Education advocates: Mayor must address the digital divide in upcoming budget proposal

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The pandemic has highlighted the need to provide equitable technology access for all students as part of a 21st-century education. While DC made some progress last year in expanding computer and internet access, the city still lacks a multi-year plan and dedicated funding source to ensure that students and families have long-term access to technology and high-speed internet.

On Jan. 11 a coalition of parents, educators and other education advocates, organized by Digital Equity in DC Education, sent a version of the letter below urging Mayor Muriel Bowser to follow through on her Empowered Learners Initiative’s commitment to provide a 1:1 student-to-device ratio and technology supports for DC Public Schools.

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SHAPPE's Position on DCPS Reopening for Term 2

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Dear Mayor Bowser, Deputy Mayor Kihn, and Chancellor Ferebee,

The Senior High Alliance of Parents Principals and Educators is 22 years old. We consider ourselves partners looking for constructive solutions so that a strong DCPS can thrive. It is our hope that you will reconsider and amend the current plan. We believe that you can prevent the significant loss of supports and infrastructure to the secondary school students that it will cause and engage elementary school students. We are writing here about the educational program, the building checklist and health supports have to be in place for any plan. We want to work with you on a strong educational program to reopen we can all endorse.

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A More Equitable Way to Fund Schools Building Maintenance and Operations Costs

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The way we fund school building maintenance and operations (M&O) structurally disadvantages DCPS. It requires DCPS to spend more – to the tune of $558 per student (or $28.6 million a year overall) -- from their funds, which are needed to serve students, than the charter Local Education Agencies overall spend of their funds.

The Council should address this structural unfairness in the budget for FY21. It can do so by moving to pay DCPS utility expense (around $23.7 million a year) outside of the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (PSFF)

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Adjusting DCPS Enrollment Projection to Account for Mid-Year Transfers

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The way we fund enrollment in our LEAs structurally disadvantages DCPS, failing to fund it to serve the thousands of students who come through its doors midyear while generously allowing the charter sector to retain funds for the approximately 1,350 plus students who leave their schools midyear. The net effect is to provide the charter sector with at least a $20 million advantage relative to DCPS in terms of enrollment based funding each year.

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Mary Levy and Eboni Rose Thompson respond to Post Op Ed

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It has been said, “statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” This perfectly describes the OpED Poor children are still left behind in DCPS schools” (December 8, 2019).  The authors suggest charters are winning the battle of closing the achievement gap for our children. What it conceals is significant omissions, exaggerations, and factual errors.

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Letter to the Editor by C4DC Member Venola M Rolle

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Ward 7 Education Council Member Venola Rolle commenting on the opening and closing of charter schools: “I am not a fan of charter schools by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe that, if we have to endure them in the District, they ought to be of the order of this one Monument Academy— created to serve students the traditional public schools are unable to serve effectively. “

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Open Letter: Working together for great DCPS public schools in all corners of the city

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The Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities (C4DC) welcomes the additional funds of $7.4 million committed to the DC public schools. We believe the District of Columbia should be committed to ensuring that our communities are provided a high quality DCPS matter of right path in every neighborhood from pre-school through 12th grade.

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