Subtracting $1B from DC Govt has to affect DCPS/PCS, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone considering editing their lottery rank list to prioritize DCPS over charters on the assumption that if the CR passes then Charters will be hit harder than DCPS schools? Is that a thing? The last chance to change rank order is 5p today which is why I am asking.

Law requires equal funding. And Congress isn't going to allow gutting of charters. Republicans LOVE charters. (So do I, btw). Safest place to be is a school well insulated from distractions from kids who need lots of services.

The law requires equal funding though charters aren't getting that. Still, your points are well taken. Congress will step in if there is continued finagling with charters. Also, even if charters are hurt more, all schools are going to be hurt. Schools that have populations that require more services are going to get less services.

But I do think that is a valid concern. Yes the cuts have to be equal but DCPS has more overhead and more room for cuts before they get to classrooms. Charters don’t have that by design.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m seriously stressing, worrying they’ll just cut prek since that’s not a legal requirement. I don’t know how realistic it is. I wonder when we find out what’s getting cut? I guess could be as early as tomorrow or Monday?

I would not worry. They will not cut all of PreK. That is a mayoral decision and all they are doing for now is cutting the budget which is all of the grades. DC has been committed to universal pre-k for a long time now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone considering editing their lottery rank list to prioritize DCPS over charters on the assumption that if the CR passes then Charters will be hit harder than DCPS schools? Is that a thing? The last chance to change rank order is 5p today which is why I am asking.

Law requires equal funding. And Congress isn't going to allow gutting of charters. Republicans LOVE charters. (So do I, btw). Safest place to be is a school well insulated from distractions from kids who need lots of services.

You’re sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone considering editing their lottery rank list to prioritize DCPS over charters on the assumption that if the CR passes then Charters will be hit harder than DCPS schools? Is that a thing? The last chance to change rank order is 5p today which is why I am asking.

Law requires equal funding. And Congress isn't going to allow gutting of charters. Republicans LOVE charters. (So do I, btw). Safest place to be is a school well insulated from distractions from kids who need lots of services.

You’re sick.

I'm not the poster and I don't like the statement. However, I do understand why parents should be very worried and have to consider whether schools will be more or less chaotic if there are major cuts. Some schools don't need intense support services. For schools that have multiple student support staffers -- social workers, psychologists, deans etc -- those positions need to be prioritized along with teachers. But is that even possible with the level of cuts needed?

If you look through this thread there are comments mentioning cutting school food, deans, before/afterschool. If you are in a school where many kids need school-provided food or don't have a safe place to go before/afterschool, it's going to be tough. Even if all teachers can be preserved, those kinds of cuts will cause real turmoil and change the culture of schools. The burden of this will be carried by higher at-risk schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone considering editing their lottery rank list to prioritize DCPS over charters on the assumption that if the CR passes then Charters will be hit harder than DCPS schools? Is that a thing? The last chance to change rank order is 5p today which is why I am asking.

Law requires equal funding. And Congress isn't going to allow gutting of charters. Republicans LOVE charters. (So do I, btw). Safest place to be is a school well insulated from distractions from kids who need lots of services.

You’re sick.

I'm not the poster and I don't like the statement. However, I do understand why parents should be very worried and have to consider whether schools will be more or less chaotic if there are major cuts. Some schools don't need intense support services. For schools that have multiple student support staffers -- social workers, psychologists, deans etc -- those positions need to be prioritized along with teachers. But is that even possible with the level of cuts needed?

If you look through this thread there are comments mentioning cutting school food, deans, before/afterschool. If you are in a school where many kids need school-provided food or don't have a safe place to go before/afterschool, it's going to be tough. Even if all teachers can be preserved, those kinds of cuts will cause real turmoil and change the culture of schools. The burden of this will be carried by higher at-risk schools.

Deans are not necessary. That is why principals and APs exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone considering editing their lottery rank list to prioritize DCPS over charters on the assumption that if the CR passes then Charters will be hit harder than DCPS schools? Is that a thing? The last chance to change rank order is 5p today which is why I am asking.

