Mann and Janney PTAs called out in NYTs op-ed for perpetuating segregation in cities

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

False. This is a lie promoted by Heritage.

In reality, New York spends more per student than DC.

And that's averaged across the whole state, not just in the city where property values are much much much higher than in Syracuse.

https://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-education-spending-per-pupil-data.html

DC is shortchanging its students -- because the federal government doesn't give DC anywhere near back what we pay in in taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

False. This is a lie promoted by Heritage.

In reality, New York spends more per student than DC.

And that's averaged across the whole state, not just in the city where property values are much much much higher than in Syracuse.

https://www.governing.com/gov-data/education-data/state-education-spending-per-pupil-data.html

DC is shortchanging its students -- because the federal government doesn't give DC anywhere near back what we pay in in taxes.

Come on you are being deliberately misleading! Yes, Ny spent 22k per pupil while dc spent 19k as of current census data. But both are FAR above the National average. California spent 12K!

If you think DC students, who are costing more money to educate than any other students besides the New York kids, are being shortchanged, we need to figure out why that money is not more effective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

Maryland has higher taxes than DC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harshburger!

Even in cities where the rich and poor continue to live under the same local government, economic segregation saps political support for common, egalitarian infrastructure. Rich New Yorkers donate generously to beautify Central Park while resisting the taxation necessary to maintain parks in neighborhoods they never visit. In Washington, D.C., parents in wealthier neighborhoods contribute lavishly to parent-teacher organizations that provide extra money to public schools in their neighborhoods, but they do not vote for a similar level of funding for all city schools. Two schools in northwest Washington each raised more than half a million dollars in 2017, while several schools in southeast Washington don’t even have parent-teacher organizations. Last year, for the third time since 1970, the residents of Gwinnett County, Ga., which sits on the edge of Atlanta, refused to fund an expansion of the regional transit system into their suburban county.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/opinion/coronavirus-us-cities-inequality.html

We've paid our taxes. It's up to the government to figure out how to spend it, equitably (however you define it) or otherwise. If you don't like it, vote them out. Stop shaming people for not voting for an extra special assessment. It's just a way for politicians to divide and conquer.

I'll stop thinking that these inequitable PTA budgets are shameful if you promise not to object if the D.C. Council proposes raising your taxes to add $500,000 in funds to every elementary school in the city besides Janney and Mann. That way, everybody wins!

I have zero issue with that. DC already has low property taxes.

no it doesnt

Yes it does. Look at tax rate, not your million dollar assessment. DC is very low.

DC = 0.85%
MoCo = 0.7166%
Falls Church City (the highest in Virginia) = 0.8%

stop lying. you aren't comparing like to like

Virginians also pay a car tax every year, and arlington county is much higher than DC. Also in DC we get the homestead deduction that other jurisdictions don't get AND our taxes are capped at 10% increase per year which is unheard of in other places. So yes, DC taxes are extremely low when it comes to property.

the 10% increase cap and homestead deduction are both pretty normal. we also have a much higher personal income tax than Virginia. we can go round and round but the bottom line is that you tried to spin a lie about property taxes and the overall tax burden in DC by cherry picking and not comparing like to like.

moreover, you should be aware that the 10% increase cap (also, tell me an area where property values have gone up 10% in a single year) and homestead deduction exxist for equity reasons and primarily benefit vulnerable seniors while providing protection against gentrification.

The homestead is for any owner living in their home. It benefits more younger buyers than seniors at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harshburger!

Even in cities where the rich and poor continue to live under the same local government, economic segregation saps political support for common, egalitarian infrastructure. Rich New Yorkers donate generously to beautify Central Park while resisting the taxation necessary to maintain parks in neighborhoods they never visit. In Washington, D.C., parents in wealthier neighborhoods contribute lavishly to parent-teacher organizations that provide extra money to public schools in their neighborhoods, but they do not vote for a similar level of funding for all city schools. Two schools in northwest Washington each raised more than half a million dollars in 2017, while several schools in southeast Washington don’t even have parent-teacher organizations. Last year, for the third time since 1970, the residents of Gwinnett County, Ga., which sits on the edge of Atlanta, refused to fund an expansion of the regional transit system into their suburban county.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/opinion/coronavirus-us-cities-inequality.html

We've paid our taxes. It's up to the government to figure out how to spend it, equitably (however you define it) or otherwise. If you don't like it, vote them out. Stop shaming people for not voting for an extra special assessment. It's just a way for politicians to divide and conquer.

I'll stop thinking that these inequitable PTA budgets are shameful if you promise not to object if the D.C. Council proposes raising your taxes to add $500,000 in funds to every elementary school in the city besides Janney and Mann. That way, everybody wins!

I have zero issue with that. DC already has low property taxes.

no it doesnt

Yes it does. Look at tax rate, not your million dollar assessment. DC is very low.

DC = 0.85%
MoCo = 0.7166%
Falls Church City (the highest in Virginia) = 0.8%

stop lying. you aren't comparing like to like

Virginians also pay a car tax every year, and arlington county is much higher than DC. Also in DC we get the homestead deduction that other jurisdictions don't get AND our taxes are capped at 10% increase per year which is unheard of in other places. So yes, DC taxes are extremely low when it comes to property.

the 10% increase cap and homestead deduction are both pretty normal. we also have a much higher personal income tax than Virginia. we can go round and round but the bottom line is that you tried to spin a lie about property taxes and the overall tax burden in DC by cherry picking and not comparing like to like.

moreover, you should be aware that the 10% increase cap (also, tell me an area where property values have gone up 10% in a single year) and homestead deduction exxist for equity reasons and primarily benefit vulnerable seniors while providing protection against gentrification.

The homestead is for any owner living in their home. It benefits more younger buyers than seniors at this point.

