Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entire point of the article is that city governments are not providing adequate infrastructure and services. That, of course, is true and is why NWDC parents started raising large sums of money to compensate in the first place. My oldest started DCPS in the early 2000s. It was nothing like it is now. Parents banded together out of sheer necessity.

Today, despite significantly improved functionality, the DC government still chronically underfunds schools. I would be more than happy if my taxes were raised and allocated reduce class size and provide better specials and wraparound services for those students in need.

There you go. Remember who the enemy is. It's inept government and administration who fail to provide for basics across the board.

I am the PP you are referencing and my quibble with your response would be that I'm not charging ineptitude, I am charging chronic underfunding. There is a difference.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harshburger!

Even in cities where the rich and poor continue to live under the same local government, economic segregation saps political support for common, egalitarian infrastructure. Rich New Yorkers donate generously to beautify Central Park while resisting the taxation necessary to maintain parks in neighborhoods they never visit. In Washington, D.C., parents in wealthier neighborhoods contribute lavishly to parent-teacher organizations that provide extra money to public schools in their neighborhoods, but they do not vote for a similar level of funding for all city schools. Two schools in northwest Washington each raised more than half a million dollars in 2017, while several schools in southeast Washington don’t even have parent-teacher organizations. Last year, for the third time since 1970, the residents of Gwinnett County, Ga., which sits on the edge of Atlanta, refused to fund an expansion of the regional transit system into their suburban county.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/11/opinion/coronavirus-us-cities-inequality.html

We've paid our taxes. It's up to the government to figure out how to spend it, equitably (however you define it) or otherwise. If you don't like it, vote them out. Stop shaming people for not voting for an extra special assessment. It's just a way for politicians to divide and conquer.

I'll stop thinking that these inequitable PTA budgets are shameful if you promise not to object if the D.C. Council proposes raising your taxes to add $500,000 in funds to every elementary school in the city besides Janney and Mann. That way, everybody wins!

PP, you're dreaming. The 500K allocations to overwhelmingly low SES schools would mostly be blown by admins on BS pet projects. In high
capacity DCPS programs uber educated and parents with serious organization savvy steer the money to useful things, and provide much needed oversight.
Period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The entire point of the article is that city governments are not providing adequate infrastructure and services. That, of course, is true and is why NWDC parents started raising large sums of money to compensate in the first place. My oldest started DCPS in the early 2000s. It was nothing like it is now. Parents banded together out of sheer necessity.

Today, despite significantly improved functionality, the DC government still chronically underfunds schools. I would be more than happy if my taxes were raised and allocated reduce class size and provide better specials and wraparound services for those students in need.

There you go. Remember who the enemy is. It's inept government and administration who fail to provide for basics across the board.

Anonymous wrote:I would absolutely vote for more funding for schools (white woman whose kid goes to high performing school). However, money clearly isn't the problem because DC spends an incredible amoutn per student. The problems are more entrenched. But I would 100% be for more money. Also, I can tell you that a stupid amount of money our school raises goes to useless things like tablets for kids and large screen TVs which I believe to be harmful for elementary students' learning. Rich people silly like that.

Anonymous wrote:What's so wrong with parents contributing to a PTA for their kid's school? I disagree with the premise that this is a bad thing, or that it sows discord within the city. Asian cultures value education and prioritize it with their resources. Why should parents of any culture be criticized for this? Another example of NYT's liberal apologist guilt.

Anonymous wrote:The entire point of the article is that city governments are not providing adequate infrastructure and services. That, of course, is true and is why NWDC parents started raising large sums of money to compensate in the first place. My oldest started DCPS in the early 2000s. It was nothing like it is now. Parents banded together out of sheer necessity.

Today, despite significantly improved functionality, the DC government still chronically underfunds schools. I would be more than happy if my taxes were raised and allocated reduce class size and provide better specials and wraparound services for those students in need.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All these people complaining about overcrowded WOTP schools--will you support redistricting to shrink the zones for overcrowded schools and shift kids to schools with extra capacity?

And once your kids are shifted, will you give the same amount of time and money to your new IB school as you currently give?

Are you maintaining OOB rights while simultaneously shrinking zones?

Anonymous wrote:All these people complaining about overcrowded WOTP schools--will you support redistricting to shrink the zones for overcrowded schools and shift kids to schools with extra capacity?

And once your kids are shifted, will you give the same amount of time and money to your new IB school as you currently give?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This does not take into account that schools EOTP have free PK3, more funding per child, free meals, and many other resources that are not given to WOTP schools. And no one is complaining about that.

The reality is that WOTP schools are overcrowded and the parents have to make up the difference between what DCPS provides and what is needed.

I'll give you some examples of what our PTA funds are used for in our WOTP school: field trip costs because DCPS charges us for the bus, smartboard repairs because they break and we need them repaired, classroom supplies for teachers so they don't have to spend their own money, etc.

As parents, we are expected to bring a huge box of supplies for the school at the beginning of the year because IT IS NOT COVERED BY THE DCPS BUDGET. Clorox wipes, paper towels, tissues, dry erase markers, pencils, crayons, paper, and so on.

We still have the same DCPS curriculum as everyone else. We have overcrowded classrooms. Not sure what folks are up in arms about.

Because there are more poor children EOTP with working parents who need free breakfast. Would you let little Isolde or Tristram eat a FARMS breakfast? One suspects not.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Because there are more poor children EOTP with working parents who need free breakfast. Would you let little Isolde or Tristram eat a FARMS breakfast? One suspects not.

Little Isolde will only eat imported cheeses and Tristam objects to any flour that hasn't been hand milled, so no. But we have arranged visits to FARMS schools so they can gaze upon the cafeteria selections and develop a social conscious. We want them to follow your example and cultivate an appropriate level of righteous indignation without needing to empathize or understand each side.