Gray Proposes Reallocation of $100MM of DCPS Capital Modernization Funds

[Anonymous]

10:47 All the steps you outline are reasonable, but I can tell you from trying that they are not easy to achieve. There is very little sense of how to get these answers no matter how hard you try or who you talk to. It is painful to hear schools debating why they are worse off than others. Even more painful is hearing complaints from other schools and realizing that your children's school is worse than any of them but no one is paying attention or offering any answers. If you are willing to contact me offline, I would really appreciate it. Email is dcschool1929 at gmail.com

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So excited for Powell and glad I made this my first lottery pick last year!

I feel sorry for people who were already planning on lotterying for Powell, like yourself. They make this announcement just a few days before the lottery closes. Guaranteed you will now have TONS more competition for spots. That sucks for families who did a lot of legwork ahead of time. No dog in this fight...my kids are set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a Garrison parent, but I'm angry on their behalf. If the Mayor is going to redirect funds, he should be clear as to why there are a new set of winners and losers. When he doesn't back his decisions with any objective criteria, it reeks of political favoritism, especially in an election year.

Then be angry on behalf of a lot of schools because Garrison is not alone, nor are they in the worst shape. The worst part of DC's funding shuffle behind the scenes is that it pits parents against parents and neighbors against neighbors and leaves some students literally standing out in the cold snow, missing class time, waiting to buzzed into the building so they can use the bathroom (the 85-year old bathroom that sort of still works and that hasn't already been transformed into the nurse's office). Why are parents and principals forced to lobby and fight and raise a media stink just to get these basic needs addressed?

[Anonymous]

There is never an explanation on what and why DCPS do what they do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So excited for Powell and glad I made this my first lottery pick last year!

I feel sorry for people who were already planning on lotterying for Powell, like yourself. They make this announcement just a few days before the lottery closes. Guaranteed you will now have TONS more competition for spots. That sucks for families who did a lot of legwork ahead of time. No dog in this fight...my kids are set.

We are already in Powell as I indicated last year we did the lottery. However, this announcement will make others decisions harder.

[Anonymous]

Super-macro-picture: DCPS is in this position because of disinvestment after white and black flight from DC.

At the micro-level, you can't rebuild facilities on a strict formula or per-student basis. You can establish priorities, but they are "lumpy" projects in that you need a certain chunk of cash in order to get certain levels of work going.

But there is a dcps capital improvement plan that is in the mayor's budget each year. Parents need to advocate for the mayor to stick to these plans. However reprogramming happens every year due to changes in expected spending.

Reprogramming could be done in open hearings and meetings, but it will not be done in the DC Council as it is done at mayoral discretion, with only DC Council up-down approval, not the normal amendment process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is never an explanation on what and why DCPS do what they do.

+1. They never plan for anything. It's always knee jerk reactions leading the way. No matter who's in charge, there's never any fundamental change in terms of thinking or planning long term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Super-macro-picture: DCPS is in this position because of disinvestment after white and black flight from DC.

At the micro-level, you can't rebuild facilities on a strict formula or per-student basis. You can establish priorities, but they are "lumpy" projects in that you need a certain chunk of cash in order to get certain levels of work going.

But there is a dcps capital improvement plan that is in the mayor's budget each year. Parents need to advocate for the mayor to stick to these plans. However reprogramming happens every year due to changes in expected spending.

Reprogramming could be done in open hearings and meetings, but it will not be done in the DC Council as it is done at mayoral discretion, with only DC Council up-down approval, not the normal amendment process.

A small amount of reprogramming seems to be due to changes in expected costs, or leftover funds being pulled from completed projects. However, the mayor's office also explicitly picked winners and losers.

Maybe he's trying to pick away at Bowser's (Powell) lead at the expense of Wells (Payne) and Evans (Garrison) given the latest polling numbers. Maybe he has a legitimate reason for the movement of funds. Unless his office comes forward with more information, I'm going to assume the worst.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCI lost out because a ruling was made that the grant money it was going to get could not legally be spent on it. That's legal inflexibility, not mayoral impropriety.

That's bullshit. How is funding a public school for DC children NOT legal? Charter or not. Charters are entitled to public funds, they are public schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCI lost out because a ruling was made that the grant money it was going to get could not legally be spent on it. That's legal inflexibility, not mayoral impropriety.

That's bullshit. How is funding a public school for DC children NOT legal? Charter or not. Charters are entitled to public funds, they are public schools.

Yes, the law can be BS and yet somehow remain the law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCI lost out because a ruling was made that the grant money it was going to get could not legally be spent on it. That's legal inflexibility, not mayoral impropriety.

That's bullshit. How is funding a public school for DC children NOT legal? Charter or not. Charters are entitled to public funds, they are public schools.

Yes, the law can be BS and yet somehow remain the law.

No, the interpretation of the law is what's at issue. BS interpretation is BS interpretation.

[Anonymous]

I do think this is political pandering from Gray. I couldn't puzzle it out but the idea of kowtowing to Bowser's potential supporters and screwing Evans and Wells sounds like a possibility. We are six weeks out from the primary. I am sure he's trying to send a message to someone.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCI lost out because a ruling was made that the grant money it was going to get could not legally be spent on it. That's legal inflexibility, not mayoral impropriety.

That's bullshit. How is funding a public school for DC children NOT legal? Charter or not. Charters are entitled to public funds, they are public schools.

Yes, the law can be BS and yet somehow remain the law.

No, the interpretation of the law is what's at issue. BS interpretation is BS interpretation.

There is nothing new about this interpretation is there? As far as I know, every charter school has been responsible for its own capital fund. I don't think any of them have received public money for their buildings.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DCI lost out because a ruling was made that the grant money it was going to get could not legally be spent on it. That's legal inflexibility, not mayoral impropriety.

That's bullshit. How is funding a public school for DC children NOT legal? Charter or not. Charters are entitled to public funds, they are public schools.

Yes, the law can be BS and yet somehow remain the law.

No, the interpretation of the law is what's at issue. BS interpretation is BS interpretation.

There is nothing new about this interpretation is there? As far as I know, every charter school has been responsible for its own capital fund. I don't think any of them have received public money for their buildings.

This is the reasoning, explained from tweets by Grosso's staff:

We have the opinion from OAG/CFO on why the proposed DC International Charter School is not eligible for capital funds from DC gov.
The $6 million grant for DC International would be derived from proceeds of a future Income Tax Secured Bond (ITSB) issue.
Under law, DC may only fund District government capital projects with the proceeds of District ITSBs.
And since charters are technically not part of District gov, the District can't use ITSB bonds on their capital projects.
?@Team_Grosso Feb 19

It's because of the source of the funds, not the use.

[Anonymous]

though you might think that DC could put this into its capital budget and fund the facility to have a charter occupy it. not inconceivable.