hard to get into Duke Ellington?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the private foundation pay the cost of educating the OOS students? If the amount of financial support is less, the partnership should end.

Any student whose parents both live out of state should be paying tuition, just like at every other DCPS school. Several dozen are according to the audit which surfaced the irregularities and fraud a year ago.

That tuition pays for the 6.5 hour academic part of the day. The private funds pay for the 3-hour arts block for every student in the school. The amount of tuition is set by OSSE.

But you probably aren’t that interested in the facts.

As we're citing facts, the fact is that DC taxpayers pay for 100 percent of Ellington's capital expenditures (i.e., the renovation and expansion) and about 90 percent of Ellington's annual operating costs. Your breakdown of who pays for what doesn't reflect the true 90-10 reality.

And DC owns their building. What they do at Ellington is not different than at any other DCPS school.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Very. There's an audition, exam, and family interview.

So why, with the latest $200 million subsidy from D.C. Taxpayers, does Ellington take kids from Maryland while it turns away kids from Washington?!

Go to an open house and ask.

Why don't you tell us taxpayers. We'd love to know why we're subsidizing MoCo and PG kids when DC kids are being rejected. How is educating Maryland students part of Ellington's mission?

If no bass players from DC apply, and a talented bass player from Silver Spring wants to pay tuition and attend, why not?

In a city where *most* elementary and middle-schools don't even have a music program, isn't an arts-focused school like Ellington where students have to audition incredibly unfair, and a massive equity issue? My kid's ES had a music teacher, but the kids got very little instruction. No music teacher at their MS at all. Very little arts education at all.

There are 6 or 7 different arts disciplines. Many of which don’t require instrumental music in elementary school. But for those who want to pursue an instrument DCYOP accepts kids at all levels, and teaches many disadvantaged students.

Many in the vocal track learned at their churches or their EA and MS.

Hardy pre-“flip” has an arts program that sent many to Ellington.

It's just a bit weird: I've heard many Ellington boosters argue that a) it's a stringent audition-based process where sometimes it's just not possible to fill slots with DC students who have the already developed talent to win a place; and b) many of the students who audition have no formal training at all, so there's no equity concern--"passion" is enough.

I think it's bizarre that a public magnet school funded by DC taxpayers--and which regularly turns DC students away--has any MD residents at all. If there are still open seats after every single DC kid has applied then, sure, have at it. But the status quo strikes me as nuts.

Because it varies by program and each statement is actually true. Each department requires different skills and different elements for the audition/portfolio. You also have to write an essay about "Why (insert program you are applying to)."

For museum studies, it's unlikely an 8th-grade student has any significant hands-on experience -- so passion and history of attending museums and show you've thought about how they are configured/marketed is key. For visual arts, formal training isn't needed but you need to have a portfolio assembled and some indication of talent. For the technical theatre program -- experience in community productions and MS plays (if possible) would demonstrate commitment and interest. For drama the pool of applicants is deeper, so students with experience in children's theatre, student productions at their current school and the audition are used. For LMC -- formal training is unlikely and not expected, but experience and/or demonstration of creative writing interest and talent, or creation of videos to tell stories will help ensure admissions.

For dance, vocal music, instrumental music more formal experience is needed.

+1 My neighbors' two kids go to Ellington (OOS - and pay tuition). One is a dancer and trained intensively since an early age. It was a tough audition process. The other got in for technical theatre, she's worked on school plays in ES and MS but hardly the intense requirements that her dancer sister needed to meet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Ellington’s school day is very longThe students have no little to no time for other extra curricular activities. You need to want to pursue art for a career or for a college major. It isn’t for anyone.

And as for the OOS kids - the percentage is capped at 10%. And they take DC kids first.

That’s the official cap. With residency fraud it could easily be another 20 to 25 percent who live quietly in Maryland but fraudulently go to Ellington.

This.

A large portion of Ellington families = con artists.

You know they just had the most invasive review of any DCPS school. These are high school students. The ones most likely to have divorced parents. You don’t h e to live in DC to go to a DC school. You only need one parent or legal caregiver who lives in a DC. You have nothing to base your assertions on.

There may be some of that, but there are outright fraudster families at Ellington, as well. DC and the school need to stop making excuses and offering possible rationalizations, and instead ferret out the residency fraud, promptly expel the students, sue the parents for back tuition, fees and interest and refer the parents for criminal prosecution. If the parents are employed with the DC government, they should lose their jobs for not being suitable to hold positions of public trust.

WTF do you think the AG's office has been doing for the last year and a half? The registrar was fired and OSSE is now overseeing the enrollment process. That said, you have to remember that all you need to enroll in a DC public school is one parent who lives in the city. That parent does not even need to be the custodial parent. There are loopholes in the residency regulations big enough to drive a truck through but these families are not cheating.

Honestly from a bang for the buck perspective, I think OSSE/the AG needs to dig into the 22 alleged non-residents parents whose children attend special education schools outside the city. Those cost at least $50,000 per student.

