Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:28     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DCPS is stuck with its buildings for the long term and has to plan for long term needs and deal with long term maintenance and compliance in 100+ year old buildings. It was a huge struggle for our school just to get the bathrooms made non-awful. GDS takes forever to fix anything. Being part of a larger system has really significant down sides.

Have you been inside Yu Ying, or the new Latin Cooper building? They're as nice as any, certainly way nicer than our Ward 5 Title I.

And of course, why invest in charter buildings when everyone, including the PCSB, is saying the sector is going to contract?


Yes, those buildings are nice--and cost the schools specifcally money to build.

Have you been the Lafayette Elementary? Dorothy Heights? Both absolutely stunning.

Seen the giant project that Whittier is getting for their temporary campus during their remodel? Millions and millions of dollars so those kids don't have to ride a bus to a flex space.

DCPS schools are getting tons spent on their remodels.


Just looking at it from the sidewalk, it seems a little nuts this is the plan.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:28     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Very weirdly framed petition. Charter schools should get the same amount, which relies on Early Stage funding even though you don’t do that? Glad you don’t feel as strongly about that, but given that it’s required to get to the equal funding… suggests you don’t actually feel strongly about equal funding, no?
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:21     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DCPS is stuck with its buildings for the long term and has to plan for long term needs and deal with long term maintenance and compliance in 100+ year old buildings. It was a huge struggle for our school just to get the bathrooms made non-awful. GDS takes forever to fix anything. Being part of a larger system has really significant down sides.

Have you been inside Yu Ying, or the new Latin Cooper building? They're as nice as any, certainly way nicer than our Ward 5 Title I.

And of course, why invest in charter buildings when everyone, including the PCSB, is saying the sector is going to contract?


Yes, those buildings are nice--and cost the schools specifcally money to build.

Have you been the Lafayette Elementary? Dorothy Heights? Both absolutely stunning.

Seen the giant project that Whittier is getting for their temporary campus during their remodel? Millions and millions of dollars so those kids don't have to ride a bus to a flex space.

DCPS schools are getting tons spent on their remodels.



To add to your list: Burroughs and Bunker Hill too. Swing space is great. Remodel for Burroughs looks amazing.

And Brookland Middle might not be a great school, but it’s got a lovely building.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:18     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:DCPS is stuck with its buildings for the long term and has to plan for long term needs and deal with long term maintenance and compliance in 100+ year old buildings. It was a huge struggle for our school just to get the bathrooms made non-awful. GDS takes forever to fix anything. Being part of a larger system has really significant down sides.

Have you been inside Yu Ying, or the new Latin Cooper building? They're as nice as any, certainly way nicer than our Ward 5 Title I.

And of course, why invest in charter buildings when everyone, including the PCSB, is saying the sector is going to contract?


Yes, those buildings are nice--and cost the schools specifcally money to build.

Have you been the Lafayette Elementary? Dorothy Heights? Both absolutely stunning.

Seen the giant project that Whittier is getting for their temporary campus during their remodel? Millions and millions of dollars so those kids don't have to ride a bus to a flex space.

DCPS schools are getting tons spent on their remodels.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:15     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mundo's argument is that it... Serves kids from Ward 4 and Ward 5? And that's supposed to get them more sympathy? Mundo as a LEA serves 193 at-risk kids.16% of their kids are at-risk. DCPS is 43% at-risk. So excuse me if I don't care.


My charter has 70% at-risk kids. Care about them?


I totally do care. I just think "We serve Ward 4 and 5 kids" is not much of an argument. And serving at-risk kids does mean getting money already.



I believe this "serve Ward 4 and 5" is directed to put pressure on two specific Mayoral candidates...
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:12     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mundo's argument is that it... Serves kids from Ward 4 and Ward 5? And that's supposed to get them more sympathy? Mundo as a LEA serves 193 at-risk kids.16% of their kids are at-risk. DCPS is 43% at-risk. So excuse me if I don't care.


My charter has 70% at-risk kids. Care about them?


Is the charter's performance measurably better than nearby DCPS schools serving similar populations?
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:10     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mundo's argument is that it... Serves kids from Ward 4 and Ward 5? And that's supposed to get them more sympathy? Mundo as a LEA serves 193 at-risk kids.16% of their kids are at-risk. DCPS is 43% at-risk. So excuse me if I don't care.


My charter has 70% at-risk kids. Care about them?


