Budget Numbers Don't Look Quite Right
I've been looking at the budget numbers from the District and they just don't look right. I'm not saying that they are definitely wrong, but I have some questions. For example...
Each school I have checked so far has a lower expected enrollment than the current enrollment, but the District, as a whole, has a higher expected enrollment than the current enrollment. How does that work? It appears as if the District is intentionally under-funding schools. At the PTA meeting this week Director Sundquist said that over-funding a school was the worst sort of disaster. I guess he hasn't been in an under-funded school; that's no picnic either. It also puts the District in the worst possible situation for hiring if we're trying to bring on staff after October 1. There may not be anyone left but Teach for America corps members.
(By the way, how are we going to hire any new teachers while we're laying off teachers who are already on the payroll?)
Also: if the District balances the budget with these numbers, where will they get the money to hire those extra staff when the actually expected number of students appear?
Maybe someone could explain to me why the additional funding for Free and Reduced Lunch eligible students is $449.81 per student at the traditional high schools but it is $555.32 per student at the non-traditional schools. Is it because students at The Center School have to buy their lunch in the food court of Seattle Center?
Speaking of The Center School, what is the story on the funding formula for "non-traditional" schools? Why wouldn't the funding formula for The Center School be the same as the funding formula for any other high school? Don't Center School students deserve equitable funding? Why, exactly, should the funding at the Center School be any different than the funding formula at any other school?
And, while we're talking about funding formula for non-traditional schools, why is Cleveland funded as if it were a traditional school rather than a non-traditional school? Cleveland is an Option School and it is an Alternative Learning Experience. So why is it funded like a "traditional" school while NOVA, which is also an Option school and an ALE, funded like a non-traditional school? How is Cleveland any different from NOVA? Is it because Cleveland has a football team? Hey, if it will get them the traditional high school funding, NOVA will field a football team. They might not win many games, but it would be co-ed (which would be cool) and the Dead Rats would put on a rockin' halftime show.
I can understand why the S.B.O.C. needs to be funded differently; it's a 6-12. And the enrollment grows over the year at South Lake and Interagency, so they have to be funded for that. The Home School Resource Center funding has to be different because they don't have classrooms like other schools. But why shouldn't The Center School, The NOVA Project, and the Middle College be funded like any other high school? After all, the alterative K-8s are funded like any other K-8 and the alternative K-5s are funded like any other K-5.
It's not about size. Rainier Beach isn't much bigger than NOVA and the Center School and it gets the full high school funding.
Speaking of Cleveland... I see it is funded for only one assistant principal, but the STEM contract with NTN commits the district to having an assistant principal for each of the two academies, doesn't it? So shouldn't Cleveland have TWO assistant principals? While this might not be funded by WSS, it is not discretionary.
I notice that Rainier Beach is funded for only one principal next year. Bryant, also, is funded for only one principal. Bryant, is funded for 26 classroom teachers (23 K-5 and 3 PCP). Does that sound right?
So I have all these questions. It may turn out that everything is just fine and it can all be explained. Just the same, I'm going to ask.
Each school I have checked so far has a lower expected enrollment than the current enrollment, but the District, as a whole, has a higher expected enrollment than the current enrollment. How does that work? It appears as if the District is intentionally under-funding schools. At the PTA meeting this week Director Sundquist said that over-funding a school was the worst sort of disaster. I guess he hasn't been in an under-funded school; that's no picnic either. It also puts the District in the worst possible situation for hiring if we're trying to bring on staff after October 1. There may not be anyone left but Teach for America corps members.
(By the way, how are we going to hire any new teachers while we're laying off teachers who are already on the payroll?)
Also: if the District balances the budget with these numbers, where will they get the money to hire those extra staff when the actually expected number of students appear?
Maybe someone could explain to me why the additional funding for Free and Reduced Lunch eligible students is $449.81 per student at the traditional high schools but it is $555.32 per student at the non-traditional schools. Is it because students at The Center School have to buy their lunch in the food court of Seattle Center?
Speaking of The Center School, what is the story on the funding formula for "non-traditional" schools? Why wouldn't the funding formula for The Center School be the same as the funding formula for any other high school? Don't Center School students deserve equitable funding? Why, exactly, should the funding at the Center School be any different than the funding formula at any other school?
And, while we're talking about funding formula for non-traditional schools, why is Cleveland funded as if it were a traditional school rather than a non-traditional school? Cleveland is an Option School and it is an Alternative Learning Experience. So why is it funded like a "traditional" school while NOVA, which is also an Option school and an ALE, funded like a non-traditional school? How is Cleveland any different from NOVA? Is it because Cleveland has a football team? Hey, if it will get them the traditional high school funding, NOVA will field a football team. They might not win many games, but it would be co-ed (which would be cool) and the Dead Rats would put on a rockin' halftime show.
I can understand why the S.B.O.C. needs to be funded differently; it's a 6-12. And the enrollment grows over the year at South Lake and Interagency, so they have to be funded for that. The Home School Resource Center funding has to be different because they don't have classrooms like other schools. But why shouldn't The Center School, The NOVA Project, and the Middle College be funded like any other high school? After all, the alterative K-8s are funded like any other K-8 and the alternative K-5s are funded like any other K-5.
It's not about size. Rainier Beach isn't much bigger than NOVA and the Center School and it gets the full high school funding.
