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Better D.C. Schools Email Update

May 30, 2003 - Issue #11

This email update is provided by the 21st Century School Fund (21CSF), an education nonprofit in Washington, DC, and is designed to provide our community with information about the efforts of 21CSF and other local education advocates at improving the District of Columbia Public Schools. It is sent out the last week of each month. If you know of someone who would like to be added to our mailing list, or if you would like your email address removed from this list, then please email us at newsletter@21csf.org.

City Council Takes Action on DCPS FY04 Operating and Capital Budgets

On May 6th, the City Council completed a first reading of the Mayor’s proposed DCPS operating budget of $743M for the coming year, and gave it preliminary approval. This amount is $105M less than originally requested by DCPS. A second and final reading by the Council of the FY04 DCPS operating budget will conclude with another vote on Tuesday, June 3rd. On May 13th, the Council approved the Mayor’s proposed 6-year DCPS capital budget of $168M for the coming year, and $173M, $149M, $21M, $0, and $0 for the subsequent years. No second vote on the capital budget will be held. The capital budget approved is barely more than 50% of the $313M requested by DCPS for FY04, and approximately 25% of the DCPS 6-year request of $2B. After the entire city budget is approved by the Council, it will be submitted to Congress for final approval hopefully in the Fall.

Board of Education Approves Capital Program Revision Despite 21CSF Objections

On May 21st, the Board approved a revised FY04 DCPS Capital Improvement Program that is in line with the Council-approved capital budget of $168M. The original FY04 capital program was based on the DCPS-requested capital budget of $313M. The revision contains the following provisions: all schools in construction stay in construction; four of the tier 1 schools (Woodson, Hardy, Sousa, and HD Cooke) are delayed approximately 6 months; all tier 2 schools will continue with feasibility and design, but are not funded for construction; maintain limited but adequate funding for component replacements, small capital projects, and mandates; and re-introduce carpeting and painting as "quality-of-life projects." 21CSF testified in a Board hearing on May 8th that DCPS should “reexamine the scope of the projects already put forward,” given drastically-reduced funding for the next 6 years and “no significant new funding sources on the horizon.” Also, 21CSF proposed realigning “planned capital projects and modernized schools with projects that can create savings in the DCPS Operating Budget.” The 21CSF premise is to shift priorities “first to projects that have a reasonable expectation of completion in the near future, and second to small capital projects or component replacements at the schools which are not on the tier list.” Several specific suggestions were made; for details, contact 21CSF for a copy of the testimony. Regardless, the Board rejected the 21CSF suggestions in lieu of the revision described above.

Update on DCPS Capital Improvement Program (first available since Nov. 2002)

The following is a school-by-school update on the DCPS program to modernize or replace of its public schools buildings. (Source: DCPS/Office of Facilities Management Monthly Report, May 27, 2003.)

School---Current Status---Estimated Completion
Anacostia HS---Education Specifications (90% complete)---To be determined
Barnard ES---Construction (99% complete)---Reopened 2/03
Bell/Lincoln HS/MS—--Construction (0% complete)--—9/05
Birney ES---Design (40% complete); Construction beginning TBD---12/04
Brightwood ES---Design (98% complete); Construction planned for 8/03---12/05
Cardozo HS---Design/Feasibility Study (40% complete)---To be determined
Cleveland ES---Construction Phase 2 (40% complete)--—12/03
Cooke ES---Design (65% complete); Construction planned for 1/04---8/05
Deal JHS---Feasibility Study (45% complete)---To be determined
Hardy MS---Design (40% complete); Construction planned for 11/03—--4/06
Kelly Miller MS---Construction Phase 2(75% complete)---9/03
Key ES---Construction Phase 3(50% complete)---8/03
Kramer MS---Feasibility Study (50% complete)---To be determined
Luke C Moore HS---Construction (TBD)---11/04
MacFarland MS---Feasibility Study (40% complete)---To be determined
McKinley Tech HS---Construction Phase 3(51% complete)---6/04
Miner ES---Construction (99% complete)---Reopened 1/03
Noyes ES---Construction Phase 2(30% complete)---1/04
Patterson ES---Construction Phase 2(22% complete)---12/03
Phelps HS---Feasibility Study Part 1 (99% complete)---To be determined
Randle Highlands ES---Construction Phase 3(15% complete)---3/04
RH Terrell JHS---Education Specifications (100% complete)---To be determined
Ross ES---Education Specifications (100% complete)---To be determined
Slowe ES---Education Specifications (100% complete)---To be determined
Smothers ES---Education Specifications (100% complete)---To be determined
Sousa MS---Design (80% complete); Construction planned for 9/03---12/05
Thomas ES---Design (100% complete); Construction planned for 7/03---12/04
Thomson ES---Construction (0% complete)---9/04
Walker Jones ES---Design (40% complete); Construction planned for 2/04—7/05
Wheatley ES---Construction (0% complete)---7/05
Woodson HS---Design (65% complete); Construction planned for 10/03---12/05

Ribbon-Cuttings and Groundbreakings

Two school construction groundbreakings were held in May: Bell/Lincoln HS/MS on the 13th, and Thomson ES on the 19th.

For more information, contact:

Jordan Spooner: (202) 745-3745 x 16 jspooner@21csf.org