How can DCPS improve *all* its schools when Wilson and feeders raise big PTA money for enrichment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Most of those schools with eye-popping PTA budgets are running the aftercare at their schools. They're acting as a pass-through for the aftercare funds. They do some fundraising but the lion's share is in the pass-through.

The two main aftercare programs at Murch are not funded by the HSA, either (though one of them was founded by the HSA in the 1980s; it spun off into its own nonprofit in 2003).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No PTA raises “thousands per student.” The schools in Ward 3 are not in demand because of the well-funded PTAs. The PTAs’ contributions are nice but incremental.

What makes Ward 3 schools desirable is more the educational level of the parents than their monetary resources.

DCPS can’t really fix the schools alone — it’s really up to DC government. Intensive social and economic supports for stuggling families are what would matter most.

This.

Schools outside Ward 3 are getting much higher funding per student, even including those PTA funds.

And let's not discuss capital spending.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of those schools with eye-popping PTA budgets are running the aftercare at their schools. They're acting as a pass-through for the aftercare funds. They do some fundraising but the lion's share is in the pass-through.

This is no longer true at Janney ES. Aftercare is a separate 501c3. Not sure what other ES has in-house aftercare.

Lafayette I believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No PTA raises “thousands per student.” The schools in Ward 3 are not in demand because of the well-funded PTAs. The PTAs’ contributions are nice but incremental.

What makes Ward 3 schools desirable is more the educational level of the parents than their monetary resources.

DCPS can’t really fix the schools alone — it’s really up to DC government. Intensive social and economic supports for stuggling families are what would matter most.

+1

WOTP schools aren't all full of rich kids. But, by and large, they are full of kids whose parents have at least a college degree and who not only value (many poor parents value education), but are able to support their child's education by volunteering in the classroom, showing up for parent-teacher conferences, providing necessary school supplies, reading to and with their kids, making sure they do their homework, etc. They are also full of kids who, by and large, sleep in the same home every night (or switch between homes on a set schedule), are fed three meals a day and don't go to school hungry, and live in safe neighborhoods. Their parents are mostly not shift workers who might be gone in the evenings and at night. Their parents might well use illegal drugs and abuse alcohol, but they mostly aren't getting arrested or going to jail over it. Their lives are simply more stable, and that means they show up to school ready and able to learn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No PTA raises “thousands per student.” The schools in Ward 3 are not in demand because of the well-funded PTAs. The PTAs’ contributions are nice but incremental.

What makes Ward 3 schools desirable is more the educational level of the parents than their monetary resources.

DCPS can’t really fix the schools alone — it’s really up to DC government. Intensive social and economic supports for stuggling families are what would matter most.

+1

WOTP schools aren't all full of rich kids. But, by and large, they are full of kids whose parents have at least a college degree and who not only value (many poor parents value education), but are able to support their child's education by volunteering in the classroom, showing up for parent-teacher conferences, providing necessary school supplies, reading to and with their kids, making sure they do their homework, etc. They are also full of kids who, by and large, sleep in the same home every night (or switch between homes on a set schedule), are fed three meals a day and don't go to school hungry, and live in safe neighborhoods. Their parents are mostly not shift workers who might be gone in the evenings and at night. Their parents might well use illegal drugs and abuse alcohol, but they mostly aren't getting arrested or going to jail over it. Their lives are simply more stable, and that means they show up to school ready and able to learn.

+2 Money can’t fix the damage done before some of these children are 3.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of those schools with eye-popping PTA budgets are running the aftercare at their schools. They're acting as a pass-through for the aftercare funds. They do some fundraising but the lion's share is in the pass-through.

This is no longer true at Janney ES. Aftercare is a separate 501c3. Not sure what other ES has in-house aftercare.

Lafayette I believe.

Nope. Lafayette doesn't either. Aftercare is run by CLS and CCPC.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No PTA raises “thousands per student.” The schools in Ward 3 are not in demand because of the well-funded PTAs. The PTAs’ contributions are nice but incremental.

What makes Ward 3 schools desirable is more the educational level of the parents than their monetary resources.

DCPS can’t really fix the schools alone — it’s really up to DC government. Intensive social and economic supports for stuggling families are what would matter most.

This.

Schools outside Ward 3 are getting much higher funding per student, even including those PTA funds.

And let's not discuss capital spending.

The schools outside Ward 3's per pupil allocations look larger because they receive money that is earmarked for at-risk and ELL students. They amount they get depends on how many students meeting those designations are enrolled. More high needs students = more budget. That money cannot be used for general purposes. This isn't just a DCPS approach but is the way federal education dollars are allocated too.

If more at-risk andor ELL students were to enroll in Ward 3 schools, the Ward 3 per pupil allocation would increase as well.

This is most clear at Wilson, whose per pupil allocation has decreased as their population has become more wealthy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No PTA raises “thousands per student.” The schools in Ward 3 are not in demand because of the well-funded PTAs. The PTAs’ contributions are nice but incremental.

