Why is Janney getting another million dollar renovation……

[Anonymous]

Makes us glad we chose to live a few miles away in Bethesda and have MoCo schools. Overcrowding there also, but never heard of disconnected phone lines and mice problems.

[Anonymous]

The reason is that it costs almost as much to add the trailers because of trailer requirements per building codes now given the structures already in place (they are building up over existing space). The first renovation was designed for fewer early ES classrooms than they needed and with the expectation that there was a large drop off in third grade. They now have five k and first grade classrooms and those kids are not leaving before fifth and four classes for grades above that, no sure if they will be having 5 classes all the way through as the current first graders are what pushed it to 5 classes. They have 60 preK students and 58 IB kids on the wait list. Three years ago they had 3 k classes and (I think) 2 4th and 5th grade classes (and possibly 3rd too, not sure). They are making do with converting existing space but the need for classrooms increases evey year and there is a limit before trailers (which are very expensive and temporary) would be needs absent this addition.

[Anonymous]

Does that mean there will be more PK4 slots this fall?

[Anonymous]

DCPS should NOT be moving up construction for PRE-K fulfillment. There's overflow predictions for pre-k in every single neighborhood. Suck it up and get trailers like every other school and mind your place in the queue.

Someone should take this to the mayor's office.

[Anonymous]

This is not about preK, it is about k through 5th demand for classroom space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is not about preK, it is about k through 5th demand for classroom space.

The new classrooms will be used for K, 1st, 2nd, etc classrooms, not PK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The reason is that it costs almost as much to add the trailers because of trailer requirements per building codes now given the structures already in place (they are building up over existing space). The first renovation was designed for fewer early ES classrooms than they needed and with the expectation that there was a large drop off in third grade. They now have five k and first grade classrooms and those kids are not leaving before fifth and four classes for grades above that, no sure if they will be having 5 classes all the way through as the current first graders are what pushed it to 5 classes. They have 60 preK students and 58 IB kids on the wait list. Three years ago they had 3 k classes and (I think) 2 4th and 5th grade classes (and possibly 3rd too, not sure). They are making do with converting existing space but the need for classrooms increases evey year and there is a limit before trailers (which are very expensive and temporary) would be needs absent this addition.

blahblahblah....

I can tell you all sort of stories about many schools that saw enrollment patterns shift dramatically in the last few years---we all have the stories---but we all do NOT have two multi-million dollar renovations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason is that it costs almost as much to add the trailers because of trailer requirements per building codes now given the structures already in place (they are building up over existing space). The first renovation was designed for fewer early ES classrooms than they needed and with the expectation that there was a large drop off in third grade. They now have five k and first grade classrooms and those kids are not leaving before fifth and four classes for grades above that, no sure if they will be having 5 classes all the way through as the current first graders are what pushed it to 5 classes. They have 60 preK students and 58 IB kids on the wait list. Three years ago they had 3 k classes and (I think) 2 4th and 5th grade classes (and possibly 3rd too, not sure). They are making do with converting existing space but the need for classrooms increases evey year and there is a limit before trailers (which are very expensive and temporary) would be needs absent this addition.

blahblahblah....

I can tell you all sort of stories about many schools that saw enrollment patterns shift dramatically in the last few years---we all have the stories---but we all do NOT have two multi-million dollar renovations.

+1,000. I smell a rat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason is that it costs almost as much to add the trailers because of trailer requirements per building codes now given the structures already in place (they are building up over existing space). The first renovation was designed for fewer early ES classrooms than they needed and with the expectation that there was a large drop off in third grade. They now have five k and first grade classrooms and those kids are not leaving before fifth and four classes for grades above that, no sure if they will be having 5 classes all the way through as the current first graders are what pushed it to 5 classes. They have 60 preK students and 58 IB kids on the wait list. Three years ago they had 3 k classes and (I think) 2 4th and 5th grade classes (and possibly 3rd too, not sure). They are making do with converting existing space but the need for classrooms increases evey year and there is a limit before trailers (which are very expensive and temporary) would be needs absent this addition.

blahblahblah....

I can tell you all sort of stories about many schools that saw enrollment patterns shift dramatically in the last few years---we all have the stories---but we all do NOT have two multi-million dollar renovations.

Exactly. If I had my school SHUT DOWN last year I would be livid this neighborhood is getting resources literally poured into it. Trailers are okay for the rest of the city but not Janney kids?

[Anonymous]

Janney and its parent community seem like they are a well-oiled machine, unlike the school and community where I am a parent, so frankly, kudos to them for getting what they need for their own school. Sounds like a lot of sour grapes on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that is not how a school district should be run PP, sour grapes or not.

[Anonymous]

It does suck but it certainly tells you that DCPS responds to money and well organized parents. It sucks that we can't even get enough parents organized enough at my IB to form a freaking PTA at this point. I can't hate on Janney, Im jealous I can't get my kid in. And this is business as usual for for anything related to DC govt. Heck, the cap hill parents will probably be able to convince DCPS and the Charters that their kids deserve pref for basis above all over other kids. Again, similar demographics of parents. money buys access in this town. Same shit, different day.

[Anonymous]

It is not a second renovation. It is an addition of space, space they will need to add, either as trailers or as an addition. The existing building structure will hold the addition of classrooms on top. Would you have them spend almost as much money on trailers or use the same money for a permanent solution.

Really nice renovations are happening all over this city, not just in upper NW and not just where there is high demand and high taxpayers. Janney got lucky in the end after a protracted fight that it's renovation was tied to library construction which dragged on for years (the Tenley library was an empty lot for 5 years). It's renovation is no nicer than the others that were done in the same timeframe all over the city and that are in the planning/execution stages right now.

I agree they should move faster on many renovations, but is that a reason to make a poor infrastructure decision here?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It does suck but it certainly tells you that DCPS responds to money and well organized parents. It sucks that we can't even get enough parents organized enough at my IB to form a freaking PTA at this point. I can't hate on Janney, Im jealous I can't get my kid in. And this is business as usual for for anything related to DC govt. Heck, the cap hill parents will probably be able to convince DCPS and the Charters that their kids deserve pref for basis above all over other kids. Again, similar demographics of parents. money buys access in this town. Same shit, different day.

I bet we go to the same school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is not a second renovation. It is an addition of space, space they will need to add, either as trailers or as an addition. The existing building structure will hold the addition of classrooms on top. Would you have them spend almost as much money on trailers or use the same money for a permanent solution.

Really nice renovations are happening all over this city, not just in upper NW and not just where there is high demand and high taxpayers. Janney got lucky in the end after a protracted fight that it's renovation was tied to library construction which dragged on for years (the Tenley library was an empty lot for 5 years). It's renovation is no nicer than the others that were done in the same timeframe all over the city and that are in the planning/execution stages right now.

I agree they should move faster on many renovations, but is that a reason to make a poor infrastructure decision here?

They are adding two levels, classrooms and bathrooms to the early childhood wing. That, by definition, is renovation. Trailers take approximately two weeks to install. And that's what Janney should be getting, just like every single other elementary school in the city.