Murch- Getting screwed again?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the need to right size the number of kids at the school for the space has to be revisited. It would mean tough choices for boundaries.

We went through all this on the last discussion of Murch. It wouldn't help. There isn't enough space at Hearst to accommodate the 1/3 of the school that would need to be moved. It also is not the solution to this problem- finding $10mm is the solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Murch should look to Mann for guidance. Mann doesn't have a separate gym and cafeteria; it is one small space. Mann's parking lot is also very, very small. They ask neighbors -- annually -- to donate parking spaces. It works quite well.

I know Murch is more than twice the size of Mann. I know this. I'm just saying that instead of playing the reactionary Chicken Little, think seriously about how to navigate around DC's roadblocks. Everything is constrained optimization; this is no different.

Also, the neighborhood around Mann is largely SFHs, whereas Murch is near a number of apartment buildings and condos. The density of the two locations is very different. Donating parking around Mann is much, much easier than donating parking around Murch.

If this were any other organization--public or private--heads would be rolling. We would be reading about accountability hearings and people getting put on leave, at the very least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to determine how many seats are available per grade for OOB kids in the upcoming lottery? Can't seem to find it on My School DC. Thanks.

No. Pre-common lottery this data was available. Not anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to determine how many seats are available per grade for OOB kids in the upcoming lottery? Can't seem to find it on My School DC. Thanks.

We did this math last time too- kicking out all oob would only remove 80 kids or so, spread across all the grades. It doesn't move the needle enough. It's also a much worse solution than just properly funding this project.

[Anonymous]

Giving teachers free RPP permits to park in residential areas near schools sounds appealing, but it raises questions: First, it encourages more driving when other public policies are to encourage transit use, ride sharing, etc. Granted some teachers may have no choice but to drive, but handing out free RPP passes will just encourage more car use. Second, if teachers get free RPPs, who else "deserves" them? The school custodians? Why not. Cops? Sure. Fire fighters? Absolutely. Sanitation workers? Uh, well. DMV bureaucrats? Maybe not. And for residents who live in the vicinity of a school, etc. where employees have free street parking will find that the RPP program no longer works for them as they have to park blocks from their homes. So the best solution is to provide on-site (underground if possible) parking and then control (or require a needs based showing) for employees who get the parking. And charge them something for using it.

And quotes like this are why I can always talk about DC education policies with my friends in other cities and laugh at you all. (And I guess me, since we are here.)

Let's go over that logic again!

Giving out FREE parking only encourages MORE parking! But building an underground parking garage, like Janney has. (All schools must have what Janney has, because. Reasons.) But spending millions of dollars for UNDERGROUND parking, would not create an incentive for people to drive!

And, if you are mean and won't give us the underground parking, then obviously, you should not whine when we pave over your preK play area.

--Crazy Shepherd poster, who will at this time, mention again that Shepherd's renovation put a second floor kiln on a 50s building (actually I think they just finished driving in the steel support beams necessary), and built an atrium. And cost 30 million dollars, did no work over the summer because... I think someone forgot to put in the permits? And also did not manage to build a cafeteria. That is without the underground parking though.

Apparently cafeterias are a lot more expensive than atriums, kilns, and parking lots.

Seriously, I only worked as an auditor for a brief period of time, and I have no experience with government contracts, but I really don't know how people who defend this crap can sleep at night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the need to right size the number of kids at the school for the space has to be revisited. It would mean tough choices for boundaries.

The problem with that is that all of the other schools are crowded as well. That might has been an option a few years ago but now every nearby school is stuffed to the gills. I just read yesterday that Hearst won't be taking oob this coming year. I live about a mile from Lafayette, Murch and Janney. Where are you going to redistribute me that makes any meaningful sense?

[Anonymous]

Maybe putting some charter schools in ward 3 would ease some of the overcrowding. It is probably easier (and cheaper) to open a charter than it would be to build another DCPS school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the need to right size the number of kids at the school for the space has to be revisited. It would mean tough choices for boundaries.

