On January 15, over 250 people from Metro Organizations for People (MOP) in Denver held a public action meeting with the Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Michael Bennet, and three school board members. At the meeting, Superintendent Bennet agreed to a number of proposals from MOP, most important of which was a commitment to implement student-based budgeting for low-income students in the district.

Also called "weighted student funding," student-based budgeting is an approach to ensuring that every child gets a fair share of district funding. The strategy is simple: tie dollars to students, not staff. Districts work out an average cost for each student's education and then send those dollars to the school in which he or she enrolls. At-risk students (e.g. an impoverished child or a child with a learning disability) are "weighted" to get the additional funding they need.

Superintendent Bennet agreed to begin allotting additional funds from the district's General Fund for low-income students.  He declined, however, to commit to do the same for English-language learners, as is practiced in many parts of the country.

In addition, the superintendent agreed to participate in a study sponsored by MOP to research the demographics and budgeting process in Denver Public Schools, with the purpose of developing a sensible approach to implementing student-weighted budgeting throughout the district. He also supported MOP's proposal to develop stronger Collaborative School Committees (CSC), committing to ensure that site-based governance is actually functioning, with an authentic parent and community voice.

This is another step in the long process toward equitable and transparent school funding that MOP has been pushing for over two years. There has been significant movement during this time, with the district and the union coming to the table to negotiate key reform issues, and individual MOP schools stepping out and demanding greater autonomy. The momentum is building and MOP has been a key player in creating the environment where such change is possible.

For more information, visit www.mopdenver.org

Media Coverage:
Groups lets DPS Board Know More is Expected
Changes Sought for Northeast Denver Schools

Related information:
Unraveling the DPS Budget: Toward Transparency and Equity through Weighted Student Funding