The purpose of the homestead deduction is to encourage people to settle down and plant roots in a neighborhood so a sense of local community can be built. The people it benefits the most are those who have been here the longest and have the lowest base on their property taxes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

This. Corruption, inefficiencies, waste, etc..... DC per pupil capita is very high. Nothing is going to change by throwing more money at it.

Also money won’t cure the ills outside the school that is the biggest predictor of poor student performance - instability at home, single family homes, incarcerated fathers, emotional and physical abuse, neglect, trauma, etc....

[Anonymous]

The school district that my kids attend spends 4k per pupil so this sounds amazing. Considering moving to the dc area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

Absolutely yes, Taj Mahal renovations of multiple DCPS middle and high schools that sit half empty as families bolt to bare-bones charter offering real rigor and discipline. Think Dunbar ($125 million), Jefferson Academy ($40 million), Eliot-Hine ($30 million). Then there are the gleaming buildings full of low SES OOB students, e.g. Stuart Hobson, 80% OOB for decades, nothing changed after a $40 million renovation five years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

Absolutely yes, Taj Mahal renovations of multiple DCPS middle and high schools that sit half empty as families bolt to bare-bones charter offering real rigor and discipline. Think Dunbar ($125 million), Jefferson Academy ($40 million), Eliot-Hine ($30 million). Then there are the gleaming buildings full of low SES OOB students, e.g. Stuart Hobson, 80% OOB for decades, nothing changed after a $40 million renovation five years ago.

Poor kids deserve to go to safe, renovated schools just as much as umc kids, if you are asserting otherwise. I am not sure why you thought a renovation would affect test scores at all. SH is making strides

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

Absolutely yes, Taj Mahal renovations of multiple DCPS middle and high schools that sit half empty as families bolt to bare-bones charter offering real rigor and discipline. Think Dunbar ($125 million), Jefferson Academy ($40 million), Eliot-Hine ($30 million). Then there are the gleaming buildings full of low SES OOB students, e.g. Stuart Hobson, 80% OOB for decades, nothing changed after a $40 million renovation five years ago.

Poor kids deserve to go to safe, renovated schools just as much as umc kids, if you are asserting otherwise. I am not sure why you thought a renovation would affect test scores at all. SH is making strides

The renovations of the ‘umc’ schools have not been as pricey and are overcrowded, not half-empty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

Absolutely yes, Taj Mahal renovations of multiple DCPS middle and high schools that sit half empty as families bolt to bare-bones charter offering real rigor and discipline. Think Dunbar ($125 million), Jefferson Academy ($40 million), Eliot-Hine ($30 million). Then there are the gleaming buildings full of low SES OOB students, e.g. Stuart Hobson, 80% OOB for decades, nothing changed after a $40 million renovation five years ago.

Theoretically, you choose to send your kids to the overcrowded schools




Poor kids deserve to go to safe, renovated schools just as much as umc kids, if you are asserting otherwise. I am not sure why you thought a renovation would affect test scores at all. SH is making strides

The renovations of the ‘umc’ schools have not been as pricey and are overcrowded, not half-empty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

Absolutely yes, Taj Mahal renovations of multiple DCPS middle and high schools that sit half empty as families bolt to bare-bones charter offering real rigor and discipline. Think Dunbar ($125 million), Jefferson Academy ($40 million), Eliot-Hine ($30 million). Then there are the gleaming buildings full of low SES OOB students, e.g. Stuart Hobson, 80% OOB for decades, nothing changed after a $40 million renovation five years ago.

Poor kids deserve to go to safe, renovated schools just as much as umc kids, if you are asserting otherwise. I am not sure why you thought a renovation would affect test scores at all. SH is making strides

Oh come on. Yes poor kids deserve the same renovated schools too. But when choosing with most need, the schools with severe crowding should have been renovated or expanded first.

DC was hoping those gleaming new under-performing schools would attract UMC parents with all the money they were throwing at it. I live EOTP and knew from the getgo that it would not and still be the same under-enrolled schools that they were.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC has the highest taxes in the country and we spend more on schools per capita than anywhere else. If some schools aren't getting their share, it's the politicians' fault.

We don't have the highest taxes but close.

What we probably have is one of the most inefficient and corrupt local governments, and a massive waste of taxpayer $$$.

+1000. More money is not the main issue. Local govt. including most of its agencies are incredibly inefficient and corrupt. There have been a few posts on this thread even giving examples of how DCPS wastes money but no one seems to care about that. Just a strange fixation on how more money would fix the schools

Absolutely yes, Taj Mahal renovations of multiple DCPS middle and high schools that sit half empty as families bolt to bare-bones charter offering real rigor and discipline. Think Dunbar ($125 million), Jefferson Academy ($40 million), Eliot-Hine ($30 million). Then there are the gleaming buildings full of low SES OOB students, e.g. Stuart Hobson, 80% OOB for decades, nothing changed after a $40 million renovation five years ago.

Poor kids deserve to go to safe, renovated schools just as much as umc kids, if you are asserting otherwise. I am not sure why you thought a renovation would affect test scores at all. SH is making strides

Oh come on. Yes poor kids deserve the same renovated schools too. But when choosing with most need, the schools with severe crowding should have been renovated or expanded first.

DC was hoping those gleaming new under-performing schools would attract UMC parents with all the money they were throwing at it. I live EOTP and knew from the getgo that it would not and still be the same under-enrolled schools that they were.

SH is a terrible example. It is full and getting fuller.
No seats available in the lottery. Yes, it is heavily OOB, but that’s because it’s feeders our OOB. SH is now close to 100% IB + feeders. It’s IB percentage will go up as LT’s lurches upwards (over 40% now) and Watkins’ trends upwards (about 35%), but it will be a long time before it’s mostly IB because of JOW.