Duke Ellington
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Anonymous
The operational structure is technically no different than any other arts school in the country and all it means that the board determines how the city's money gets spent internally because the city does not fund arts. Whatever is raised pays teacher salaries. That's it. No operational structure of the school hired contractors of had anything to do with overages.It is a DCPS building, solely, and Ellington is a tenant. |
Anonymous
No other DCPS school which has received hundreds of millions from the city has the singular lack of accountability that DE has. |
Anonymous
Because it is a school run by a foundation in partnership with DCPS. It is different by design. And DCPS could always choose to end the relationship if it chose to. DCPS owns the building and has sway over many aspects of the school's operation. DCPS pays for maintenance and upkeep of the building. Students must meet DCPS and OSSE graduation standards. Students have to take PARCC in 10th grade. Administrators are hired by DCPS. Core subject teachers are DCPS employees; arts block teachers are not. |
Anonymous
This is interesting. How exactly could DCPS liberate that building it paid for and over which it has zero oversight while a corrupt foundation has been engaged in, hmmm, very creative business? |
Anonymous
Every few years (I think 5 but may be more) DCPS and Ellington renew/renegotiate the MOU governing their relationship. It appears it was last renewed in ~2018. https://dcps.dc.gov/publication/df-sole-source-duke-ellington-school-arts-project-desap |
Anonymous
Does DCPS or the mayor's office have the right to designate any Ellington board members? It would be great if this has recently changed but historically DC had zero representation on the board, despite paying about 90 percent of the school's operating costs and 100% of the capital costs. Shocking, really. |
Anonymous
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Here are the current Board members.
http://www.ellingtonschool.org/about/board-of-directors/ Given that the Board is a DCPS contractor, it doesn’t make sense that they would be able to appoint a Board member. |
Anonymous
You have no idea what you’re talking about. It is insane that DC has no say on the Ellington board when if funds basically the whole thing. Taxpiers don’t pay for a “contractor’s” entire budget and 300 percent cost overruns. And if Ellington were a contractor, when was the last time that the relationship was reviewed and put out to bid? |
Anonymous
See the link at 16:21 above. The Ellington Foundation IS a contractor. That is the relationship. DCPS pays for the 'regular school day', the Ellington Fund pays for all the costs associated with the daily 3-hour arts blocks from donations. In 2017, the contract was put out as a sole source -- that's on Kaya Henderson and Jenny Niles. DGS was in charge of the construction, and DCPS OWNS THE BUILDING. Which also included renovation of the swing space that Hyde is now in, which will be used for several swing spaces. |
Anonymous
Does Ellington Foundation employ the faculty and manage the school or program and pay for the arts block of classes? By the way, DCPS pays for newly 90 percent of DE’s operating costs, which suggests that the foundation is “paying” for considerably less than three hours of arts education per day. Ellington unfortunately is a textbook case of fraud, waste, mismanagement, incompetence and lack of accountability. |
Anonymous
Peggy Cooper Cafritz, Ellongton’s longtime booster, must have had compromising photos of DC politicians and/or threatened to cut their nuts off if she didn’t get what she wanted. And she was perfectly capable of carrying out that threat. But she’s dead and gone now. |
Anonymous
Ellington pays the art teachers, materials, costumes, equipment etc. DCPS pays the rest. The students do a full school day + arts (so a significantly longer day). But the DCPS part is going to have the same cost as a similarly-sized high school in DC. Why don’t you take your allegations of mismanagement to the Kennedy Center, which is part of the Foundation leadership. Or any of the corporate board members? |
Anonymous
Why don’t they just fire the head of Ellington, alongcwith the registrar and the financial manager? That would at least hold some people accountable for the scandals and mess. |
Anonymous
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The registrar was let go last year.
The principal is new. Not sure what financial person you are referring to. |
Anonymous
Finally. So there's hope now. |