Speaking of Cleveland... I see it is funded for only one assistant principal, but the STEM contract with NTN commits the district to having an assistant principal for each of the two academies, doesn't it? So shouldn't Cleveland have TWO assistant principals? While this might not be funded by WSS, it is not discretionary.
I notice that Rainier Beach is funded for only one principal next year. Bryant, also, is funded for only one principal. Bryant, is funded for 26 classroom teachers (23 K-5 and 3 PCP). Does that sound right?
So I have all these questions. It may turn out that everything is just fine and it can all be explained. Just the same, I'm going to ask.
Comments
Mr. Boesche said that it is better to underfund than overfund at the PTSA meeting. Again, better for who?
I still wonder how we got sold the bill of goods that is the supplemental levy and none of it seems to be going to cut this deficit.
I also believe the district is protecting Central more than they should. Why not furloughs (rolling or otherwise)? Why cut maintenance and not HR? Again, why is the Board going along with this?
In the end, if Central isn't down or near to 6%, then all their words about protecting classrooms are nothing but bullshit.
Not sure how to interpret this.
I think this was a purely all things relative comment as he emphasized that enrollment is counted monthly to avoid the need for any dramatic staffing changes.
You are right on when you say keeping the cuts away from the classrooms is all BS. That is all just a feel good phrase. More of the same it looks like even with a new Superintendent and CFO. They act as if Boesche was some kind of a hero, and he is to Central admin.
as they will hardly feel the pain of these cuts. This continues to be a crime against students. When they do not deal directly with students and have to see them daily, it is easy to indirectly harm them. It is a crying shame.
All of the high schools, except Cleveland, are expected to have fewer students. In total, the school budgets are predicting a net drop of more than 800 high school students district-wide. The biggest drops in enrollment will come at Ballard (-112), Ingraham (-108), Hale (-106) and Garfield (-177). I have absolutely no idea what makes the District think that Garfield will see 177 more students leave than arrive, but there you have it.
The middle schools are gaining students. Led by Aki Kurose, which will attract 92 more students next year than this year, and Mercer, which will attract 84 more students, every middle shcol will gain enrollment except Madison (-37) and Denny (-59), both in West Seattle. McClure is expected to have three fewer students as well. Total net change in middle school enrollment: +192.
The elementary schools are something of a mixed bag, some up some down, but mostly up. The big ones will get bigger with all five of the schools with enrollment over 500 adding yet more students. Bryant will find room for 25 more and go from 570 to 595. Lafayette will find space for another 28 and grow form 526 to 554. Lowell (thank goodness APP was split so this school wouldn't be overcrowded!) will add 34 students and grow from 545 to 579.
The fastest growing schools will, of course, be the new ones: Viewlands with 129, Rainier View with 100, McDonald adding 76, Queen Anne adding 40, and Sand Point adding 37. Surprisingly, the District also expects big growth from Arbor Heights (+48), Roxhill (+53), West Seattle Elementary (+42), Gatzert (+45), Hawthorne (+42), and McGilvra (+36). McGilvra's growth will come from removing the caps on class size. I get that. Hawthorne and West Seattle might be due to the SIG grants. But I can't help noticing that three of these schools are in the Denny service area, which is expecting a net increase of 156 elementary students. From where?
Net, the elementary enrollment is expected to grow by about 900 students.
So who is shrinking? The K-8's. Only two K-8's are expected to grow, Jane Addams and South Shore, which are still building out. Blaine is expected to remain about the same. The other seven are all expected to shrink. I can understand Broadview/Thomson getting 74 students smaller with the opening of Viewlands, but why should anyone expect lower demand and enrollment at TOPS (-10), ORCA (-8), Pathfinder (-8), or Salmon Bay (-15). Most disturbing were the predictions of further shrinkage at Pinehurst, dropping 20 students from 150 to 130, and Madrona, dropping 36 students from 356 down to 320. That building at Madrona can hold a whole lot more than that.
McGilvra, Stevens, Gatzert and Leschi, the schools around Madrona, are all expected to grow. Thurgood Marshall, too.
If the District is manipulating the predicted enrollments to alter the budgets, they are doing it to favor the middle schools and the big elementaries over the high schools.
Charlie, those are some interesting numbers.
(And I think they are up to 15 languages? 55% FRL, according to the principal. I think in October they only had 8 or 10 different languages spoken at home.)
This is all from a neighbor who is on the SP PTA board. I could have the numbers off, but not by much.
Queen Anne Elementary. These students could have been absorbed into other schools such as Broadview-Thomson for another year.
Of course this is not a big a waste as the Central Adminocrats are.
Center School free-reduced lunches are NOT at the food court but are the usual district food delivered to the school. My guess is that the small number of meals makes the cost of delivering each meal higher.
Looks like this year is the first year of an 8th grade class at South Shore.
Current South Shore Principal Keisha Scarlett was a Math Coach in 2006-2007.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/2009298324_schoolrally04m.html
IF the new administration is as venal as the last, a whole bunch of displacements are a great way to help keep the day late and a buck short WEA-SEA looking at inept as ... they are!
carlyle's stand on children seniority bill might have died a few weeks back ... but ...
the deform-istas are still ca$hing billy boy'$ check$.
Zombie A$tro Turf Never Dies
Here is the link to the budget pages for the schools.
I took the 10/1/10 enrollment numbers from the District's Data Summary report.