CHPSPO Meeting Notes – December 15, 2015

CHPSPO Meeting Notes

Brent Elementary

December 15, 2015

 

1) 3-8^th grade PARCC results presentation by Bonnie O’Keefe OSSE

• Reviewed PARCC Results and handed out one-page guides to the new assessment –> PARCC one pager.
• New student reports have been designed for DC – mockups and a parent guide are available on the OSSE website in 6 different languages. Schools will get the individual student test results this week. Each school has the option for when and how to distribute those scores to parents. Parents will receive a copy of the parent guide with their child’s report card.
• PARCC v DC CAS comparison: DC CAS had composition and reading test, PARCC has only one English Language Arts (ELA) test. General level of rigor is much higher on the PARCC assessment.
• Because this is the first year of PARCC, there were no new identifications to put schools into focus or priority status (i.e. not meeting their goals). However, if schools already in focus or priority status made progress on certain criteria on the 2015 test, they can be removed from that status.
• The new Every Student Succeed Act (ESSA) – the rewrite of the No Child Left Behind Law and the law that will supersede current state waivers – will change state accountability systems. There is more flexibility for states, but some of the rules have changed to in what is required for states in their accountability systems. For example, how OSSE will use test scores will change. But the use of PARCC as the test and the use of the new report cards will not change. Under the new law, OSSE will have 18 months to finalize a new plan with the U.S. Department of Education.
• Joe Weedon: The State Board of Education will have to approve the OSSE plan and there will be public hearings on what the new accountability plan throughout the Spring and Summer of 2016. The Board is particularly interested in equitable access issues and competency based education.
• PARCC defines college and career readiness as the 70% likelihood a student would earn credit in an entry level college course (scoring a level 4 or 5 in PARCC).

2) DCPS Budget 101 Presentation (Laura Marks and Anne Phelps from Councilman Allen’s office and Joe Weedon from SBOE)

• Overview of Budget Process
  • Capital budget and operating budget are the two big pots of funding. You can’t transfer money between them. School modernizations are in the capital budget. Everything in the school walls comes from the operating budget.
  • Budget is about $12 billion per year for the city (federal, private and local funding). Of that, $7 billion is from local funds that can be moved around. 27% of those funds are dedicated for education – the highest percentage of the local budget.
• Current 2016 DCPS Budget (compared to 2015)
  • No increase in uniform per-pupil funding formula.
  • Capital budget reduced by $330 million over 5 years out of the education sector; Ward 6 school modernizations cut $125 million (though they agree to the current year plus 5 years out when they do capital budgets, they can reassess and change them each year). Overall, the DC 6-year capital plan is $1.3 billion.
  • “At-Risk” Funds are being distributed on need. The original intent is for those funds to follow the at-risk students, but that hasn’t happened in past. This budget makes the effort to get the funds into the schools that qualify. Councilman Allen and others are now interested in knowing whether the funds are being used to supplement not supplant funds in individual schools. Council will continue to look into that through oversight.
  • Extended Day funding is increased, aftercare funding reduced. Councilman Allen is interested in learning more about the effects extended day has on aftercare offerings and how effectively the extended day funding is being used at schools.
• FY2017 Budget Process has Kicked Off
  • November – normally the Chancellor outlines her priorities, but this year we are still waiting to hear what DCPS will identify as their big funding priorities
  • Now: Parent and community survey online – place to weigh in on budget priorities (November-December) engagedcps.org
  • November: DCPS held citywide LSAT planning and training meetings (three done)
  • Now: Chancellor team in process of identifying school enrollment targets and a modernization plan
  • Feb-March: School, LSAT and DCPS work to finalize school budgets
  • In the first 2 weeks of March, DCPS has to wrap up the back and forth with the schools to submit to Mayor’s budget team
  • Date to submit Mayor’s proposed budget to Council is March 24^th.

