SHAPPE letter with Added Signatures on MacArthur Rd High School
/Dear Council Chair Mendelson,
We appreciate your focus in this year’s capital budget on the DCPS neighborhood schools. Both those identified through the PACE Act as well as those with additional pressures on crowding.
The Capital budget has funding for a new high school in Ward 3 at the MacArthur site of the former Georgetown Day School. This school is planned to relieve the crowding at Jackson Reed HS which is acute. Students from Hardy MS will feed into the new school.
The PACE Act document identifies the projected capacity of the MacArthur HS as 1000, and the capital budget identifies 45m. Our request is for the capacity of this high school to be held at 750 and the budget adjusted to fit that number.
The city is about to embark on both a boundary review and a master education plan. This effort is to address the imbalances and make adjustments. We have capacity at DCPS high schools across the city. They have strong programmatic choices. DCPS has just expanded the capacity of Banneker by 300 students and is building a new Bard HS. Woodson and Cardozo also have space and would welcome more students. With the decision to move STAY out of Roosevelt, Roosevelt will also have additional space.
Students leaving Hardy have many choices. Many will attend their new neighborhood HS but it will not be the full cohort. As they do now, they will take advantage of the application DCPS schools as well as other options. The master planning process will also be able to look at the effect of the new Center City Middle school as an additional choice for families currently choosing out of boundary in wards 2 and 3.
A high school of 750 will achieve the goal of reducing the crowding at Jackson Reed High School (formerly Wilson HS). Enrollments fluctuate. Given the location of this school and the transportation access issues as well as the considerable concern by the neighbors around traffic and parking this is a sound capacity decision. Build this 750-student school now to alleviate the crowding and not more. DCPS has a rich selection of high schools and it has capacity in many of them.
Please also ensure that the FY23 CIP includes sufficient funds to appropriately renovate the building in time for the school’s inaugural cohort of students at this lower capacity. Finally, the city should move expeditiously on developing a programmatic plan for the school in answer to Hardy families’ many questions.
Sincerely,
Cathy Reilly - SHAPPE, Ward 4 and C4DC
Frazier O’Leary - SBOE Ward 4
Ruth Wattenburg- SBOE Ward 3
Allister Chang- SBOE Ward 2
Mary Levy- Ward 2, C4DC
Allyson Criner Brown- Ward 8 Ed Council
Michael Grier - Ward 8 Ed Council
Nzinga Tull - Ward 7 aunt
Laura Fuchs- Ward 5 resident Ward 7 teacher
Marla Dean - Ward 7Ed Council
Beth Sewell- Ward 4 parent and teacher
Suzanne Wells- Ward 6 W6PSPO,
Danica Petrochius -Ward 6 W6PSPO
Scott Goldstein- of EmpowerEd, Ward 4
Alexandra Simbana- past and future DCPS parent
Vanessa Rubio- Ward 4 resident and parent
Susan Ousley, DCPS student supporter
Anne Louise Taylor Ward 5 resident ,Ward 2 DCPS parent
Thomas Byrd- We Act Radio, Education Town Hall
Erich Martel-Ward 3
Sandra Moscoso- Ward 6 resident, Ward 2 parent
Sara Ritchey- Ward 2 parent
Cc: Lewis.Ferebee- Chancellor
Melissa.Kim- Deputy Chancellor
chyanne.Eyde School Planning
Sujata.Bhat- Interim Deputy Chief, Strategic School Planning
Andrea Swiatocha Deputy Chief Facilities
Sarah.Parker Interim Officer, Engagement and Partnerships
Drewana Bey Chief Secondary Schools
Jennifer Comey- Director of Planning, Data and Analysis
Brienne Nadeau- Ward 1 Council Member
Mary Cheh- Ward 3 Council Member
Brooke Pinto- Ward 2 Council Member
Janeese Lewis George - Ward 4 Council Member
Christina Henderson- At Large Council Member