few also gone crazy gotten upset for the millions DCPS loses for kids charters send to them after count day?

Bowser and Janeese think the DC government should spend $9,675 more per child in DCPS than kids in charters.

https://dccharters.org/blog/the-numbers-dont-lie

I think if the charters want the money DCPS gets for IMPACT bonuses, then they should have to use the same evaluation system.

Why? The law says equal funding not that they have to spend it the same way. The point of charter schools is to provide alternatives. Charters shouldn’t don’t need to follow DCPS’s bad ideas to get equal funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Janeese Lewis George says she wants to give teachers more professional development days, so if she's elected, expect even more time out of school.

Wait, did she really say that???

No, I don't think she did, but I think I know how this misinformation came to be:
1) In some survey (I think the WTU survey), Lewis George said she supported "more differentiated professional development" ...if you read it, you can tell it means "professional development that is differentiated better" not "more professional development"
2) Matt Yglesias then tweeted a screenshot of it and said something along the lines of: Lewis George is calling for less classroom time
3) People then accepted his totally incorrect reading of it and retweeted it saying oh no she wants less class time

The bottom lines are: Lewis George didn't advocate for less classroom time - Matt Yglesias made that up, and if you're annoyed about half-day Wednesdays, that is not actually a mayoral issue because the mayor is over DCPS but doesn't set policies like that for charters and only charters do half-day Wednesdays.

This is Janeese talking out of both sides of her mouth, per usual. She came out in favor of PD days, then, when the inevitable blowback came, pretended that didn't necessarily mean less classtime and came up with this meaningless "professional development that is differentiated better" phrasing.

The basic trade JLG has made with the teachers union throughout her career is that she gives them carte blanche over her education policies in exchange for them giving her its get-out-the-vote operation at election time.

I am a teacher, I was in every meeting we had with her. This is not true, stop lying because as a whole we didn’t support McDuffie, who refused to meet with us or really anyone for that matter.

If you have been paying attention teachers would like less PD days or more meaningful ones. Also you want the experts who teach children to have NO say in policies? That’s a very odd stance.

Thank you for saying this. McDuffie and his team have barely engaged on education issues.

They skipped the education debate. Regardless of where you stand on JLG I can't fathom voting for a guy who has put in basically zero effort and refuses to do any actual constituent work.

Janeese wants to slash funding for charter schools, reduce classtime so teachers can get more time off and opposes raising education standards, including created gifted and talented programs. No thanks. I want someone who won't just do the bidding of the teachers union.

You must be the same person. Stop lying. I am a teacher, the union does not want this. You also must not be engaged in education, teachers have testified FOR higher standards not against.

There will be no slashing of charter funds. Tell me where JLG says this.

It’s fine to want someone else to win, albeit a poor choice if you have children in public schools -what’s not fine is lying out of your ass to slander a candidate but also the very people who teach children.

The budget that's currently before the city council would slash charter funding. The charter community has gone completely ape shit over it. Has JLG said she opposes it? She filled out a questionnaire saying teachers need more PD days. Where has she said she wants to raise educational standards? She's never said any such thing. She's been in the government for almost a decade.

Where’s the link to the questionnaire? I have it (as a teacher) and I do not see anything about more PD. Also you do realize more PD wouldn’t mean LESS school, it’d mean more days for teachers. 🙄

The charter community? No, a few of them. Because that 10k is a lie. It’s about $900.
Have those few also gone crazy gotten upset for the millions DCPS loses for kids charters send to them after count day?

Bowser and Janeese think the DC government should spend $9,675 more per child in DCPS than kids in charters.

https://dccharters.org/blog/the-numbers-dont-lie

I think if the charters want the money DCPS gets for IMPACT bonuses, then they should have to use the same evaluation system.

Why? The law says equal funding not that they have to spend it the same way. The point of charter schools is to provide alternatives. Charters shouldn’t don’t need to follow DCPS’s bad ideas to get equal funding.

The law does not account for what DCPS has to pay teachers in a union. So yes, it is close to equal. That $450 is real and should be addressed.

