Good morning. My name is María Helena Carey and I am a Ward 6, Capitol Hill resident and mother to two students at School Within School at Goding: Patrick, in 5th grade and Brandon in 2nd grade. This is Patrick’s last year at SWS: He is part of the school’s first 5th grade class.

Neither of my children will be an SWS student by the time the Mayor’s proposed plan allows for a school modernization, as construction would begin in 2023 at the earliest.

That’s how it goes when you grow up in a city where kids’ well-being and the need to have an adequate school environment is secondary to the District’s other priorities. Even as public school enrollment is up and the District has a budget surplus, our children are being forced to wait for basic repairs, such as doors that lock properly, sprinklers, or an HVAC system that regulates indoor temperature instead of emphasizing it.

Ever since SWS moved to the former Prospect Learning Center in 2013, we have been given a timeline for repairs that is pushed farther and farther out into the future.

It’s okay, we’ve been told: We are so lucky to have a school building! It’s true: We could still be working out of the portable classrooms annexed to Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan, where our quarters were so cramped that our school came to be known as “School With Sickness.” (And where, as we’ve learned, our school population was also possibly exposed to unsafe lead levels.)

We are so lucky to have a supportive parent population! So what if the rats ate the children’s snacks or if sewage backed up into a drinking fountain in the cafeteria? Maybe these will be hilarious stories to tell someday. Maybe we should tweet about it and see if we can at least shame the city government into some sort of stop-gap action: it seems that desperate acts of levity, like taking a picture of a child standing inside a massive sinkhole is a way to break the torpor of our agencies.

It’s not funny in the long run, however. It’s not funny to have to create a Twitter account for an inanimate object –an elevator that, until it began complaining and getting regularly maintained by DGS, couldn’t quite call itself ADA-compliant. It’s not funny to have the elevator’s running gag be a jeremiad of everything that is wrong with our building. It’s even less funny to know that once the elevator complains enough times, things like air conditioning units magically appear– units that should have been installed at the beginning of last summer’s vacation.

And every year, the to-do list grows longer, as it does for a structure built in 1959.

One of my favorite things about SWS is that, despite our aging building and the uncomfortable situations our children have had to endure, there is a happy can-do attitude in the school and staff that spills over onto our kids. These remarkable teachers and support personnel tackle problems and hassles big and small and teach our children not just their ABCs, but also how to see the best in all situations and believe in the good of people. Our staff gives their all for our kids: it’s about time the government did right by all of us.

Spend our money in the future of DC, and in the present as well.

Fix all our schools.

Support our teachers.

Do right by our communities.

Do what’s right.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.  My name is Max Kieba.  I am a Ward 6 Resident and parent at Maury Elementary.

Need for additional per pupil funding and non-personnel funding support, going directly to schools, with flexibility for the schools on how they’re used.

I was happy to see DCPS committed to driving as much funding as possible to the school level with 83.5% of all funds being sent directly to schools and additional 13.2% for school support (reference DCPS hearing responses, Q5.)   However, we need more in per pupil funding put into the pot in the first place.   The general sense is that 1.5% increase just isn’t cutting it.   We also need additional funds for non-personnel spending (supplies, professional development, etc.)    Using just our school budget as an example but understanding this is an impact district-wide… there were increases in personnel budgets as the cost of a teacher increased due largely to cost of living increases.  However, those costs didn’t actually translate to increased salaries to teachers/staff.  In fact we had to cut certain support positions and continue to have to submit petitions for things like a full time STEM teacher and in the case of this year an additional 3rd grade teacher.  Schools should not have to petition for things like a STEM teacher… every school should have that.  Furthermore, budgets for non-personnel spending were reduced.  In our case we were left with just over $38,000 for everything, which included roughly $9000 for mandatary funding for specials.  What you’re left with isn’t much to run a school or support our teachers and students.   In our case, we’re fortunate that our PTA is able to raise a fair amount to help support and we come up with other creative ways to make it work (for instance this week along we had a call out for home-made ice packs.)   However, schools should not have to rely on parent funding support to get it done and not every school is able to raise funds.  

Tracking and support for students moving mid-year – additional details?

In with line supporting the students directly, it’s critical we continue to look at ways to track and continue to support the students that might move mid-year regardless of which sector they move from or to.  I was happy to see in the draft budget summary package that there was a bullet talking about improving technology to help parents navigate and engage in public education, specifically parent portal for DCPS; extending MySchoolDC for mid-year entries and transfers; and launching a new MyChildCareDC site.   However, I’m having trouble seeing much detail behind the MySchool DC extensions for mid-year entries in either the budget or the DME responses.  Can you shed more light on the details?

Modernization Process and some Budget outlook Improvements Seen, but more Work to be Done

Looking big picture on where we’ve come in only the last couple of years, we are seeing some improvements in the overall process.  Communication and public engagement through multiple levels at DCPS is improving at least based on the Maury experience.    We are thankful to have additional funding proposed that was identified as being needed per the process.   We hope that at least that number sticks through the budget review process with more details to be shaken out as the SIT process continues.   We also want to acknowledge the chancellor’s efforts in meeting with staff to get their input and making some tough but sound decision on swing space.  DCPS has told us we should be seeing new ed specs soon.    Some other pieces do remain frustrating, particularly DGS’ ability to move along on their responsibilities.  As just one example, we still don’t have a design-build architect in place for proposals that came in January.   It’s tough to move along the process much more without having the architect in place.    I know we’re not alone in raising frustration with DGS on their ability to move along on both big and even smaller items.

