Budget Survey
On behalf of the LSAT you are invited to participate in a survey about budget priorities for the upcoming school year. Below you'll find some background information on the DCPS budget process and at the bottom a link to an anonymous Google Doc Survey. Please submit your response as soon as you can. All responses received by next Friday February 19th will be reviewed by the LSAT
TAKE THE SURVEY HERE
The Hearst LSAT (Local School Advisory Team), comprised of parents and school staff, in cooperation with Principal Thomas, are seeking input fromHearst Parents about Budget Priorities for SY ’16 – ’17. A similar survey is going to Hearst staff. To set realistic expectations about the potential impact of survey results we wanted to first share a brief background on the DCPS budget process as well as the basic makeup of the Hearst budget using SY ’15 – ’16 figures as the example.
DCPS Budget Process
DCPS issues draft budgets to schools; this year draft budgets are expected to be issued on or about February 19th. This year we expect to have 2 – 3 weeks for the Principal and LSAT to review the draft budget and provide feedback on requested changes to DCPS. DCPS reviews and issues final budgets back to the school; typically in March.
There are certain expenses essentially mandated by DCPS which schools are unable to change. As one small example in SY ’15 – 16 Hearst was required to spend approximately $1,695 on “Recreational Materials”.
Overview Hearst DCPS Budget for SY ’15 –‘16
Hearst’s total DCPS budget in SY ’15 – 16 was $3,665,712. Over 98% of the budget is for staff; major categories are shown below. There are 58 total staff at Hearst in SY ’15 – 16.
| Category | % | Notes |
| Classroom Teachers PK – 5th | 39.4% | also includes FT Reading Teacher |
| Special Ed & English Language Learners | 24.2% | includes CES (formerly Autism) staff |
| Admin & Custodial (incl. Principal) | 12.4% | Cafeteria staff not included |
| Related Arts Teachers | 11.4% | includes Library, Art, Music, PE, Spanish |
| Social-Emotional Student Support | 6.3% | e.g. Guidance Counselor, Social Worker |
| Instructional Support | 5.2% | K & 1st Partner teachers, Math Specialist |
As an important note, less than $25,000, or 0.7%, of DCPS funds was allocated for supplies including all office, maintenance classroom supplies, library books, recreational materials, etc. Assuming roughly 300 students enrolled that equates to $83 per student for the year. These limited DCPS funds for supplies, etc. are a key reason the PTA raises money through the Owl Fund Campaign, the Spring Auction and other fundraisers. Much of the PTA funds are given to classroom teachers to ‘fill the gap’ in classroom supplies and materials that DCPS funds simply do not cover.
Survey results will be considered by the LSAT and Principal Thomas during the budget review and submission process. However, please understand that limited flexibility within the DCPS budget structure means survey results cannot be guaranteed to change the Hearst budget for SY ’16 – 17