If Fenty Loses ...

[Anonymous]

10:26, you are wrong. The school doesn't choose to get less money in their budget. The school has to work with the money that's given to them. Also, please explain to me why questioning budget disparities under the Rhee administration makes me akin to a Tea Party member?

10:28, you are correct. Rhee ended the weighted student formula.

[Anonymous]

As I pointed out earlier the amount of money given to schools is based in part on enrollment. Again if the principal makes a mistake and overestimates enrollment then that affects the total dollar amount a school receives. How those funds are applied to a school's budget is usually decided by the principal and LSRT.

If you are at a school that does not include you as a parent in this process, then there is a problem. I would encourage you and others to talk to the LSRT and principal at your school to find out about this process and the decisions that were made. It is too easy to point fingers at schools that are "affluent" and say that things are unfair.

Make sure you are completely informed about what is going on at your school before making judgements. And if you don't like the process especially if it is not transparent, then change it.

[Anonymous]

Make sure you are completely informed about what is going on at your school before making judgements. And if you don't like the process especially if it is not transparent, then change it.

So much easier to just let irrational resentments bubble up. Doesn't matter if you're middle-class white conservative pissed that somewhere, some black person is getting a tax credit, or a poor DCPS parent pissed that every single year, every single school isn't allocated exactly the same amount to the penny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Make sure you are completely informed about what is going on at your school before making judgements. And if you don't like the process especially if it is not transparent, then change it.

So much easier to just let irrational resentments bubble up. Doesn't matter if you're middle-class white conservative pissed that somewhere, some black person is getting a tax credit, or a poor DCPS parent pissed that every single year, every single school isn't allocated exactly the same amount to the penny.

Conservatives - of whatever color - tend to be in favor of tax credits vs. handouts, and even more in favor of responsible spending by individuals and government institutions alike. You've chosen a strange forum in which to grind your axe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My child attends a Title I school. I see the disparity in both the budget and the attention from the main office between my child's school and the more affluent schools in the District.

As someone pointed out earlier, almost all of these budget disparities are explained by choices made *by* the schools. There's a certain type of person who *always* feels resentment that someone else might be getting something more than them.

This phenomenon completely explains the Tea Party phenomenon.

No it doesn't. Anger over runaway government spending explains the Tea Party phenomenon.

Personally, I'm an Independent and I prefer seltzer, but then I'm not invested in pushing my agenda in every possible forum. You seem not to understand the meaning of the word "appropriate."

[Anonymous]

You are wrong. Principals offer suggestions to enrollment, DCPS makes the final call.

Disparities in the budget are there, to the tune of up to $3000 more per student at some schools. This difference, when multiplied by 300 plus students, can result in budget differences of $1 million dollars.

Did you look at the DCPS budgets? Have you served on an LSRT? I have. I am involved, but I do not control the budget. It used to be on a per pupil basis. It no longer is and it is unfair. I have asked for answers from the Chancellor's office. They do not respond.

Case in point, compare Maury's budget to Brent's budget. Brent is projected to have 3 more students than Maury, yet has $300,000 more in the budget. This doesn't even factor in that Maury has many more low income children than Brent.

$300,000 is three more teachers for a school. It's a huge disparity.

My resentment is not irrational and I will hold Rhee accountable when I vote against Fenty in the primary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

My child attends a Title I school. I see the disparity in both the budget and the attention from the main office between my child's school and the more affluent schools in the District.

As someone pointed out earlier, almost all of these budget disparities are explained by choices made *by* the schools. There's a certain type of person who *always* feels resentment that someone else might be getting something more than them.

This phenomenon completely explains the Tea Party phenomenon.

No it doesn't. Anger over runaway government spending explains the Tea Party phenomenon.

Personally, I'm an Independent and I prefer seltzer, but then I'm not invested in pushing my agenda in every possible forum. You seem not to understand the meaning of the word "appropriate."

