Funding for Coolidge

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it really interesting how often over the last decade I've read and heard that Dcps makes decisions to spend hundreds of millions on half empty schools because of the squeaky wheel alumni. I loved my high school but I don't expect it to remain the same or even continue to exist. I get having fond memories and all that, but perhaps back off and allow the city to change in ways that make the most sense, not demand that we stay stuck in the past based on some weird obsession with nostalgia. Why do our elects officials allow people who haven't been students in decades to dictate our school planning?

Agree and it's more than half empty. Redistrict to Roosevelt and call it Roosevelt Coolidge if you want. What part of the school are the alums so nostalgic about? Fwiw I guess it doesn't matter much about DC's budget if Republican Congress has it their way. BS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$160 million? Why is it so expensive? Is there underground parking?

That's pretty typical for the high schools ...

Wilson was $100m and serves almost five times as many students -- and people considered that excessive at the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$160 million? Why is it so expensive? Is there underground parking?

That's pretty typical for the high schools ...

Wilson was $100m and serves almost five times as many students -- and people considered that excessive at the time.

Coolidge is in far worse shape than what Wilson was. Take a tour, its like walking through a prison.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:$160 million? Why is it so expensive? Is there underground parking?

That's pretty typical for the high schools ...

Wilson was $100m and serves almost five times as many students -- and people considered that excessive at the time.

Coolidge is in far worse shape than what Wilson was. Take a tour, its like walking through a prison.

And contracting prices have skyrocketed in just the past couple years.

[Anonymous]

Ballou - $159M
Ellington - $177M
Roosevelt - $136M
Anacostia - $63M
Cardozo - $122M
Dunbar - $128M
Eastern - $77M
Wilson - $115M

Someone else can find the rest. It's staggering and the process stretches over 3 different mayors.

[Anonymous]

Coolidge is also the largest square footage of any school in DCPS. 350,000 square feet is a lot of building. Every single system and structure in the building needs significant work. Nothing is in good shape.

However $160 million for 400 kids with no plan on how they might turn the school around is absolutely foolish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge is also the largest square footage of any school in DCPS. 350,000 square feet is a lot of building. Every single system and structure in the building needs significant work. Nothing is in good shape.

However $160 million for 400 kids with no plan on how they might turn the school around is absolutely foolish.

$160 million for 700-800 kids (MS / HS) would be a little more reasonable. And it doesn't have to be a single combined school. Roosevelt and MacFarland are just across from eachother. DCPS could build two completely separate schools within the one building. I suspect the feasibility study is going through how to do that most reasonably.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge is also the largest square footage of any school in DCPS. 350,000 square feet is a lot of building. Every single system and structure in the building needs significant work. Nothing is in good shape.

However $160 million for 400 kids with no plan on how they might turn the school around is absolutely foolish.

$160 million for 700-800 kids (MS / HS) would be a little more reasonable. And it doesn't have to be a single combined school. Roosevelt and MacFarland are just across from eachother. DCPS could build two completely separate schools within the one building. I suspect the feasibility study is going through how to do that most reasonably.

What feasibility study?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge is also the largest square footage of any school in DCPS. 350,000 square feet is a lot of building. Every single system and structure in the building needs significant work. Nothing is in good shape.

However $160 million for 400 kids with no plan on how they might turn the school around is absolutely foolish.

$160 million for 700-800 kids (MS / HS) would be a little more reasonable. And it doesn't have to be a single combined school. Roosevelt and MacFarland are just across from eachother. DCPS could build two completely separate schools within the one building. I suspect the feasibility study is going through how to do that most reasonably.

What feasibility study?

I thought that's what DCPS is doing now, looking into Coolidge being renovated into Coolidge HS + New Ward 4 North MS, but I'm not sure where I heard that. Maybe I'm wrong. If they aren't, then they should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coolidge is also the largest square footage of any school in DCPS. 350,000 square feet is a lot of building. Every single system and structure in the building needs significant work. Nothing is in good shape.

However $160 million for 400 kids with no plan on how they might turn the school around is absolutely foolish.

$160 million for 700-800 kids (MS / HS) would be a little more reasonable. And it doesn't have to be a single combined school. Roosevelt and MacFarland are just across from eachother. DCPS could build two completely separate schools within the one building. I suspect the feasibility study is going through how to do that most reasonably.

What feasibility study?

I thought that's what DCPS is doing now, looking into Coolidge being renovated into Coolidge HS + New Ward 4 North MS, but I'm not sure where I heard that. Maybe I'm wrong. If they aren't, then they should.

Nope. DCPS proceeding with making it another high school only. Some neighbors are pushing them to consider it as a co-location for North but no one has agreed and there is opposition from the Coolidge community and its alumni network (few students now but HUGE crowds turn out for football games in the fall).