Law requires equal funding. And Congress isn't going to allow gutting of charters. Republicans LOVE charters. (So do I, btw). Safest place to be is a school well insulated from distractions from kids who need lots of services.

You’re sick.

I'm not the poster and I don't like the statement. However, I do understand why parents should be very worried and have to consider whether schools will be more or less chaotic if there are major cuts. Some schools don't need intense support services. For schools that have multiple student support staffers -- social workers, psychologists, deans etc -- those positions need to be prioritized along with teachers. But is that even possible with the level of cuts needed?

If you look through this thread there are comments mentioning cutting school food, deans, before/afterschool. If you are in a school where many kids need school-provided food or don't have a safe place to go before/afterschool, it's going to be tough. Even if all teachers can be preserved, those kinds of cuts will cause real turmoil and change the culture of schools. The burden of this will be carried by higher at-risk schools.

Deans are not necessary. That is why principals and APs exist.

Deans are the people in charge of behavior problems.

[Anonymous]

Deans do a lot of what Asst Principals used to do. A big % of AP duties now relate to Impact.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Deans do a lot of what Asst Principals used to do. A big % of AP duties now relate to Impact.

Exactly. So many resources completely wasted on IMPACT.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone considering editing their lottery rank list to prioritize DCPS over charters on the assumption that if the CR passes then Charters will be hit harder than DCPS schools? Is that a thing? The last chance to change rank order is 5p today which is why I am asking.

No the schools that will be hit the hardest are the DCPS title 1 schools who get more fed funding and local funding. That is going to be 1st off the chopping black then extraneous social service supports, etc…. Families at these school have no way to help make up these huge deficits.

The schools with the highest need kids will be hit the hardest, not the popular charters with wealthier families, less at risk kids, etc….Plus these schools families can help with donations and have strong PTO with fundraising capacity. These characteristics also apply to DCPS schools WOTP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is $350 million in school funding "cut immediately?"

The same way that federal agencies are being cut now?? Ask for voluntary resignations and early retirements and then schedule terminations with little notice. Freeze all non-personnel spending. Maybe end the school year early. Cut preschool and preK, adult education and the STAY/dropout programs as they are not compulsory. There are really no good answers when it comes to schools. It seems crazy that this even has to be contemplated when most of this money is local DC taxpayer money.

What's not clear to me is whether the total is $350 million or is it just the portion of that $350 million that is left for the remainder of the federal fiscal year (through September 30).

Is there a date that the available funding will run out? I mean, at what point in the school year will the available pot of money (minus the $365 million that will now no longer be available) be spent?

I haven't seen any dates but these resolutions are typically enacted immediately. I'm more familiar with charter finances not DCPS. Charters receive quarterly payments for their operations - July, September, January and April. We are hearing that the next payments for April, July and September could be significantly reduced. All schools are going to be hurt but given the way budgeting is prioritized, DCPS might have more opportunities for stabilization funds. Still if this passes, I'm guessing even DCPS will see devastating cuts and some charters could fail to make payroll which will put them up for closure/revocation.

If there is equity in the cuts across both types of schools, this is probably $3,500 per kid that needs to be cut.

It's really hard to believe that this is even in the realm of possibility.

So charters potentially won't have adequate money for salaries in April. And if they have no money they either 1)fire staff or 2)ask staff to work for free?

I'm hoping that if this happens, the schools will ask the parents for donations. I would be happy to donate some money to keep my kids in school.

3,500 PER STUDENT of money raised via donation? You have to be kidding. This is a structural failure and individual contributions wouldn't / couldn't make a meaningful difference.

Worried that the parents who could help out will just go to independent schools! I would!

Independent school admissions just came out last week and had record breaking numbers. There isn't an empty seat in the DMV.

This is incorrect. There are empty seats out there, it just takes some searching.

Also, expect to see ads for online for-profit and private for-profit schools as early as this summer. I can hear people salivating at the thought of the $$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is $350 million in school funding "cut immediately?"