[Anonymous]

Janeese is all in for "flexible scheduling". So what is flexible scheduling, you might ask? Get ready for more asynchronous days, 3-day weekends, 4-day weekends, tech days, packet days, enrichment days, independent learning days, camp days, early dismissal days, rotating drop-off days, and teacher office-hours-only days, with fewer actual normal days.

https://www.weareempowered.org/flexiblescheduling.html


https://www.weareempowered.org/uploads/2/6/1/4/2614188/report_flexible_scheduling_for_schools.pdf

[Anonymous]

McDuffie has no track record with public schools or education. This isn’t an area he cares about at all.
He also got nothing done on his 13 years on the council. If you want mediocrity and something worse than Bowser, this is your guy.



https://www.wtulocal6.net/wtu_endorses_janeese_lewis_george_for_mayor

https://www.hillrag.com/2026/04/30/who-is-running-in-the-mayoral-democratic-primary/


https://www.dcfordemocracy.org/news/ballots-are-out


https://51st.news/dc-mayoral-race-attacks-fact-check-2/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:McDuffie has no track record with public schools or education. This isn’t an area he cares about at all.
He also got nothing done on his 13 years on the council. If you want mediocrity and something worse than Bowser, this is your guy.



https://www.wtulocal6.net/wtu_endorses_janeese_lewis_george_for_mayor

https://www.hillrag.com/2026/04/30/who-is-running-in-the-mayoral-democratic-primary/


https://www.dcfordemocracy.org/news/ballots-are-out


https://51st.news/dc-mayoral-race-attacks-fact-check-2/

We are in the unfortunate situation where all the critiques of the candidates are true. JLG has crazy ideas, McDuffie doesn't actually care about anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Janeese wants to slash funding for charter schools, reduce classtime so teachers can get more time off and opposes raising education standards, including created gifted and talented programs. No thanks. I want someone who won't just do the bidding of the teachers union.

Where did the part about not wanting to raise standards came from? Genuine question - really trying to understand where all the candidates stand on education issues.

People on the far left (like Janeese) would rather claw their eyes out than raise academic standards because they think that's racist because they think it will hurt black kids. Their plan to reduce racial disparities in academic achievement is to make school so easy that no one can fail.

So the answer is it came from nowhere but your weird preconceived ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Janeese is all in for "flexible scheduling". So what is flexible scheduling, you might ask? Get ready for more asynchronous days, 3-day weekends, 4-day weekends, tech days, packet days, enrichment days, independent learning days, camp days, early dismissal days, rotating drop-off days, and teacher office-hours-only days, with fewer actual normal days.

https://www.weareempowered.org/flexiblescheduling.html


https://www.weareempowered.org/uploads/2/6/1/4/2614188/report_flexible_scheduling_for_schools.pdf

This would be horrible. I will vote against her solely on this issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Janeese wants to slash funding for charter schools, reduce classtime so teachers can get more time off and opposes raising education standards, including created gifted and talented programs. No thanks. I want someone who won't just do the bidding of the teachers union.

Where did the part about not wanting to raise standards came from? Genuine question - really trying to understand where all the candidates stand on education issues.

People on the far left (like Janeese) would rather claw their eyes out than raise academic standards because they think that's racist because they think it will hurt black kids. Their plan to reduce racial disparities in academic achievement is to make school so easy that no one can fail.

So the answer is it came from nowhere but your weird preconceived ideas.

Do you even live in DC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Janeese Lewis George says she wants to give teachers more professional development days, so if she's elected, expect even more time out of school.

Wait, did she really say that???

No, I don't think she did, but I think I know how this misinformation came to be:
1) In some survey (I think the WTU survey), Lewis George said she supported "more differentiated professional development" ...if you read it, you can tell it means "professional development that is differentiated better" not "more professional development"
2) Matt Yglesias then tweeted a screenshot of it and said something along the lines of: Lewis George is calling for less classroom time
3) People then accepted his totally incorrect reading of it and retweeted it saying oh no she wants less class time

The bottom lines are: Lewis George didn't advocate for less classroom time - Matt Yglesias made that up, and if you're annoyed about half-day Wednesdays, that is not actually a mayoral issue because the mayor is over DCPS but doesn't set policies like that for charters and only charters do half-day Wednesdays.

This is Janeese talking out of both sides of her mouth, per usual. She came out in favor of PD days, then, when the inevitable blowback came, pretended that didn't necessarily mean less classtime and came up with this meaningless "professional development that is differentiated better" phrasing.

The basic trade JLG has made with the teachers union throughout her career is that she gives them carte blanche over her education policies in exchange for them giving her its get-out-the-vote operation at election time.

I am a teacher, I was in every meeting we had with her. This is not true, stop lying because as a whole we didn’t support McDuffie, who refused to meet with us or really anyone for that matter.

If you have been paying attention teachers would like less PD days or more meaningful ones. Also you want the experts who teach children to have NO say in policies? That’s a very odd stance.

Thank you for saying this. McDuffie and his team have barely engaged on education issues.

They skipped the education debate. Regardless of where you stand on JLG I can't fathom voting for a guy who has put in basically zero effort and refuses to do any actual constituent work.