What makes Ward 3 schools desirable is more the educational level of the parents than their monetary resources.

DCPS can’t really fix the schools alone — it’s really up to DC government. Intensive social and economic supports for stuggling families are what would matter most.

This.

Schools outside Ward 3 are getting much higher funding per student, even including those PTA funds.

And let's not discuss capital spending.

The schools outside Ward 3's per pupil allocations look larger because they receive money that is earmarked for at-risk and ELL students. They amount they get depends on how many students meeting those designations are enrolled. More high needs students = more budget. That money cannot be used for general purposes. This isn't just a DCPS approach but is the way federal education dollars are allocated too.

If more at-risk andor ELL students were to enroll in Ward 3 schools, the Ward 3 per pupil allocation would increase as well.

This is most clear at Wilson, whose per pupil allocation has decreased as their population has become more wealthy.

The per-pupil funding differs even aside from low-income and ELL funding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Best students”? Really?

Yes, rich, Ward 3, white children are the best. Look at the Ward 3 working group on overcrowding, they are advocating improving DCPS but rather making the best schools serve only the best rich white kids!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you’re understanding of inequality is lacking. The inequality is not because of PTA funding. Sure PTA funding helps with some more resources but you take PTA fundraising out of the picture and you still would get inequality.

Really?! Because I don’t hear about Janet parents doing mold and rat abatement. There is a funding problem!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP you’re understanding of inequality is lacking. The inequality is not because of PTA funding. Sure PTA funding helps with some more resources but you take PTA fundraising out of the picture and you still would get inequality.

Really?! Because I don’t hear about Janet parents doing mold and rat abatement. There is a funding problem!

That would be Janney (damn autocorrect!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No PTA raises “thousands per student.” The schools in Ward 3 are not in demand because of the well-funded PTAs. The PTAs’ contributions are nice but incremental.

What makes Ward 3 schools desirable is more the educational level of the parents than their monetary resources.

DCPS can’t really fix the schools alone — it’s really up to DC government. Intensive social and economic supports for stuggling families are what would matter most.

This.

Schools outside Ward 3 are getting much higher funding per student, even including those PTA funds.

And let's not discuss capital spending.

The schools outside Ward 3's per pupil allocations look larger because they receive money that is earmarked for at-risk and ELL students. They amount they get depends on how many students meeting those designations are enrolled. More high needs students = more budget. That money cannot be used for general purposes. This isn't just a DCPS approach but is the way federal education dollars are allocated too.

If more at-risk andor ELL students were to enroll in Ward 3 schools, the Ward 3 per pupil allocation would increase as well.

This is most clear at Wilson, whose per pupil allocation has decreased as their population has become more wealthy.

The per-pupil funding differs even aside from low-income and ELL funding.

And the "extra" money DCPS allocates is for support staff to help students suffering from trauma, housing instability and all the other things that distract for learning.

The Ward 3 schools literally, and thankfully, do not need those supports. If we want kids all over the city from all kinds of backgrounds to have a chance at getting an education and being prepared for life post-graduation, it's important to invest in those communities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No PTA raises “thousands per student.” The schools in Ward 3 are not in demand because of the well-funded PTAs. The PTAs’ contributions are nice but incremental.

What makes Ward 3 schools desirable is more the educational level of the parents than their monetary resources.

DCPS can’t really fix the schools alone — it’s really up to DC government. Intensive social and economic supports for stuggling families are what would matter most.

This.

Schools outside Ward 3 are getting much higher funding per student, even including those PTA funds.

And let's not discuss capital spending.

The schools outside Ward 3's per pupil allocations look larger because they receive money that is earmarked for at-risk and ELL students. They amount they get depends on how many students meeting those designations are enrolled. More high needs students = more budget. That money cannot be used for general purposes. This isn't just a DCPS approach but is the way federal education dollars are allocated too.

If more at-risk andor ELL students were to enroll in Ward 3 schools, the Ward 3 per pupil allocation would increase as well.

This is most clear at Wilson, whose per pupil allocation has decreased as their population has become more wealthy.

The per-pupil funding differs even aside from low-income and ELL funding.

Yup.

It is amazing we still hear bs like what OP is trying to promote, when reality is exactly the opposite.

[Anonymous]

OP what is the source of your rumors? I don't think you've got the story quite right.

[Anonymous]

I don't think banning PTO fundraising solves anything. It will just hurt the "richer" schools. Instead, the poorer performing schools need additional investments **tailored to their populations**, not seen only in reference to what Ward 1 schools have. They may need more or different services -- for example, more 1:1 tutoring, and less "stem" enrichment nonsense.

Also, hobbling PTOs drastically undermines the cause of integrating schools. The only way to get high SES parents to try out their low-score neighborhood schools is to allow parents to be involved, which includes fundraising.