Six schools would close and a dozen more would be reconfigured under a new plan released Monday by D.C. Public Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey to rid the system of 1 million square feet of excess space by this fall.
The plan calls for moving about 150 students from the overcrowded Oyster Elementary in Northwest to nearby Adams Elementary. Targeted for closure are Fletcher-Johnson Education Center, Merritt, Shadd, M.C. Terrell, Van Ness and Walker-Jones elementary schools.
The proposal also lays the groundwork for increased public-private partnerships at another eight schools — including co-location with charter schools andcity agencies — such as Bunker Hill, Evans, Harrison and Old Miner elementary schools, Elliott Middle School and the Sharpe Health Annex.
DCPS Chief Business Officer Tom Brady said the system will lease the buildings to “appropriate” organizations, including charter schools and possibly city agencies, but would not comment on any specific plans. When asked if the buildings would be leased to condominium developers to take advantage of the hot real estate market, Brady said, “Absolutely not.”
Janey said the proposal, which would shift about 1,600 students, could save the system more than $8 million over the next year. The 602-page “master facilities plan,” which is expected to guide future closings, consolidations and billions in renovations, is expected to be released on Wednesday.
The next round of closures is expected to be unveiled in November.
The D.C. Board of Education voted in March to close 1 million square feet of underutilized space by this fall and another 2 million square feet by 2008 to bring the school system more in line with continually decreasing enrollment. The system has lost nearly 10,000 students in the past five years. A final vote on the proposal is scheduled for June 28 after a series of public hearings.
Last month, however, the School Board voted to consider Janey’s proposal “in whole,” hoping to avoid the “piecemealing” of the proposal by inevitable critics.
School Board Member William Lockridge, who stressed Monday that these were “just recommendations,” said public input on the proposal is “far from over.” Lockridge, who represents 41 percent of the system’s 58,000 students in wards 7 and 8, said “for me, this is not a done deal.”
Schools to Be Closed — And Where Students Would Go
» Fletcher-Johnson Education Center: Students would go to Nalle Elementary and Ron Brown Middle School.
» MerrittElementary: Students would go to Burrville and Houston elementaries and Ron Brown Middle School.
» Shadd Elementary: Students would go to Drew Elementary.
» M.C. Terrell Elementary: Students would go McGogney Elementary.
» Van Ness Elementary: Most students would go to Prospect Learning Center.
» Walker-Jones Elementary: Students would go to R.H. Terrell Elementary.
