DCPS Capital Budget Update
On December 17, the Board of Education approved the DCPS Proposed
FY05-10 Capital Improvement Program, which proposes the annual capital
budget and work planned by the school system over the next six years.
This is not the final step in the budget development process, since
this proposed program must still be approved by the Mayor and Council.
Mayoral hearings on the DCPS budget have been scheduled for
Friday, Feb. 6th from 2:30 to 6:00, and Saturday, Feb. 7th from
1:00 to 5:00. Call 724-7696 to sign up to testify.
The program approved by the Board was one of three options presented
by DCPS (option B was chosen), and represents a significant decline
in city financing due to reduced revenues. For details on option
B, refer to the DCPS website at www.k12.dc.us.
Highlights of the Board-approved program and budget include:
- Modernizations that will cost approximately 60% of the FY05-10
capital budget, with the remaining balance designated for small
capital projects (e.g., science labs), component replacements
(e.g., windows), and mandates (e.g., asbestos).
- Plans for 6 to 8 modernizations per year (there were initially
10), and the extension of the program timeframe to 20 years, versus
the initial 10 to 15 years.
- Funds for a total of 43 modernization projects (i.e., up through
Tier 3 only).
- No Tier 2 or 3 modernization construction before fall of 2005.
- Commitments from DCPS to obtain significant amounts of alternative
financing, such as Congressional appropriations, public-private
partnerships (Van Ness ES, Turner ES, Green ES, Janney ES, Old
Miner ES, Hine MS, Shaw MS, and School Without Walls HS are mentioned
as possibilities), and donations or grants.
To join
our discussion of the DCPS Proposed FY 05-10 Capital Improvement
Plan and Budget, click here >>
Sign On! High Performance School Buildings for All Children
The 21st Century School Fund and our BEST initiative, as part of
the Funders' Forum on Environment and Education's Wingspread Symposium
Steering Committee, developed a critical Declaration and Call to
Action, challenging all members of community to support high performance
school buildings for all children. The list of signatories supporting
this declaration is growing daily and includes individuals and organizations
from across the country working in a variety of areas including
education, health, community development and environmental safety.
The document provides for the first time a clear description of
what it means for a school to be "high performance" and
spells out the many benefits these schools provide for students,
parents, teachers and neighborhoods. If you or your organization
hasn't signed on to this important Declaration, please
click here to go to the 21CSF site >>
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