Program Questions
April 14, 2010
How will funds be cut to after school sports programs. It seems a shame to lose good teachers so we can maintain a football or track team. Is that funding determined by the schools or the board. I know when I was in school we hit hard times and they all but a few sports programs.
The draft budget reduction options list includes reducing the supplement for athletic directors but no other sports reductions. If you have thoughts on the topic, you may want to contact Board of Education members. Their email addresses are on this Website. Thanks!
March 24, 2010
Is ESL considered instructional support. I noticed on the posted DPS budget proposal site that ESL, EC and AIG were posted as over the state allotment funded by DPS. I also noticed that AIG was far above the amount than ESL or EC. Are all these programs largely funded by the state and or federal government? Are these programs mandated by the state or federal government? If so, what is the budget cut proposal plans for continued funding of these programs? Will the allotment for these programs be subjected to individual principals budgets for their schools or will this be set by DPS? At what point will teachers know if their positions have been cut? Thank you.
ESL, EC, and AIG are separately funded allocations of funding. Currently we are not aware of the state or federal government targeting those specialized funding sources for reduction; however, the General Assembly does not come back into session until Mid-May. All of those programs are also supported with local resources over the funding provided by the state and federal governments. All of those positions are currently provided to the schools as separate allotment categories. We are scheduled to provide planning allotments to the schools around April 15th. You may want to talk with your principal and/or Sashi Rayasam in Central Services.
March 16, 2010
Where does the funding for ESL teachers come from and how is it determined in allotment?
ESL Teachers are funded primarily through state supplemental funds dedicated to ESL and some federal funds dedicated to ESL. Currently we strive to maintain a 1:60 ratio of ESL resource support staff within the resources allocated based on official ESL headcounts at the schools.
March 8, 2010
Will AIG programs be cut next year, and do you foresee them being cut anytime in the future?
It is too early to tell at this point if AIG funds will be impacted. The General Assembly will determine whether any cuts will be made to state funds for AIG. Principals will have to work within the resources they will receive in order for all AIG students to be served in 2010-11.
Can we eliminate benchmark testing or at least not have a benchmark test every marking period?
Testing is one of the areas that is expected to be studied in depth for possible reductions. In the Superintendent Search surveys, in feedback from schools and at essentially every meeting where budget comes up, testing is presented as an area for reductions.
How much in terms of dollars and FTEs does DPS spend on benchmark testing? How has this changed over the past five years?
There isn’t a separate budget just for benchmark testing—it is a part of the Research, Development and Accountability budget of $1.4 million. This figure includes 14 staff members in testing, research, grants development and others who compile the school Scorecard data and other accountability work. The $1.4 million does not include printing and courier costs for local testing.
Is there data showing that quarterly benchmark testing for all students improves performance of all students? Will DPS consider benchmarking only for those students for whom it is useful?
Since benchmark and unit tests have been implemented in DPS, student achievement has increased. Secondary student achievement has increased significantly in all areas since Unit tests were implemented one and a half years ago.
Will DPS consider making broader use of the NCVPS system rather than cutting academic options?
Participation in NCVPHS doubled in DPS last year and is on pace to double again for the current school year. Each MS and HS principal is aware of the online options offered and has a point person to help register students.
How much has DPS spent on IT for curriculum, and how has this changed over the past five years? Is there data on how much online curriculum resources are used? Is there data showing improvements in achievement correlating with use of these materials?
DPS spends some $1.1 million on software for instruction. We are working towards major cuts due to the state’s cut in funds used for software. We are looking at all software used in the district in order to make the cuts needed. DPS has usage reports that will help us evaluate these programs.
