District, Prince George’s students ‘incredibly frustrated’ with current learning environment
School chiefs in D.C. and Prince George’s County recently released plans aimed at reviving crumbling classrooms, but both face an uphill battle to secure the backing needed in times of dwindling budgets.
D.C. Public Schools’ long-awaited Master Facilities Plan unveiled Wednesday called for renovation of all public schools within five years. That followed months of criticism that Chancellor Michelle Rhee had failed to meet construction schedules for the current school year.
Rhee, along with Mayor Adrian Fenty, said Wednesday that this plan would more evenly distribute the capital budget’s $1.5 billion. Previously, Fenty said, a few schools got major overhauls while many schools went without any improvement.
Director of Facilities Modernization Allen Lew added that previous renovation schedules would remain about the same, but his department would “focus on better targeting the money.”
Rhee said her plan was critical to providing students in the city a viable learning environment. She recalled uncomfortable feedback she received last year during a visit with students at Columbia Heights’ Cardozo High School. “They had every single right to be incredibly frustrated about the learning environment they’re in every day.”
In Prince George’s County, Superintendent John Deasy presented his capital improvements plan to the public last week amid rumblings of a state budget even more dire than originally predicted. On Tuesday, it was announced that fiscal 2009 revenues will likely come in more than $400 million short of previous estimates, putting school capital budgets even more at risk.
Repairs alone, Deasy said, were estimated in May at $2.1 billion. In addition, nearly $700 million will be needed over 10 years for upkeep and modernizations.
“We certainly understand there are more needs than dollars available,” said Deasy spokesman John White. “But we’re confident the state will make equitable decisions to provide resources to the students who are in greatest need.”
Among the needs in the county are $63 million for outmoded kitchen equipment, $36 million for renovations to career and technical education facilities, and a brand new Fairmont Heights High School to replace one little-changed from its start as an all-black school under segregation.