The same way that federal agencies are being cut now?? Ask for voluntary resignations and early retirements and then schedule terminations with little notice. Freeze all non-personnel spending. Maybe end the school year early. Cut preschool and preK, adult education and the STAY/dropout programs as they are not compulsory. There are really no good answers when it comes to schools. It seems crazy that this even has to be contemplated when most of this money is local DC taxpayer money.

What's not clear to me is whether the total is $350 million or is it just the portion of that $350 million that is left for the remainder of the federal fiscal year (through September 30).

Is there a date that the available funding will run out? I mean, at what point in the school year will the available pot of money (minus the $365 million that will now no longer be available) be spent?

I haven't seen any dates but these resolutions are typically enacted immediately. I'm more familiar with charter finances not DCPS. Charters receive quarterly payments for their operations - July, September, January and April. We are hearing that the next payments for April, July and September could be significantly reduced. All schools are going to be hurt but given the way budgeting is prioritized, DCPS might have more opportunities for stabilization funds. Still if this passes, I'm guessing even DCPS will see devastating cuts and some charters could fail to make payroll which will put them up for closure/revocation.

If there is equity in the cuts across both types of schools, this is probably $3,500 per kid that needs to be cut.

It's really hard to believe that this is even in the realm of possibility.

So charters potentially won't have adequate money for salaries in April. And if they have no money they either 1)fire staff or 2)ask staff to work for free?

I'm hoping that if this happens, the schools will ask the parents for donations. I would be happy to donate some money to keep my kids in school.

3,500 PER STUDENT of money raised via donation? You have to be kidding. This is a structural failure and individual contributions wouldn't / couldn't make a meaningful difference.

Worried that the parents who could help out will just go to independent schools! I would!

Independent school admissions just came out last week and had record breaking numbers. There isn't an empty seat in the DMV.

This is incorrect. There are empty seats out there, it just takes some searching.

Also, expect to see ads for online for-profit and private for-profit schools as early as this summer. I can hear people salivating at the thought of the $$$.

NP. Don't be dense. It was obviously a turn of phrase meant to indicate demand and enrollment are way up. No reasonable person could have read this to mean there were literally no spots available.

[Anonymous]

I was trying to provide a little hope for families who might be looking at privates out if the normal cycle.

But thanks for the put down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is anyone considering editing their lottery rank list to prioritize DCPS over charters on the assumption that if the CR passes then Charters will be hit harder than DCPS schools? Is that a thing? The last chance to change rank order is 5p today which is why I am asking.

No the schools that will be hit the hardest are the DCPS title 1 schools who get more fed funding and local funding. That is going to be 1st off the chopping black then extraneous social service supports, etc…. Families at these school have no way to help make up these huge deficits.

The schools with the highest need kids will be hit the hardest, not the popular charters with wealthier families, less at risk kids, etc….Plus these schools families can help with donations and have strong PTO with fundraising capacity. These characteristics also apply to DCPS schools WOTP.

DCPS Title I schools will be hurt. But there are also Title I charters. Schools like Monument with 80% disadvantaged kids, 50% special education, 15% homeless and Maya Angelou with over 80% disadvantaged, 30% special needs and 25% homeless.

However one feels about any of these schools, this isn't the time for a DCPS versus charter moment. Nor is it a time for WOTP or EOTP beefs. All schools are going to be hurt if the House doesn't come back and pass the Senate bill for DC. The fight needs to be for all of education -- public or public charter. The fight needs to be for DC to be able to handle its own money.

[Anonymous]

Can anyone explain what it means that this has to come back to the House for approval? I honestly want to understand the process/stakes. Can they choose to not even consider it? What would happen then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can anyone explain what it means that this has to come back to the House for approval? I honestly want to understand the process/stakes. Can they choose to not even consider it? What would happen then?

They can and may choose not to take it up so there are both advocacy efforts for when they return and also contingency plans being made.

Some hard lines Republicans have signaled they don't want it taken up. If the WH signals it wants it passed the House almost certainly will pass it but they're another week away from returning so a lot can change.