No it doesn't. Anger over perceived overspending on social programs explains the Tea Party phenomenon. Which neatly explains why there's such an overlap between Tea Party Activists and racists. Ag subsidies for rural folks? A-OK. Head Start for urban children? Grave threat to the Republic. Defunding Social Security? Great idea. Returning marginal tax rates to the historically low rates of the Bush I/Clinton Era? Class warfare!

Utterly transparent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are wrong. Principals offer suggestions to enrollment, DCPS makes the final call.

Disparities in the budget are there, to the tune of up to $3000 more per student at some schools. This difference, when multiplied by 300 plus students, can result in budget differences of $1 million dollars.

Did you look at the DCPS budgets? Have you served on an LSRT? I have. I am involved, but I do not control the budget. It used to be on a per pupil basis. It no longer is and it is unfair. I have asked for answers from the Chancellor's office. They do not respond.

Case in point, compare Maury's budget to Brent's budget. Brent is projected to have 3 more students than Maury, yet has $300,000 more in the budget. This doesn't even factor in that Maury has many more low income children than Brent.

$300,000 is three more teachers for a school. It's a huge disparity.

My resentment is not irrational and I will hold Rhee accountable when I vote against Fenty in the primary.

Thanks for giving a concrete example. I'm interested to see what the response is to this.

[Anonymous]

It seems like a large sum for this to account for the entire disparity between Brent and Maury budgets, but I know that there has been a significant influx of students with IEPs to Brent..who perhaps receive higher funding. I also heard the possibility that another pre k class may be added to Brent resulting in higher enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like a large sum for this to account for the entire disparity between Brent and Maury budgets, but I know that there has been a significant influx of students with IEPs to Brent..who perhaps receive higher funding. I also heard the possibility that another pre k class may be added to Brent resulting in higher enrollment.

A new Pre K 3 or 4 class for Brent?

[Anonymous]

Small elite schools can't survive. So...3 students do and will make a significant difference. I am here to tell you I have served on the LSRT, PTA, Stakeholders and everything else that is school related. I have seen the Chancellor grant a revision with a "swipe" of pen...when others within DCPS budget said absolutely not. Yeah, I must agree sometime the Chancellor's rhetorical "great idea" dialogue falls on deaf-ears. But be persistent instead of being pissed-off...I am telling you Kaya, Lisa and Michelle have helped our school in Ward 6 immensely...and it was because of their promises to a small dedicated group of parents at the high school level.

Again remember Michelle, Kaya and Lisa the Destiny Child of DCPS. A little humor to lighten-up the blog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are wrong. Principals offer suggestions to enrollment, DCPS makes the final call.

Case in point, compare Maury's budget to Brent's budget. Brent is projected to have 3 more students than Maury, yet has $300,000 more in the budget. This doesn't even factor in that Maury has many more low income children than Brent.

Brent and Maury are both great schools; I would be happy to send my kids to either school, particularly 2nd grade or lower. I suspect that come fall with all the late summer/early fall shifting Brent will have more than 3 more students than Maury. I get why this Maury parent is upset about this. I think Maury is changing and will get more resources.

[Anonymous]

"Kaya, Lisa and Michelle have helped our school in Ward 6 immensely"

I agree completely with this statement. Certain schools in certain Wards have been granted great favors and budget allowances.

The question remains, is this an equitable way to run a school system? At the very least, it builds resentment in the families don't curry favor from Rhee's pen.

[Anonymous]

At the very least, it builds resentment in the families don't curry favor from Rhee's pen.

I think we can all agree with this statement. Bottom line, though, is you don't run a sprawling, heterogenous urban school district by giving everyone exactly the same resources at exactly the same time. It's an immensely complex system, not Christmas morning with three jealous siblings.

[Anonymous]

Well, it was run with the same resources prior to Rhee. It was a per pupil funding that had extra weight for ESL, Special ED and FARMs. Deborah Gist in Rhode Island just switched to this method, FWIW.

So yes, the system is complex. In the past, there was an effort to address the complexity AND be equitable.

Now it's a glorious Christmas morning for those schools favored by "Destiny's Child." Yep, I just vomited a bit in my mouth.