Category: DC Schools–Facilities, Governance & Planning

21CSF Testified on the Underfunding of Maintenance Operations at DCPS Schools

Oversight Hearing D.C. Department of General Services, February 28, 2023Testimony: Mary Filardo, Executive Director, 21st Century School Fund Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am here to bring a research perspective to thechallenges of managing public facilities, but in particular to the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and D.C. Department of General Services (DGS) maintenance of…

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D.C. Charter Closings are a Public Concern

it is the responsibility of the Council, not the PCSB to “safeguard funds, ensure positive outcomes for students, and provide for an efficient closure or asset acquisition”—the stated purpose of the Closure Amendment. The PCSB should have a role in this, but this proposed amendment is over-reach for PCSB and should be a worry to charters and to the public.

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DC Facilities Master Plan Testimony

Here we are, with substantial data, but still without an educational facilities plan.  I would like to suggest a way forward, which I think will provide tremendous promise for our city and schools. Give up on cross sector planning.  The charter sector has been more than clear—they do not want to coordinate planning and they are not required to collaborate….

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Banneker High School Needs 800 Euclid Street NW

It is clear from the preliminary Banneker High School concepts now available (April 24th, and May 1st) that an 800 student high school doesn’t fit on the Shaw site and meeting the program requirements for Banneker will be far better on its current site.  Here is why: Building Massing Problems:  The concept design concludes that for energy efficiency, the best…

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Modernized Banneker will be Fabulous!

From the 1920’s through the 1960’s the District of Columbia built extraordinary Jr. High School buildings for 7th, 8th and 9th grade students.  There were two dozen of these large Jr. high buildings.  Each one had all the components of a standard high school including performing arts spaces, choral and instrumental music spaces, art studios, athletic spaces, cafeterias, career/tech and…

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Shaw Middle Site is Best for Shaw Elementary Schools

As Mayor Bowser advances Banneker’s right to take the Shaw MS site, a response to neighborhood objections has included the recommendation that Shaw MS should switch locations with Banneker and the promised Shaw Middle School should be located at Banneker. There are two significant problems with this suggestion. PROBLEM #1: Like Cardozo, Banneker is not centrally located to the Shaw,…

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Banneker Site has more Athletic Space than Shaw

One factor in the decision on siting Banneker Academic High School is the availability of athletic space.  At both the proposed Shaw and the current Banneker location, the outside space is controlled by DC Department of Recreation, so use of athletic fields and courts would have to be coordinated between agencies at either site. However, approximate measurements (Google Earth) show…

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DC Public Charter Board Proposed Changes to ANC Notification Policy

We urge the Public Charter School Board to provide 90 days’ expanded notice to ANCs of school opening, closing and siting decisions, hold this comment period open for another month and notify all ANCs of this proposed change. A 30-day ANC notice is insufficient. A 90-day notice is a minimum. ANCs (Advisory Neighborhood Commissions) are important civic entities, but voluntary….

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Modernize Existing Banneker HS

The $143 million in the District’s capital improvement plan (CIP) for Banneker HS could fully modernize the Euclid Street facility for 700 students AND provide a modern middle school at the Shaw site for families.  This option is educationally sound for Banneker and Shaw families.  It can be implemented the quickest, and is the most fiscally and environmentally responsible.  Let’s…

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Response to Recent Coverage of the District’s 2018 Educational Master Facilities Plan

Today the Washington City Paper published “D.C.’s Master Facilities Plan Will Shape the City’s Balance Between Neighborhood Schools and Charters,” a feature story on the District’s educational Master Facilities Plan (MFP). The article, written by freelance reporter Rachel Cohen, highlights many troubling aspects of the Mayor’s plan process, specifically failure to follow data transparency requirements in the Planning Actively for…

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