Petition to Restore Wilson High School Funding

[jsteele]

While Wilson High School's enrollment continues to increase, Mayor Bowser and the DCPS leadership have proposed cutting Wilson's budget by more than $300,000. This is roughly $1,000 per student. Wilson's principal has been very clear that these cuts will result in cuts in staff and programming. It is unconscionable that the Bowser administration would risk undermining the most successful comprehensive high school in DC. Please sign this petition which is calling for half of the funding to be restored. I support full funding, but half is better than what is being proposed:

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-wilson-high-school.html

[jsteele]

Bumping this to add more information. After the proposed cuts, Wilson will receive $8,307 per student. In contrast, Eastern will receive $10,654 per student and Coolidge nearly twice the amount of Wilson with $16,209 per student. I don't begrudge the other schools the money, but this sort of discrepancy raises questions of simple fairness. Increasing Wilson's budget by $500 per student will still leave it far behind the other schools. I'd love to see equal education opportunities among DCPS high schools and extra funding to lower-performing schools is one method of attempting to achieve that. But, equality shouldn't come by decreasing the opportunities at one school. Please support sufficient funding for Wilson.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for raising this, Jeff.

I don't understand this language in the petition:

"DCPS receives $11,580 in foundation funding -- before additional funding for at risk, special education and English language learners -- for each student at Wilson but proposed to pass only approximately $6,000 in such foundation funding per student to Wilson."

Can you explain? Is DCPS diverting foundation funding from Wilson, in other words "stealing" the difference between $11,580 and the $8,307 you point out?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Thanks for raising this, Jeff.

I don't understand this language in the petition:

"DCPS receives $11,580 in foundation funding -- before additional funding for at risk, special education and English language learners -- for each student at Wilson but proposed to pass only approximately $6,000 in such foundation funding per student to Wilson."

Can you explain? Is DCPS diverting foundation funding from Wilson, in other words "stealing" the difference between $11,580 and the $8,307 you point out?

That is my understanding but I was not part of drafting the petition so I don't know for sure. I'll try to get a clarification.

[Anonymous]

I had already received early this morning from a friend.

Agree, the content is correct , but the language could have been simpler.

Anyways, signed immediately.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:
Thanks for raising this, Jeff.

I don't understand this language in the petition:

"DCPS receives $11,580 in foundation funding -- before additional funding for at risk, special education and English language learners -- for each student at Wilson but proposed to pass only approximately $6,000 in such foundation funding per student to Wilson."

Can you explain? Is DCPS diverting foundation funding from Wilson, in other words "stealing" the difference between $11,580 and the $8,307 you point out?

Here is the explanation that I was provided:

The way DCPS budgeting works is complex. They get dollars from the city based on kids and their characteristics under the Uniform Per Pupil Funding Formula ("UPSFF"). They then distribute the dollars to schools based on a staffing model. The UPSFF gives DCPS and all Local Education Agencies ("LEAs") $11,580 per high school student as foundation funding. They get additional dollars for SPED, ELL, At Risk and Title students. The $11,580 for high school students is higher than for Middle School and Elementary School students, though pre-k with small class sizes is likely as high. The concept is one must provide more kinds of things to high school students at that stage of their education. The staffing model though tends to flip the priorities so the comprehensive high schools tend to get the least. So, yes, in a sense Wilson (and other comprehensive high schools) are subsidizing other schools in the DCPS system. That said, NOBODY in the Wilson community would want to see any other school's budget reduced and it would not take a ton to make Wilson whole. The city needs to find a way to keep all schools whole and make Wilson whole.

See here for an explanation of the UPSFF from last year:

http://dme.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dme/publication/attachments/Frequently%20Asked%20Questions%20Proposed%20FY15%20UPSFF%20with%20appendices.pdf

[Anonymous]

Signed and delivered.