Janeese wants to slash funding for charter schools, reduce classtime so teachers can get more time off and opposes raising education standards, including created gifted and talented programs. No thanks. I want someone who won't just do the bidding of the teachers union.

You must be the same person. Stop lying. I am a teacher, the union does not want this. You also must not be engaged in education, teachers have testified FOR higher standards not against.

There will be no slashing of charter funds. Tell me where JLG says this.

It’s fine to want someone else to win, albeit a poor choice if you have children in public schools -what’s not fine is lying out of your ass to slander a candidate but also the very people who teach children.

The budget that's currently before the city council would slash charter funding. The charter community has gone completely ape shit over it. Has JLG said she opposes it? She filled out a questionnaire saying teachers need more PD days. Where has she said she wants to raise educational standards? She's never said any such thing. She's been in the government for almost a decade.

Where’s the link to the questionnaire? I have it (as a teacher) and I do not see anything about more PD. Also you do realize more PD wouldn’t mean LESS school, it’d mean more days for teachers. 🙄

The charter community? No, a few of them. Because that 10k is a lie. It’s about $900.
Have those few also gone crazy gotten upset for the millions DCPS loses for kids charters send to them after count day?

Bowser and Janeese think the DC government should spend $9,675 more per child in DCPS than kids in charters.

https://dccharters.org/blog/the-numbers-dont-lie

Tired of this and forming responses you people obviously don’t get, here I had AI explain it to you like you’re 12.

Okay so imagine you and your neighbor both get an allowance from your parents.

You get $100. Your neighbor gets $100. Same, right?

But your neighbor says: “That’s not fair — you actually get way more than me!”

Here’s how they’re counting it:

• Your parents fixed your bedroom roof this year. That cost $500. Your neighbor says “that’s basically extra allowance for you!” — but… it’s not. It’s your parents maintaining their own house. Your neighbor rents their room from someone else and already gets a separate housing stipend for that.
• Your parents pay into a pension for your babysitter under a contract they signed. Your neighbor’s family hired a different babysitter with totally different terms. But your neighbor is counting your babysitter’s pension as part of your allowance.
• Your parents paid for a doctor’s visit to figure out if you need extra help in school. Your neighbor says that’s extra money for you — but it’s a service you needed, not cash in your pocket.

When you add all that up, your neighbor says you’re getting $10,000 more. But if you only count the actual spending money — the part that’s actually comparable — the real difference is closer to $488.

Some of their complaints are fair. But the $10,000 number is built to sound dramatic, not to be accurate.

This is totally absurd and completely wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Janeese is all in for "flexible scheduling". So what is flexible scheduling, you might ask? Get ready for more asynchronous days, 3-day weekends, 4-day weekends, tech days, packet days, enrichment days, independent learning days, camp days, early dismissal days, rotating drop-off days, and teacher office-hours-only days, with fewer actual normal days.

https://www.weareempowered.org/flexiblescheduling.html


https://www.weareempowered.org/uploads/2/6/1/4/2614188/report_flexible_scheduling_for_schools.pdf

WTU's wish is her command. Our kids will never be in school.

[Anonymous]

There is someone, and it really seems like one person, who has completely derailed this conversation with their intense and frankly unhealthy dislike of a political candidate and is spreading false information.

But on the topic, these are advertised before the lottery and except in extremely rare cases do not change during a child's tenure. I am no charter advocate at all but it seems like aftercare is considered for coverage.

The bigger concern is whether it disrupts learning but as someone who went to a public school with monthly late starts it's generally not a huge deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is someone, and it really seems like one person, who has completely derailed this conversation with their intense and frankly unhealthy dislike of a political candidate and is spreading false information.

But on the topic, these are advertised before the lottery and except in extremely rare cases do not change during a child's tenure. I am no charter advocate at all but it seems like aftercare is considered for coverage.

The bigger concern is whether it disrupts learning but as someone who went to a public school with monthly late starts it's generally not a huge deal.

My Kids have a 1pm Wednesday dismissal and while I don't love it, I knew about going in. It has gotten easier as my kids have gotten older and they need less direct supervision after school. They do not go to aftercare regularly as I am self employed and my hours are flexible but during especially busy times they sometimes do drop in aftercare on Wednesday’s which is great to have as an option when needed.

I would though be thrilled if it were moved to Fridays. There are a few times of the year where we have pulled the kids out early on Fridays to get a jump on traffic when we are doing weekend travel and there are always other families doing the same. There would less disruptions and lost learning time shifting to Friday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Janeese wants to slash funding for charter schools, reduce classtime so teachers can get more time off and opposes raising education standards, including created gifted and talented programs. No thanks. I want someone who won't just do the bidding of the teachers union.