I totally do care. I just think "We serve Ward 4 and 5 kids" is not much of an argument. And serving at-risk kids does mean getting money already.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:08     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How much value are charters getting from below-market leases from the city? That would be interesting to know. I don't know the answer.


I'm in a school with a market lease from the city that cost millions to make habitable for students. So now we have the lease payment and the debt. I'm guessing you've seen the city's abandoned properties or the schools that haven't been in use for a while? The real market for them is tearing them down and creating condos or something else -- which the city has done. As schools, they are useful but require significant investment.


I have seen that list. But the real question is how many charters have leases that are below market even if use were limited to schools. Like if a building came up now and charters were allowed to bid on what rent they would pay, what would the outcome be? Because I suspect there are a lot of old leases that were closer to market at the time but have fallen below it.

Now that we don't need to many charter schools, conversion to housing is a great idea.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:08     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, you forgot that DCUM is anti-charter. Of course, that changes once their kids need a middle school.


Seriously. The nest of digital vipers that live here are quite something... and here I thought I was just posting something that the community might want to know about.


Thanks, I do appreciate knowing that parents at Mundo Verde are going forward with such stupid arguments!


Thanks to charter schools such as Mundo, people don’t leave Ward 4 and 5 after ECE, since DCPS doesn’t meet these families’ needs.


Okay, but the arguments in the talking points document are still stupid.

So glad Mundo is remedying its poor performance and no longer has parents picketing in the streets out front!


Did Mundo hurt you?


Not me personally, but I am a parent in the Truxton Circle area so I know a lot of people who believed in the potential of Mundo and came away very disappointed, and left before 5th.

But mainly just wanted to call out the stupidity of the TPs!


You are the Langley booster that needs to put down Mundo every change you get to feel better. Perhaps Langley’s new principal will help with the abysmal scores.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:06     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:Mundo's argument is that it... Serves kids from Ward 4 and Ward 5? And that's supposed to get them more sympathy? Mundo as a LEA serves 193 at-risk kids.16% of their kids are at-risk. DCPS is 43% at-risk. So excuse me if I don't care.


My charter has 70% at-risk kids. Care about them?
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:04     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:How much value are charters getting from below-market leases from the city? That would be interesting to know. I don't know the answer.


I'm in a school with a market lease from the city that cost millions to make habitable for students. So now we have the lease payment and the debt. I'm guessing you've seen the city's abandoned properties or the schools that haven't been in use for a while? The real market for them is tearing them down and creating condos or something else -- which the city has done. As schools, they are useful but require significant investment.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 12:01     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
How much value are charters getting from below-market leases from the city? That would be interesting to know. I don't know the answer.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 11:59     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
The truth is that charter schools keep a lot of parents in this city. Without them, we return to the DC of the 80s and 90s with people working in the city, but paying taxes in Virginia. That won’t ultimately help DCPS.

I’d love to see a strong DCPS. It’s headed that way. But this budget is shortsighted.
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 11:56     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, you forgot that DCUM is anti-charter. Of course, that changes once their kids need a middle school.


Seriously. The nest of digital vipers that live here are quite something... and here I thought I was just posting something that the community might want to know about.


Thanks, I do appreciate knowing that parents at Mundo Verde are going forward with such stupid arguments!


Thanks to charter schools such as Mundo, people don’t leave Ward 4 and 5 after ECE, since DCPS doesn’t meet these families’ needs.


Okay, but the arguments in the talking points document are still stupid.

So glad Mundo is remedying its poor performance and no longer has parents picketing in the streets out front!


Did Mundo hurt you?


Not me personally, but I am a parent in the Truxton Circle area so I know a lot of people who believed in the potential of Mundo and came away very disappointed, and left before 5th.

But mainly just wanted to call out the stupidity of the TPs!
Anonymous
Post 04/29/2026 11:50     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP, you forgot that DCUM is anti-charter. Of course, that changes once their kids need a middle school.


Seriously. The nest of digital vipers that live here are quite something... and here I thought I was just posting something that the community might want to know about.


Thanks, I do appreciate knowing that parents at Mundo Verde are going forward with such stupid arguments!


Thanks to charter schools such as Mundo, people don’t leave Ward 4 and 5 after ECE, since DCPS doesn’t meet these families’ needs.


Okay, but the arguments in the talking points document are still stupid.

So glad Mundo is remedying its poor performance and no longer has parents picketing in the streets out front!


Did Mundo hurt you?