Didn't the last boundary revision report include a special provision that Janney's boundaries could be revisited before the next citywide boundary revision in a few years? If so, seems logical that moving Janney's boundaries could also shift Murch, Hearst, Mann, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe putting some charter schools in ward 3 would ease some of the overcrowding. It is probably easier (and cheaper) to open a charter than it would be to build another DCPS school.

Not really, since there's no way to guarantee that those kids would be from Ward 3. The way to solve this would be to either/or both:

1) Properly fund and build Murch
2) Open another Ward 3 DCPS school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe putting some charter schools in ward 3 would ease some of the overcrowding. It is probably easier (and cheaper) to open a charter than it would be to build another DCPS school.

m

This is hilarious. Why don't you call KIPP or DC Pre and see if they are interested in a starting a Ward 3 campus.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe putting some charter schools in ward 3 would ease some of the overcrowding. It is probably easier (and cheaper) to open a charter than it would be to build another DCPS school.

The real estate prices alone make that a really really long shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to determine how many seats are available per grade for OOB kids in the upcoming lottery? Can't seem to find it on My School DC. Thanks.

My understanding is that Murch asked DCPS not to open any new OOB slots for 2016-18 to keep numbers manageable during the swing years. Someone from the SIT/HSA probably has better info on this, though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This reeks of a manufactured crisis that will allow the mayor to swoop in and save the day. Thus endearing herself to a neighborhood population where she did poorly in the general election. And potentially insulating herself from a challenge by the former mayor in two years. Stay tuned....

Doubt this seriously. She's not worried about Gray challenging her in upper NW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Giving teachers free RPP permits to park in residential areas near schools sounds appealing, but it raises questions: First, it encourages more driving when other public policies are to encourage transit use, ride sharing, etc. Granted some teachers may have no choice but to drive, but handing out free RPP passes will just encourage more car use. Second, if teachers get free RPPs, who else "deserves" them? The school custodians? Why not. Cops? Sure. Fire fighters? Absolutely. Sanitation workers? Uh, well. DMV bureaucrats? Maybe not. And for residents who live in the vicinity of a school, etc. where employees have free street parking will find that the RPP program no longer works for them as they have to park blocks from their homes. So the best solution is to provide on-site (underground if possible) parking and then control (or require a needs based showing) for employees who get the parking. And charge them something for using it.

And quotes like this are why I can always talk about DC education policies with my friends in other cities and laugh at you all. (And I guess me, since we are here.)

Let's go over that logic again!

Giving out FREE parking only encourages MORE parking! But building an underground parking garage, like Janney has. (All schools must have what Janney has, because. Reasons.) But spending millions of dollars for UNDERGROUND parking, would not create an incentive for people to drive!

And, if you are mean and won't give us the underground parking, then obviously, you should not whine when we pave over your preK play area.

--Crazy Shepherd poster, who will at this time, mention again that Shepherd's renovation put a second floor kiln on a 50s building (actually I think they just finished driving in the steel support beams necessary), and built an atrium. And cost 30 million dollars, did no work over the summer because... I think someone forgot to put in the permits? And also did not manage to build a cafeteria. That is without the underground parking though.

Apparently cafeterias are a lot more expensive than atriums, kilns, and parking lots.

Seriously, I only worked as an auditor for a brief period of time, and I have no experience with government contracts, but I really don't know how people who defend this crap can sleep at night.

I guess while you were frothing, you missed the logic of the PP?
PP seems to be arguing that deciding who gets to park is a problem, but once you've made a decision about who gets to park, providing those spaces via an underground garage makes the most sense.

I think the better approach is to incentivize public transit or carpooling. Not just paying for public transit and giving out gas cards, but things like prime parking spots for carpoolers, and giftcards for itunes and running shoes and commuter bags for the public transit riders. Walkers and bikers should also be attractively incentivized.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to determine how many seats are available per grade for OOB kids in the upcoming lottery? Can't seem to find it on My School DC. Thanks.

My understanding is that Murch asked DCPS not to open any new OOB slots for 2016-18 to keep numbers manageable during the swing years. Someone from the SIT/HSA probably has better info on this, though.

I'm sure that will work. I mean DCPS seems to be putting the requests from the Murch community first so far. Not.