Stevens Elementary

[Anonymous]

Today's Post Metro section said that plans to develop Rhee-closed historic Stevens elementary school near GWU were canned and it is back in planning stages--perhaps as a hotel. Does anyone know the backstory on why this choice location would not have been snapped up by charters, and why they could/couldn't bid now?

[Anonymous]

I think that more than one charter put in a bid; unfortunately, these proposals were not among the finalists. I do not know whether they were seriously considered.
Perhaps the new administration will take a different approach.

It is too bad that the decision was made to close historic Stevens elementary and reassign young elementary school students to Francis Middle School. But that's another question.

[Anonymous]

I hate to see school buildings leave school hands. That kind of property can never be regained back to the education sector

[Anonymous]

This is why I didn't vote for Fenty. He ignored charter bids and gave desirable locations to more lucrative private developers. In spite of a law to the contrary. Hines Jr High is another example

[Anonymous]

Bacchus Jr High is another example (though to UDC, not a private).

[Anonymous]

I am grateful that Bacchus Jr. High is going to be the new community college. We have needed a community college in this city for years and it will be a great contribution to the many individuals that need an affordable leg up for education. While I am not sad about the Stevens change, I can see why it would make sense to keep DCPS property benefiting DCPS students through development.

[Anonymous]

21:00 here. I'm happy DC has a community college, but I live in Ward 5 and we no longer have a middle school, which I think is a bad thing (though Bacchus was failing). With it out of the system, though, we don't have an option of getting it back and remaking it. And I think that's a real disservice to this part of the city. And failing that, I think it should have gone to any number of charter schools for which it would have been a good space. I believe, according to the law, that they should have had priority over an institution of higher learning (even a public one).

[Anonymous]

Agreed. All of these buildings were designed for student use, as opposed to the church basements and office buildings that charters camp out in -- or the prohibitive cost of building a totally new public school - say in ward 5 one day....