What are the odds that MacArthur will open in August '23?
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Anonymous
| We have a 7th grader at Hardy and are weighing options for high school. While DCPS' stated position is that the school will open in August '23, it seems like a tall order. I don't think construction has begun (nor has there been a public engagement process yet about designs.) The school does need considerable renovation to make it ready for high-schoolers. Not to mention staff hiring and deciding course offerings etc. If DCPS wants to follow through what was in the announcement, then there will be a sizeable number of OOB slots, which means that the school needs to be somewhat ready for parents to list it in their lottery preferences in 23. That is only 10 months away! Finally, we are concerned about things like course offerings, including AP, extracurriculars (of which Hardy has had very little, like theater, musicals and the like). While someone has to be the first cohort, I worry that the current 7th grade cohort at Hardy will get the short end of the stick with this rushed timetable. Or is it more likely that DCPS starts things off and decides to put off the opening for until August '24? |
Anonymous
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If the contracts are signed already, I'd say 100%.
If not, I'd say 0%. |
Anonymous
+ 1 I’d expect we’ll have a lot more information by October, when you’ll begin looking at application high schools (private and magnet), and even more by March-April when you hear back from those schools and have to decide where to enroll. |
Anonymous
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Have they even initiated procurement yet? There should be an RFP announcement when they are looking to hire architects and builders.
Procurement alone can take 6-12 months. Personally, I don't think its feasible for 2023 if they haven't even gone out with an RFP yet. Usually those will have a 60-90 window to respond. |
Anonymous
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From DCPS Community Affairs and Engagement:
Learn More About DCPS' Newest High School Opening in 2023. A new District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) high school will open in August 2023 at 4530 MacArthur Boulevard NW. Please join DCPS for a virtual information session about the new school on Wednesday, May 11 from 7-8pm. During the meeting, DCPS will provide an overview of the project, outline upcoming planning and engagement efforts, and answer frequently asked questions. We hope to see you there! Join the meeting on May 11 at 7pm via this link: bit.ly/MacArthurInfo511. Please email DCPS.planning@k12.dc.gov for more information. |
Anonymous
I guess we will learn more tomorrow. I don't think they have initiated procurement, nor have they done any community engagement (school community or the neighbors for constructing). They can't even start the bidding until the next fiscal year starts (July 1?). The odds are slim but let's see. |
Anonymous
| Since they are only adding 1 grade at a time, maybe they will use trailers or something at the same time as construction? |
Anonymous
Perhaps but Council just provided initial approval for the budget. There is a 90 period to submit bids for design and construction after the initial call and perhaps some unspecified period for community approval after the design(s) are vetted and finalized. So construction will likely only begin in January. While expansion can take place while the first cohort is in the school, the physical site itself needs to be refurbished even for them -- for instance setting up a cafeteria, science labs etc. Perhaps 8 months is doable? Don't know how long these things take. |
Anonymous
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The odds are zero, because it's been pushed back a year so more studies can be done on boundaries and whatnot:
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1057261.page |
Anonymous
Looks like it's 100% according to tonight's meeting! |
Anonymous
That sound you hear is Goulet flushing his credibility and his chances of victory down the toilet. |
Anonymous
| Missed the meeting tonight -- can anyone give a readout? |
Anonymous
Bit of a disaster. The DCPS folks had a nice presentation prepared but were totally unprepared for the actual plans. They talked at length about parking, traffic, initial refurbishment etc. but were completely silent about the things that matter most -- academic programming, sports, extracurriculars, grandfathering etc. They can't move forward with the curriculum (IB or AP) without a principal in place (or so they said) and the hiring cannot be done without input from a working group. There is a traffic study ongoing and there are some talks with WMATA about transportation but these were woefully inadequate. Overall, it was a chaotic mess, just like the rest of DCPS. While eventually the school may grow into a viable alternative for Jackson/Reed, the first cohort (current Hardy 7th graders) and perhaps the next will suffer with poor offerings, lack of high-school level sports and facilities, ongoing construction and an overall messy high school experience. |
Anonymous
| Also the new mendelson budget delayed funding by a year. (it is up on the budget website) Doubt this causes a veto. I'm guessing it will be for current 6th graders or even the incoming 5th graders. |
Anonymous
The DCPS folks in the presentation were quite categorical that the initial renovations would not be affected by the Mendleson actions. This is going forward. |