Where did the part about not wanting to raise standards came from? Genuine question - really trying to understand where all the candidates stand on education issues.

People on the far left (like Janeese) would rather claw their eyes out than raise academic standards because they think that's racist because they think it will hurt black kids. Their plan to reduce racial disparities in academic achievement is to make school so easy that no one can fail.

As opposed to an Independent who doesn’t care either way. Duff has zero credibility with public education. Has no track record of supporting initiatives beyond modernization. So he’s for using 85 million for a school with 300 kids.

FYI what you said isn’t proof, just your weird and wrong feelings.

Sure, Jan. People on the far left who want to raise educational standards are about as common as people on the far right who want to create wealth taxes.

The problem with this race is th JLG is likable and committed but has some terrifying ideas, while Kenyan is lazy and corrupt and will continue everything bowser did (send money to developers for insane projects that don't benefit residents, not really care about education or public safety) but less competently.

Those are our options. Bleak.

Any chance an independent will emerge after the primary?

I actually basically agree with this... and I'm voting JLG. She cares. She tries. She engages. She took DGS to task for the sorry state of schools physically and actually got them to do things as the chair of that committee. I don't agree with some of her ideas, but I'd much rather a person like her be in charge than McDuffie. And FWIW teachers at my school are very union-involved and none of them want more PD, I think that's a weird fake talking point. Some want PD that actually affects them and/or the ability to do it from home if they're watching it on a screen anyway (reasonable) and/or the ability to count training they do one their own towards the hours requirements/get them out of other PD (seems reasonable if it's approved, like OG training classes which a bunch of our K & 1st teachers take on their own time/PTO's dime).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Janeese is all in for "flexible scheduling". So what is flexible scheduling, you might ask? Get ready for more asynchronous days, 3-day weekends, 4-day weekends, tech days, packet days, enrichment days, independent learning days, camp days, early dismissal days, rotating drop-off days, and teacher office-hours-only days, with fewer actual normal days.

https://www.weareempowered.org/flexiblescheduling.html


https://www.weareempowered.org/uploads/2/6/1/4/2614188/report_flexible_scheduling_for_schools.pdf

WTF

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Janeese wants to slash funding for charter schools, reduce classtime so teachers can get more time off and opposes raising education standards, including created gifted and talented programs. No thanks. I want someone who won't just do the bidding of the teachers union.

Where did the part about not wanting to raise standards came from? Genuine question - really trying to understand where all the candidates stand on education issues.

People on the far left (like Janeese) would rather claw their eyes out than raise academic standards because they think that's racist because they think it will hurt black kids. Their plan to reduce racial disparities in academic achievement is to make school so easy that no one can fail.

As opposed to an Independent who doesn’t care either way. Duff has zero credibility with public education. Has no track record of supporting initiatives beyond modernization. So he’s for using 85 million for a school with 300 kids.

FYI what you said isn’t proof, just your weird and wrong feelings.

Sure, Jan. People on the far left who want to raise educational standards are about as common as people on the far right who want to create wealth taxes.

The problem with this race is th JLG is likable and committed but has some terrifying ideas, while Kenyan is lazy and corrupt and will continue everything bowser did (send money to developers for insane projects that don't benefit residents, not really care about education or public safety) but less competently.

Those are our options. Bleak.

Any chance an independent will emerge after the primary?

I actually basically agree with this... and I'm voting JLG. She cares. She tries. She engages. She took DGS to task for the sorry state of schools physically and actually got them to do things as the chair of that committee. I don't agree with some of her ideas, but I'd much rather a person like her be in charge than McDuffie. And FWIW teachers at my school are very union-involved and none of them want more PD, I think that's a weird fake talking point. Some want PD that actually affects them and/or the ability to do it from home if they're watching it on a screen anyway (reasonable) and/or the ability to count training they do one their own towards the hours requirements/get them out of other PD (seems reasonable if it's approved, like OG training classes which a bunch of our K & 1st teachers take on their own time/PTO's dime).

So many JLG supporters I've talk to try to tell me that we'll be OK because her crazy ideas won't actually come to pass. And these are her actual public supporters. I agree that she is likable and seems like she genuinely cares and listens (I've met her).

But, she makes me very very nervous. See this:

https://capitalcommonsense.substack.com/p/the-districts-mayoral-race-and-implications
https://capitalcommonsense.substack.com/p/the-districts-mayoral-race-and-implications?r=d1s6&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true