Students streamed through the doors of D.C. Public Schools on Monday morning largely without the chaos that has marked years past.
About $200 million in renovations, including five new school buildings, was completed before the first day. Last fall, some projects remained unfinished even as students sat in their classrooms.
Some parents voiced complaints about paint fumes in newly renovated John Burroughs Elementary, but an air quality report over the weekend gave the go-ahead for occupancy.
“In the past there has been a lot of drama about schools being ready,” said Ward 6 Councilman Tommy Wells. “This year is notable for the lack of drama.”
The new year started with the announcement of Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s new “teaching framework.” The 200-page document details what good teaching should look like, including no more than three minutes of teaching time lost to poor organization. The framework will be aligned with teacher assessment and professional development.
How many students those teachers will educate is still not clear. While 37,000 students pre-enrolled, the system predicts more than 45,000 students by later this year. Enrollment numbers shift dramatically in the first few weeks of class as students settle on their desired school and trickle in from extended summer vacations. Wells spent the morning stopping by schools in his ward, including the new, temporary campus of Eastern High School, blocks from RFK Stadium. Construction workers on Sunday completed final touches to the school’s collection of portables abutting Eastern’s historic campus. Custodians collected the last of the stray nails remaining on the decks connecting the classrooms. “Actually, I don’t think it looks that bad,” said Bonnie Duffy Page, who dropped off her granddaughter Monday morning. Page, an alumna of Eastern, said renovations to the main campus were “long overdue.” Nearby at Myrtilla Miner Elementary, students and parents milled around outside before the cafeteria opened for breakfast. Renee Conway, whose daughter Japria will attend second grade at Miner, voiced optimism for the start of the school year based on her “good experiences with the principal and a lot of information about the schools’ curriculum.” Japria simply hoped for a nice teacher. “And one who can make us learn a whole lot of stuff so that when we get big, we can learn more.”