From an overall budget and prioritization perspective, there are some improvements seen that should be acknowledged.  Whereas in year’s past those 6 year funding numbers were all over the map and could change substantially from one year to the next or some schools completely lose funding they previously had promised, it appears to have settled somewhat comparing this year to last year.  For the most part the 6 year numbers for projects already in the cue are remaining consistent, and the next schools in the matrix are slowly but surely moving up.  

There is some general disappointment that we can’t get more schools still waiting started sooner, even if it’s just initial start of the SIT and feasibility planning discussions.  It should be acknowledged we are in a big transition year with PACE Act requirements in the process of being implemented (with some not due until later this year), new ed specs coming out, a master facilities plan in development, new chancellor in place and a relatively limited number of SIT support staff and some might argue a limited number of quality design and construction contractors that can only manage so many projects at once.   We also have many priorities we’re trying to address.   

However, realistically speaking the initial planning/feasibility stage takes a good 1-1.5 years or so before you even have an initial idea of what the individual school truly needs/wants, what is feasible and what the costs might be.    Without those initial discussions, really anything in the 6 year plan is just a guess or based on a crude square footage estimate.   On how exactly we find the money to get it done, I leave that to others to decide.  I have heard the proposal to delay the estate tax threshold increase as one possible way to get additional funding and support that concept.  I’m sure there might be some other possibilities as well, but again defer to others.

Master facilities plan delays?

While more of a DME role than DCPS but still could impact the DCPS process, I was disappointed to hear the master facilities plan will be delayed and won’t be delivered by December 15, 2017.   If I’m understanding the DME Budget question responses correctly (reference Q8, pg 13) final submission won’t occur until April 2018? (i.e. around same time as draft budget.)  I do at least appreciate to see some apparent stakeholder engagement in October 2017 for the 33% draft and again in February 2018 prior to 100% draft in March and submission to council in April.

Thank you Chairman Grosso and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony today on behalf of the Brent Elementary PTA.

I would like to raise three topics today with respect to the Mayor’s proposed 2018 budget for DCPS: The per pupil funding amounts, the pace of school modernizations, and specific questions about the milestones for the Jefferson Academy modernization.

First, with respect to overall funding. It is true that the overall education budget is going up, but as we all know, that is because enrollment is going up. It’s not a stretch to conclude that one of the reasons that the DC gross revenues are up every year since 2016 is connected to that fact that the population of students is also rising. That is a good thing for the City, that more families are choosing to trust in our schools and invest in DC.

But we betray that trust when we don’t invest back in schools. And hiding behind total dollar amounts without reference to increasing enrollment and costs is not being straight about the challenges our kids face. According to analysis done by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, per pupil spending has fallen further behind inflation every year since 2016. This year’s proposal to drop the per pupil spending from a two percent increase to a 1.5 percent increase will result in an even deeper hole for our schools. School budgets will drop, LSATs will face even tougher choices, and you can bet the teachers will go for 8 years in a row without a contract. Our PTA was meeting until late last night trying to figure out how to fill a $30,000 hole in the schools budget even when we are just trying to keep the same staffing levels. We are fortunate to be in a position to work on that, but many are not.

The relative turnaround for DC schools is by no means complete and letting per student funding fall back threatens the progress we have made. All across the City. We believe the per pupil allocation should be significantly increased.

With respect to modernization funding, we offer a similar concern. Under the proposed budget, the six year spend on DCPS capital projects has declined by $50m from last year when it should be growing to ensure all schools are included in the plan. In the meantime, the Deputy Mayor’s Cross Sector Task Force, launched almost two years ago, has steadfastly avoided the issue of lack of central planning of where we build capacity and seats for our students. So what we are left with is two separate authorities, including the Charter school board that is not serving a planning function, but simply approving new schools as they are proposed, adds more and more seats and further stretches budgets across the system. Add on to this the high likelihood that the Department of General Service is not the most efficient steward of resources, and it’s no wonder parents are still frustrated despite the progress we have made.

Turning to Jefferson Academy, the Brent and Feeder communities are grateful for the modest changes in the plan for Jefferson, principally moving the last budget year up by a year, and completion up to Summer of 2021. There has been a lot of confusing and conflicting information from DCPS about the milestones for modernization. However, assuming that the presentation and memo shared with the Jefferson PTA and feeder communities is correct, and the budget book and its errata memo are not, there is still some concern that without starting planning earlier than their best case scenario of “late fall / early winter of 2018”, the completion date of August 2021 will slip right into another school year. In addition to the potential of disruption in to another school year, this would mean that the first class of students from Van Ness Elementary might not have the school ready for their arrival. It is good that the feasibility study and a SIT will begin maybe this fall, maybe next winter, but given the track record of these agencies it makes sense to find every opportunity to advance the timeline.

Next year’s 6th graders will experience a great new gym and auditorium, a great new science wing, and will enter through pretty new doors. And we are thankful to the Council and your Committee for the tireless oversight and funding that has made that possible. But the kids you just heard from are right to be concerned about one thing that is inherently tied to full modernization; the temperature control in the main educational areas. They are absolutely right to be concerned about that and that is a timely and urgent health and educational attainment issue.

We hope we can make even more incremental progress on the timeline, and that the Council will take broader action to significantly adjust the priorities of the proposed budget to shift more resources into this committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for your kind and gracious hospitality to our students.