If yesterday’s proposals for school modernization in the 2018 budget recommendations from the Education Committee last through today’s mark-up (see page 34), DCPS’ Eaton Elementary in Ward 3 will abruptly cut the line. It will move in front of 12 other schools from a start in 2023, to 2018 – – 6 years earlier. Eaton will be finished with its modernization in 2020—at which time every Ward 3 school will be fully modernized and expanded.
How did Eaton move forward? Parents from Ward 4 and 6 who advocated to move their projects forward were told there were not enough capital funds. But Chairman Mendelson and Education Committee Grosso permitted Ward 3 Council member Cheh to “loan” $28,000,000 in 2018, and another $7,000,000 in 2019 from D.C.’s Transportation and the Environment capital budget to this Ward 3 project. Then in FY22 and FY23, capital funds would be subtracted from DCPS to pay back the Department of Transportation and the Environment.
Given flexibility in the Transportation and the Environment budget, advancing funds for school modernization is greatly appreciated. But projects must be prioritized with funding first to those with the greatest need. Eaton was 13 out of 18 on the 2017-22 CIP list, based on carefully weighted criteria that balanced building needs with students needs, Schools in Wards 5, 7 and 8 also have facilities condition problems, crowding and ADA access of equal and greater seriousness than Eaton’s, while serving children with very high needs. Only 24 of Eaton’s 477 students are classified as “at risk” ranking it 13th among more than 100 DCPS schools.
During this anniversary month of Brown vs. the Board of Education, this proposal is a sad reminder of how hard it is to secure equity. In today’s mark-up council members must ensure the distribution of resources across the entire city.
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