At this point North Middle is a mirage, not a clue where it would be built.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find it really interesting how often over the last decade I've read and heard that Dcps makes decisions to spend hundreds of millions on half empty schools because of the squeaky wheel alumni. I loved my high school but I don't expect it to remain the same or even continue to exist. I get having fond memories and all that, but perhaps back off and allow the city to change in ways that make the most sense, not demand that we stay stuck in the past based on some weird obsession with nostalgia. Why do our elects officials allow people who haven't been students in decades to dictate our school planning?

Because they vote. Because they turn out in large numbers at stuff like candidates' forums, the Ward 4 Democrats meetings, and fundraisers. Because the first question that gets asked when anyone stands up to give their opinion at a community meeting is "how long have you lived here?" and if the answer is less than half your life people will scoff at you out loud. Because "native Washingtonian" is the most important thing you can be here if you want your ideas to matter--and being a white 10-year-old born at GW or Washington Hospital Center or Sibley is not going to cut it. That may change over time, for better or worse, but it sure hasn't changed yet.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:I guess I haven't been paying attention, but I just learned that Coolidge has been budgeted nearly $160 million for its renovation. That will likely be delayed because Chairman Mendelson is in the process of taking that money to use for the homeless shelters. But, the funds are supposed to be restored for Coolidge next year.

Coolidge currently has 400 students according to profiles.dcps.dc.gov. As we have been discussion on this forum, Murch (620 students) and Shepherd (318 students) are struggling for funds to complete their renovations. I know that it is supposed to be some sort of political third rail, but wouldn't it make sense to mothball Coolidge and send its students to newly-renovated Roosevelt until the space is actually needed?

Yes! A thousand times yes!

Some people have b*tched about the $180M price tag for Duke Ellington but at least Ellington gets used! Renovating Coolidge would accomplish nothing - the population will still be in decline. Coolidge is totally unnecessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it really interesting how often over the last decade I've read and heard that Dcps makes decisions to spend hundreds of millions on half empty schools because of the squeaky wheel alumni. I loved my high school but I don't expect it to remain the same or even continue to exist. I get having fond memories and all that, but perhaps back off and allow the city to change in ways that make the most sense, not demand that we stay stuck in the past based on some weird obsession with nostalgia. Why do our elects officials allow people who haven't been students in decades to dictate our school planning?

Agree and it's more than half empty. Redistrict to Roosevelt and call it Roosevelt Coolidge if you want. What part of the school are the alums so nostalgic about? Fwiw I guess it doesn't matter much about DC's budget if Republican Congress has it their way. BS!

The football program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

jsteele wrote:I guess I haven't been paying attention, but I just learned that Coolidge has been budgeted nearly $160 million for its renovation. That will likely be delayed because Chairman Mendelson is in the process of taking that money to use for the homeless shelters. But, the funds are supposed to be restored for Coolidge next year.

Coolidge currently has 400 students according to profiles.dcps.dc.gov. As we have been discussion on this forum, Murch (620 students) and Shepherd (318 students) are struggling for funds to complete their renovations. I know that it is supposed to be some sort of political third rail, but wouldn't it make sense to mothball Coolidge and send its students to newly-renovated Roosevelt until the space is actually needed?

Yes! A thousand times yes!

Some people have b*tched about the $180M price tag for Duke Ellington but at least Ellington gets used! Renovating Coolidge would accomplish nothing - the population will still be in decline. Coolidge is totally unnecessary.

The population in the northern part of the city is definitely not in decline. If you look at a 10 year horizon, it absolutely makes sense to have MS / HS capacity in the area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I find it really interesting how often over the last decade I've read and heard that Dcps makes decisions to spend hundreds of millions on half empty schools because of the squeaky wheel alumni. I loved my high school but I don't expect it to remain the same or even continue to exist. I get having fond memories and all that, but perhaps back off and allow the city to change in ways that make the most sense, not demand that we stay stuck in the past based on some weird obsession with nostalgia. Why do our elects officials allow people who haven't been students in decades to dictate our school planning?

Because they vote. Because they turn out in large numbers at stuff like candidates' forums, the Ward 4 Democrats meetings, and fundraisers. Because the first question that gets asked when anyone stands up to give their opinion at a community meeting is "how long have you lived here?" and if the answer is less than half your life people will scoff at you out loud. Because "native Washingtonian" is the most important thing you can be here if you want your ideas to matter--and being a white 10-year-old born at GW or Washington Hospital Center or Sibley is not going to cut it. That may change over time, for better or worse, but it sure hasn't changed yet.

And yet, demographics will shape that corner of the district too. What percentage of those "Native Washingtonians" are actually parents of young children? They won't be families using the schools. Coolidge's population will continue to decline because old families are too old have children to send there. Young families feel no attraction to this proposed model.

Other than the developers who pay into Bowser's campaign, low-bid to get the deal, and then inflate the final price tag nobody benefits.