• Council Role
  • Once the Mayor submits the budget to Council, Council has 56 days (by law in the Home Rule Act) to hold hearings, develop priorities, develop a committee chairman’s budget, then the full committee amend and vote on the committee budget
  • Performance oversight hearings: February 4 – March 11, 2016
  • Budget oversight hearings: April 6-28, 2016
  • May 4 and 5 committee budgets go to the committee of a whole to reconcile all the budgets
  • May 17^th there is a reconciliation vote – vote on the entire budget package
  • In the Operating Budget, Council cannot amend the DCPS operating budget easily or at all because even if they have a directive put in to change the operating budget, the Chancellor can reprogram that money. DCPS is a unique circumstance. For example, in the library budget, Council can direct more of the funds. But Council can move around priorities in the Capital budget.

What can parents do:

• Advocates: Now is the time to focus on advocating at the school level for the right operating budget for the school – with the Principal, LSAT, and parents – to work with DCPS to achieve priorities. For issues across schools, need to advocate with the Mayor and Chancellor on city-wide programmatic funds.
• Advocates: On Capital side of the budget there is less ability to manipulate the budget than before, but still some ability. But there needs to be coordinated prioritization particularly in Ward 6.
• Now is the time to start pushing priorities.
• Two big asks could be: more money in school modernization/capital budget overall, and increases in the per pupil funding formula.
• DCPS does not fund schools on a per student basis. They fund on a staffing model (see below).

• Operating Budget Issues – Where can we influence DCPS funding?
  • Key is enrollment projections. If 300, 350, 400 there are different staffing models.
  • Still elements of the budget where the principal and LSAT can advocate within the DCPS process.
  • LSAT has a “School Budget Development Guide” put out by DCPS that can be a tool to help. It often lays out elements that DCPS is changing in terms of priorities and what is changing in terms of school and district funding and thresholds. The FY17 version is not yet available of this guide. Parents need to ask principals for this guide. They may need to ask DCPS for it.

What can parents and advocates do?

• Ask your principal: what is the projected enrollment number from DCPS (now is when they are asking for adjustments). By Dec 18^th the enrollment numbers will be final.
• Ask principal/LSAT for the latest “School Budget Development Guide” and read and understand the parameters for how DCPS will build the draft school budgets this year.
• Work with principal and LSAT – now – to align school budget to community priorities. Discuss what trade-offs have to be made and how collectively the community can work on priorities.

3) CHPSPO School Modernization Advocacy

• CHPSPO feels we need more priority on the school modernization budget overall – arguing that overall and Ward 6 need more funding for the capital budget. Funds should be restored and increased overall.
• CHPSPO will start working with the Deputy Mayor and Mayor and make an effort to increase the capital school budget overall and for Ward 6 in particular.

Next CHPSPO Meeting:  January 19, 2016

Upcoming Events  (inclement weather may impact schedules – please confirm open house dates w/ individual schools -see http://www.myschooldc.org/calendar/ )

January 5 – Amidon-Bowen Open House, 9:30-10:30 am

January 7 – Ludlow-Taylor Open House, 9:30-10:30 am

January 8 – Jefferson Academy Open House, 9:30-11:00 am

January 11 – Maury ES Open House, 9:00-10:30 am

January 11 – Brent ES Open House, 9:00-10:30 am

January 11 – Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan EC Open House, 6:00-7:00 pm

January 11 – Maury ES Open House, 6:15-7:45 pm

January 14 – J.O. Wilson ES Open House, 9:30-11:00 am

January 14 – Miner ES Open House, 9:30-10:30 am

January 14 – Eastern HS Open House, 5:30-7:00 pm

January 14 – Jefferson Academy MS Open House, 6:00-7:00 pm

January 14 – School Within a School @ Goding Open House, 6:00-7:30 pm

January 15 – Tyler ES Open House, 6:00-7:00 pm

January 19 – Walker-Jones EC Open House, 9:00-10:30 am

January 19 – Tyler ES Open House, 9:30-10:30 am

January 21 – J.O. Wilson Summer Camp Fair, 6 – 8 pm