Posts tagged Dcps Budget
-
DCPS online budget survey seems to be magnifying one person’s voice
DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson has said that this year she wants to involve the public more in the budget process. But a DCPS online survey platform confusingly highlights one person’s views, even though officials say they’ve gotten 200 responses. In past years, school system officials have waited until the spring to announce the details of the following school… Keep reading…
-
Morning bell: Middle schools in the spotlight
One DCPS middle school dies: Shaw MS entered a downward spiral after the murder of its principal in 2010 and was closed at the end of the last school year. (WAMU) And the birth of another is delayed: In the wake of controversy over the quality of DCPS’s middle school offerings, officials announced that the opening of Brookland MS will be delayed one year, until the fall of 2015. Keep reading…
-
Morning bell: DC CAS scores are questioned, but SAT is up
Test scoring method creates controversy: The Post revealed that DC’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education quietly chose a scoring method for last year’s standardized tests that resulted in a higher overall proficiency rate. Councilmember David Catania claims OSSE’s decision amounts to “cheating.” But OSSE defends its scoring choice… Keep reading…
-
Catania’s reforms, part 1: School funding and autonomy
Four days ago, Councilmember David Catania announced 7 proposals to restructure DC Public Schools’ operations. I’ll look at each of his proposals in turn, starting in this article with a proposal to change how much money each school receives, and who controls it. Presently, DCPS gives funds to each school based on the size of its student body. With a few exceptions,… Keep reading…
-
Ward 6 parents ask for answers on school funding
Schools in Ward 6 have seen tremendous growth in recent years, but some schools are losing funding next year. Many parents came to Mayor Gray’s Ward 6 Budget Town Hall last week up in arms about these changes. Enrollment is up, test scores are improving, and wait lists are long for several neighborhood elementary schools. There is growing support for the middle schools,… Keep reading…
-
Morning bell: Against cuts
Keep the arts; Adios at Stuart-Hobson?; Boundary plan delayed; Activists sue to stop closures; “Principal of the year” leaving; Atlanta teachers indicted for cheating; NJ preschool shows long-term benefits; All teachers are good?; CT raising graduation requirements. Keep reading…
-
A school that wasn’t small before may now be small
The DCPS budget allocations for next year contained a major surprise for some communities: allocations to schools for art, music, foreign language, and library as well as office and support staff funding changed. Schools that had qualified last year are suddenly under the threshold for full-time staffing, which increased from 300 to 400 students. Maury Elementary, for example,… Keep reading…
-
What we already know about next year’s DCPS budget
While most District agencies are eagerly awaiting the mayor’s budget to be released on March 28th, leaders at DC Public Schools have already received their initial budget allocations for the next school year. As in years past, principals and Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) were given only about a week to digest the changes in the FY 2014 Budget Development Guide and… Keep reading…
-
School librarian funding slips away in new budget
After parent outcry about librarians in schools last year, a DCPS task force recommended keeping existing full-time librarians and working toward having one in every school in 3 years. Unfortunately, the 2014 budget allocations do not put DCPS on track to meet this commitment. Last year, DCPS moved librarians out of the category of “required staff” and into “flexible… Keep reading…