- Enrollment Projections
- Murch must submit our projection by Jan. 21.
- DCPS proposed enrollment for Murch for next year: 642 (16 higher than this year’s enrollment); our projection is likely to be more like 38–‐42 higher –‐ 9% would be ).
- Growth last year 9%; year before 3;%, year before 6%.
- Janney: estimated 647 for this year; actual is 628. Murch estimated 601 and exceeded it (629). Equalization never happened. As a result Janney received about $400,000 more from DCPS this year despite having almost the same number of students.
- Murch thought we would get another K teacher this year due to higher enrollment. Mr. C inquired about enrollment and was told that the district does teacher allocations by grade level, not by raw numbers. Therefore, to get another K teacher, Murch would have had to have 30 students in each K class.
- Mr C to submit his project for Murch next week.
- If different from the DCPS numbers he must submit justification.
- LSAT to prepare list of bullet rationales to support higher enrollment through Basecamp that Mr. C can review for his submission.
- Advocacy
- There was a general discussion about the need for the Murch community to speak up and advocate for Murch’s needs (budget and renovation).
- The LSAT and HSA leaders have a letter regarding enrollment projects in draft form. Letter will be sent to Chancellor Henderson, Mayor Grey, and Councilmen Cheh (representing Ward 3) and Catania (Chairman of Education Committee).
- The SIT has another letter in draft regarding urgency of renovation (timing and budget). Also scheduled for delivery tomorrow. The SIT letter will be sent to Henderson, grey, Cheh, Catania, as well as some additional members of the Council
- Letters going in tomorrow. Martha to hand deliver the LSAT/HSA letter tomorrow at Wilson building.
- Some of the reasons why Murch should expect higher enrollment than what DCPS projects:
- more flexible housing stock;
- as other NW schools become overcrowded and there is less option to go out of boundary, Murch offers one of the remaining options with our rental base.
- Mr C to submit his project for Murch next week.
- Murch must submit our projection by Jan. 21.
- Budget discussions
- Special Ed –‐ open budget issues
- All students currently in the autism program are going to middle school next year.
- DCPS is proposing a pre–‐k and K autism program here. Murch may have space to do at most one of these programs, but not both.
- ELL –‐ projections difficult. Murch ELL population grows during the year due to schedules of international population.
- DCPS timeline:
- Training on budget for LSAT members anticipated for late Jan/early Feb. In recent years this training has been helpful for identifying new information (such as the new world culture/world georgraphy requirement last year).
- DCPS is currently anticipating releasing draft school budgets the first week of March, with a 1 week turn around.
- Healthy Schools Act –‐ big unknown about how will that affect next year’s schedule and staffing.
- Special Ed –‐ open budget issues
- Parent Information Night
- This event is being postponed until Spring.
- We anticipate a parent forum on renovation/budget in next few weeks and do not want to crowd the calendar.
- Open question regarding whether it would be more useful in September. Would not want to have a useful event that parents wishes had occurred earlier in the year.
- We may wish to rethink the beginning of the year and back to school night format and content.
- Renovation update
- Renovation now scheduled for summer 2015. There are concerns that it will be pushed back again, due to DGS’ lack of communication with the school. Also, 2014 is an election year in DC, which in the past has caused a realignment of priorities.
- The SIT, working with the HSA and LSAT are organizing a campaign to advocate for the school with elected officials (see letters discussed above). There will also be a grass roots element.