Just so we have some context -- for 2018-19 the audit found 152 unverified students (suspected OOS). 103 were enrolled in DCPS; 49 in charters

24 students attending non-public schools (22 DCPS; 2 charters)

51 OOS tuition-paying students (all DCPS) - 47 at Ellington; 1 at Oyster-Adams; 2 at Powell; 1 at Burroughs

https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2018-19%20School%20Year%20Annual%20Enrollment%20Audit%20Report%20Supplemental%20Tables.xlsx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the private foundation pay the cost of educating the OOS students? If the amount of financial support is less, the partnership should end.

Any student whose parents both live out of state should be paying tuition, just like at every other DCPS school. Several dozen are according to the audit which surfaced the irregularities and fraud a year ago.

That tuition pays for the 6.5 hour academic part of the day. The private funds pay for the 3-hour arts block for every student in the school. The amount of tuition is set by OSSE.

But you probably aren’t that interested in the facts.

It is Ellington that claims it is different and by inference, not accountable. Whenever there is scrutiny of its operations, admissions and finances, they respond "Hey, wait! Ellington has private money."

But it's still DC taxpayers who have to swallow nearly the whole tab.

As we're citing facts, the fact is that DC taxpayers pay for 100 percent of Ellington's capital expenditures (i.e., the renovation and expansion) and about 90 percent of Ellington's annual operating costs. Your breakdown of who pays for what doesn't reflect the true 90-10 reality.

And DC owns their building. What they do at Ellington is not different than at any other DCPS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does the private foundation pay the cost of educating the OOS students? If the amount of financial support is less, the partnership should end.

Any student whose parents both live out of state should be paying tuition, just like at every other DCPS school. Several dozen are according to the audit which surfaced the irregularities and fraud a year ago.

That tuition pays for the 6.5 hour academic part of the day. The private funds pay for the 3-hour arts block for every student in the school. The amount of tuition is set by OSSE.

But you probably aren’t that interested in the facts.

It is Ellington that claims it is different and by inference, not accountable. Whenever there is scrutiny of its operations, admissions and finances, they respond "Hey, wait! Ellington has private money."

But it's still DC taxpayers who have to swallow nearly the whole tab.

As we're citing facts, the fact is that DC taxpayers pay for 100 percent of Ellington's capital expenditures (i.e., the renovation and expansion) and about 90 percent of Ellington's annual operating costs. Your breakdown of who pays for what doesn't reflect the true 90-10 reality.

And DC owns their building. What they do at Ellington is not different than at any other DCPS school.

But it's still DC taxpayers who have to swallow nearly the whole tab.

[Anonymous]

It is Ellington that claims it is different and by inference, not accountable. Whenever there is scrutiny of its operations, admissions and finances, they respond "Hey, wait! Ellington has private money."

But it's still DC taxpayers who have to swallow nearly the whole tab.

[Anonymous]

47 out of state students at Ellington. That is high for an enrollment of 560. WTF.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:47 out of state students at Ellington. That is high for an enrollment of 560. WTF.

It is a lot for a fancy school paid for by DC's taxpayers. I doubt that tuition covers the actual costs of educating the out of city student. And that number only reflects the "official" tuition-paying students. How many others are illegally registered as DC residents but live in Maryland? And how many of the tuition-paying students are up to date with tuition payments?

[Anonymous]

Those numbers tell me that DCUM needs to find another target if 47 kids are paying OOS tuition to attend. Get over the fact that your kid(s)' campuses aren't as pretty or if they weren't granted admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:47 out of state students at Ellington. That is high for an enrollment of 560. WTF.

In fact that is 9 students below the allowed cap of 10% OOS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those numbers tell me that DCUM needs to find another target if 47 kids are paying OOS tuition to attend. Get over the fact that your kid(s)' campuses aren't as pretty or if they weren't granted admission.

Didn’t someone point out that Duke Ellington’s mission is to provide an arts education primarily to students of color, regardless of whether they live in DC or in Prince Georges Maryland?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:47 out of state students at Ellington. That is high for an enrollment of 560. WTF.

It is a lot for a fancy school paid for by DC's taxpayers. I doubt that tuition covers the actual costs of educating the out of city student. And that number only reflects the "official" tuition-paying students. How many others are illegally registered as DC residents but live in Maryland? And how many of the tuition-paying students are up to date with tuition payments?

The school does not collect tuition, OSSE does, often poorly. If that is a problem that's on OSSE.

[Anonymous]

A PP asked about passion. As an arts teachers at a conservatory (all arts school wok the same way) let me clarify. Passion does not mean not talent, or less. Passion means if there is choice between equally talented applicants, the kid who cares gets the nod. Cares mean you read the material you were asked to read. Or if someone asks about a favorite book or author or film, you have an opinion because you pay attention. It means your portfolio contains more than you were asked to bring because you love doing whatever the thing is. No amount of training can substitute for hustle. In that way arts audition are like any other job interview. Show some initiative and you've probably got a better hook over the perfectly crafted resume.

[Anonymous]

"Care" means -- apologies

[Anonymous]

It's not so hard to get in if you have a parent who works for the DC government and knows some folks.