The Fillmore Arts program for Stoddert Elementary students (and the students of 4 other schools) was at risk of being defunded by DC Public Schools due to budget concerns - see background at March 4th blog post. DCPS has decided to continue funding the program for one more school year after a tremendous outcry from parents and concerned citizens.

How DCPS will find the money in the budget is still unclear, and next year the program is at risk once again of being cut off with schools to fend for themselves in their own school space (where no spare space exists), with their own budget limitations and with no resources in hand.

DC officials hinted that transportation to the school (once per week for each student participating) is an overwhelming cost. This highlights an additional issue - the problem of getting buses to transport students to Fillmore, field trips, events, etc.. Teachers regularly have difficulty securing school bus transport and schools often resort to private buses, often oversized or undersized, at exorbitant cost. If this is the problem, then maybe DCPS should address the issue of buses now, which would solve a host of problems...