[Anonymous]

I am no lawyer but, on top of signing that petition, isn't this a potential case of misappropriation of funds? DCPS is getting funding for Wilson (and other HS), and then diverting a substantial portion of those funds for other purposes.

[Anonymous]

If Wilson's funding is decreased, how will the school be able to support the crew, field hockey, and lacrosse teams? Will a decrease in funding mean that Wilson won't be able to support the 39 after school clubs, it currently has? WTF!!! Someone should do something about this travesty.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:If Wilson's funding is decreased, how will the school be able to support the crew, field hockey, and lacrosse teams? Will a decrease in funding mean that Wilson won't be able to support the 39 after school clubs, it currently has? WTF!!! Someone should do something about this travesty.

Right, try to portray the school as elitist. I hope that your school never needs support from the broader community. It's not the clubs that will be cut so much as teachers and other staff. Classes will be larger and there will be fewer choices. I understand and appreciate to improve the offerings of others schools so that they are equal to Wilson's. I don't appreciate decreasing Wilson's to be like the other schools. And, yes, I would support crew, field hockey, and lacrosse at all the DCPS high schools.

[Anonymous]

I would love it if the mindset that Wilson always gets what it wants, and the other schools sometimes do, would change.

Whether Wilson needs to lose out now, I don't know. But people have turned out to rely on the first thought, and it's part of what drives people to schools in Tenleytown. W(ilson) people always get what they want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would love it if the mindset that Wilson always gets what it wants, and the other schools sometimes do, would change.

Whether Wilson needs to lose out now, I don't know. But people have turned out to rely on the first thought, and it's part of what drives people to schools in Tenleytown. W(ilson) people always get what they want.

Why don't you read the first post in this thread?

"Wilson will receive $8,307 per student. In contrast, Eastern will receive $10,654 per student and Coolidge nearly twice the amount of Wilson with $16,209 per student."

Let's make it easier. Funding per student:
- At Wilson: $8,307
- At Eastern: $10,654
- At Coolidge: $16,209

If someone "always gets what they want," it is certainly not Wilson. Wake up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love it if the mindset that Wilson always gets what it wants, and the other schools sometimes do, would change.

Whether Wilson needs to lose out now, I don't know. But people have turned out to rely on the first thought, and it's part of what drives people to schools in Tenleytown. W(ilson) people always get what they want.

Why don't you read the first post in this thread?

"Wilson will receive $8,307 per student. In contrast, Eastern will receive $10,654 per student and Coolidge nearly twice the amount of Wilson with $16,209 per student."

Let's make it easier. Funding per student:
- At Wilson: $8,307
- At Eastern: $10,654
- At Coolidge: $16,209

If someone "always gets what they want," it is certainly not Wilson. Wake up.

Serving SN and at risk is more expensive than serving those without. Apples to oranges comparison. Numbers in a vacuum don't mean a thing.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would love it if the mindset that Wilson always gets what it wants, and the other schools sometimes do, would change.

Whether Wilson needs to lose out now, I don't know. But people have turned out to rely on the first thought, and it's part of what drives people to schools in Tenleytown. W(ilson) people always get what they want.

Why don't you read the first post in this thread?

"Wilson will receive $8,307 per student. In contrast, Eastern will receive $10,654 per student and Coolidge nearly twice the amount of Wilson with $16,209 per student."

Let's make it easier. Funding per student:
- At Wilson: $8,307
- At Eastern: $10,654
- At Coolidge: $16,209

If someone "always gets what they want," it is certainly not Wilson. Wake up.

And, just to be clear, nobody in the Wilson community -- at least of which I am aware -- wants to take anything away from the schools that receiving higher levels of funding. The petition is not even asking for a full restoration of the cuts, but only half. Even if the budget were held steady, Wilson's per pupil allocation would decrease because enrollment is going up. The school is willing to take a cut, just not as drastic as the Mayor proposed.

[Anonymous]

Coolidge and Eastern do not have economies of scale. Know that, right?