DCPS Capital Budget Update
The Mayor held a hearing on the DCPS budget, operating and capital,
on Feb. 6 and 7. 21CSF testified at the hearing about the need for
more citizens' oversight of the capital budget and program, and
the need to maintain DC's network of neighborhood schools when thinking
about closings or consolidations. Essentially, DCPS has spent hundreds
of millions of dollars on its capital improvements program over
the last several years, and the system needs to be more careful
and strategic about how it spends future money for this work, especially
as the funding shrinks. The next steps in the budget development
process are: (1) the Mayor will set operating and capital budget
marks; (2) the Council will hold hearings on the budget (on Monday,
April 5); (3) the Council will decide on the budget amounts; and
(4) the budget amounts will then be submitted to Congress for approval.
21CSF Helps Seek Additional Funding for DCPS Historic Schools
On February 9th, 21CSF and DCPS Office of Facilities Management
cosponsored an informational tour of John Phillip Sousa MS and Cardozo
SHS for the National Trust for Historic Preservation (NTHP), a partner
to 21CSF in the Building Educational Success Together (BEST) national
collaborative. The purpose of the tour was to begin to explore the
possibility of obtaining historic preservation grant funds to help
support the planned modernization of these school buildings. Sousa
MS is a National Historic Landmark because of its connection to
the landmark 1954 Supreme Court desegregation case, Brown v. Board
of Education, and Cardozo SHS is on the National Registry of Historic
Places because of its historic architecture. After the tour, NTHP
began seeking grant funds for a Brown v. Board museum display to
be included in Sousa's modernization.
Changing Grade Configurations and Consolidating Mid-Level Schools
in Ward 6
DCPS Office of Facilities Management hosted the second in a series
of "Area D Mid-Level School Study" meetings on February
26. The schools targeted for study are Browne JHS (actually Area
E, Ward 5) and Eliot, Hine, and Terrell JHSs. All are being considered
for reorganization or closing/consolidation because of falling enrollments,
aging facilities, and a HS reform initiative that is looking at
moving all 9th grade students into the high schools. The 2003 Master
Plan Update, which hasn't been approved yet, proposes that each
of these junior high schools be changed to 7th-8th grade middle
schools in the fall of 2005, creating a species of middle school
entirely new to DCPS. However, there's been little discussion at
the meetings about the ramifications to the elementary and secondary
schools. The study meetings are informal and open to the public,
but attendance has been very low. The third meeting is planned for
Eliot in the second week of March. Call the Facilities Planning
Manager's Office at 202-727-8267 for details.
Again, DCPS Facilities Chief Resigns
Dr. Sidney L. Cousin, who was appointed DCPS Associate Superintendent-Chief
of Facilities last fall, recently resigned to take a four month
post as interim superintendent of Howard County Public Schools.
Dr. Cousin retired as deputy superintendent of Howard County Public
Schools last summer, and was hired by then Superintendent Paul Vance
to oversee DCPS facilities and operations. For much of his time
in DCPS, Dr. Cousin was on sick leave. And, Dr. Cousin's resignation
follows the resignation of Sarah Woodhead, former Director of the
Office of Facilities Management, last December.
No More Facilities and Finance Committee
At a recent retreat, the Board of Education decided to abolish
the current committee structure (Facilities & Finance, Teaching
& Learning, etc), and work entirely through the Committee of
the Whole. Accordingly, the Facilities and Finance Committee, which
had responsibility for policy and oversight of all facilities and
budgetary decisions including school planning construction and design,
had its last meeting in February.
|
Adobe Acrobat PDF document