Reply to Wilson funding petition v. At Risk funding petition

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Reply to "Wilson funding petition v. At Risk funding petition"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=jsteele][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So the letter states that several fixes will be implemented to  help reduce the immediate enrollment pressure and then goes on to discuss those fixes (saying no to siblings of currently enrolled OOB students; kicking out OOB kids with more then 10 unexcused absences, kicking out students 19 and older, etc).

But I'm confused. Does the submitted budget for SY 15-16, which is based upon projected enrollment of 1878 assume these "fixes" have had had their intended effect (so otherwise enrollment would be even higher...1900+)? Or is the 1878 projection assuming no fixes and by then implementing the fixes Wilson actually ends up with enrollment lower than 1878?

Why doesn't the letter address this? The answer to this question would help provide some much needed insight.

If DCPS is actually hoping Wilson will end up with a lower enrollment (1800 or lower) because of their "fixes" would Wilson have it's budget cut even more drastically? What if the kids that leave Wilson are at-risk (I'm going to guess that most kids with 10+ unexcused absences or who are 19+ years old are likely at-risk)? Will Wilson have to give up some of it's at-risk funding to follow those kids who are forced out of Wilson? There is not nearly enough transparency here. And offering the excuse that they want to continue their increased investment in middle schools and ECs because it only started last year is way to flimsy of an explanation. [/quote]

You raise some fair questions in your final paragraph, however, it's clear to me that Wilson will be a lot better off with these fixes implemented, even if it means a little less money. It seems that finally DCPS/school admin are taking seriously the reality that Wilson is a neighborhood school with boundaries, not a citywide free for all. This can only be a good thing from the perspective of IB families.

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Looking beyond our own parochial interests (which I share at this point), if kids 19 and over or with more than 10 unexcused absences are sticking it out at Wilson, there is something about the school that is keeping them there. I would guess that their most likely alternative is dropping out. If so, kids who already probably face significant challenges are going to fall further behind. That can't be good for any of us in the long run. One would hope that DCPS would see these kids as more than unwanted baggage. 
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I am PP, and fair enough, I came across as a bit harsh. But with such high IB demand, there have to be some consequences for students who, by their behavior, do not seem to value very much their OOB spots. Maybe 10 unexcused is low, maybe 15 is more appropriate, but OOB attendance is not an unalienable right. I guess I do support a "love it or leave it" approach to OOB. And no we don't want a city full of high school drop outs, but each of these kids has an IB to attend, plus charters like Next Step PCS in Columbia Heights that specializes in adults finishing high school, and would be a better choice than Wilson for many of the 19+ students. It's just one example of a GED program that could suit these students.

http://www.nextsteppcs.org
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