Emergency DCPCSB meeting re Washington Math Science Technology high school

[Anonymous]

DCPCSB just tweeted out the meeting materials: https://twitter.com/dcpcsb/status/973262212348473344

[Anonymous]

It's financial. The school is deeply awash in red ink.

[Anonymous]

They can't make their next payroll.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's financial. The school is deeply awash in red ink.

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=2345731

Rationale and Background
After receiving a series of troubling financial updates from the school, DC PCSB
hired accountants from a forensic accounting firm to independently review the
school’s finances. The firm has been working cooperatively with the school since
February 26, reviewing the school’s financial condition in detail.

The firm has produced a series of weekly cash flow forecasts (Attachment A)
through the end of the 2017-18 school year. These forecasts find that:

• The school is unlikely to have sufficient cash to meet its March 23 payroll,
unless it delays paying many bills due now, such as utilities;
• Even with delaying payables, the school will not have sufficient cash to meet
its April 6 payroll;
• The school is forecast to require $833,991 of additional cash between now
and the end of its fiscal year on June 30, 2018 to cover all expenses,
including payroll, operating costs, mortgage payments, and required debt
repayment. This number grows to over $1,164,853 when adding the payroll
due the current teaching staff in July and August for their work over the
2017-18 school year.
• The school has a $300,000 line of credit which is presently fully drawn down.
• It currently has no other source of new cash or financing.
• The school’s largest asset is its building. The school has a Letter of Intent
from a buyer, indicating a possible, but not certain sale. However, the net
proceeds from the sale, at the current proposed purchase price and after
closing costs and repayment of the mortgage, is insufficient to cover the
$833,991 projected deficit.

The source of the school’s financial distress is a steadily declining enrollment
without commensurate expense reductions. The school enrolled 351 students in
2012-13 and enrolled 228 at this year’s audit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's financial. The school is deeply awash in red ink.

The school enrolled 351 students in
2012-13 and enrolled 228 at this year’s audit


That'll do it. Losing 123 students means losing around $1.6 million in annual funding.

[Anonymous]

In my opinion, WMST was a solid school but could not overcome the purchase of its current site on Bladensburg Rd.

[Anonymous]

whats a noun? in High School? From their "upper level" english class:
In another upperlevel
English course students completed a
handout on which they were to identify
parts of speech. Many students asked what
an adjective/adverb/noun were.

[Anonymous]

6-0 vote to begin revocation/closure.

http://www.dcpcsb.org/blog/board-takes-step-close-washington-math-science-and-technology-pcs

[Anonymous]

poor kids. I hope they're able to find good places to go for next year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In my opinion, WMST was a solid school but could not overcome the purchase of its current site on Bladensburg Rd.

A truly horrible location!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:poor kids. I hope they're able to find good places to go for next year.

Sorry for the students, but seems an appropriate closure "DC PCSB did not see evidence that all students are held to high academic standards and attendance was consistently poor. The level of rigor in many classrooms was low and students were inconsistently held accountable for school-wide expectations such as tardiness, use of cell phones in classrooms or removal of their jackets. Behavior in the halls was not entirely appropriate. While many teachers stood in their doorways during transitions there are long stretches of hallway with no classrooms and little monitoring. Some students in the hall were on phones, yelling profanity, play fighting and wandering around extremely tardy with no apparent consequence or tracking system."

[Anonymous]

I've wondered for a while what happens when a charter goes bankrupt. I guess we'll see now.

[Anonymous]

PCSB is a hokey joke. They close the schools they want to close with no real concern for how students or families are impacted. The Danielson framework was NEVER created to be a teacher or classroom evaluation tool; there are tons of articles that support this position.

[Anonymous]

This should not be a surprise in March that they can not meet payroll for the year.

Part of this is shame on DCPS - they have not released buildings that clearly could be used by charters to educate children that DCPS has failed to do.

Unfortunately once again - the children are the ones hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In my opinion, WMST was a solid school but could not overcome the purchase of its current site on Bladensburg Rd.

A truly horrible location!

How can you say this is a solid school when it’s mostly remedial work in the “upper level” classes? It’s babysitting. Just like ballon.