BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm praying that BASIS will locate in an East of the River location. Please, please, please! Signed, Ward 6 parent.

The school wants to have kids from across DC. If the school locates in anything other than the very best building and neighborhood, that will not be possible. Metro accessible, yes. First-class space purchase, yes.

The problem with that is that the very best buildings in the very best neighborhoods AND metro accessible are far too expensive for a new school. And they're not going to be awarded a closed building (even if there were one that fits that definition) ahead of other schools that are already up and running.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

Another charter school that was already up and running tried to get that building and was told no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

Nope, word on the street is that Franklin is to become a boutique hotel. At least two charter schools were given a polite no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The school wants to have kids from across DC. If the school locates in anything other than the very best building and neighborhood, that will not be possible. Metro accessible, yes. First-class space purchase, yes.

Don't most of the popular charters have students from across the city? It was my impression that say, Yu Ying, Haynes, etc have students from every Ward. I'm at Inspired Teaching -- brand new, not the 'very best building and neighborhood' and a bit far from Metro -- and know that there are students from every Ward. Surely the more established popular charters do as well! People will travel for a good school, as PP said.

I might let my middle-schooler take the metro to Brookland. I would NOT let my middle-schooler take the metro to Anacostia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

The school wants to have kids from across DC. If the school locates in anything other than the very best building and neighborhood, that will not be possible. Metro accessible, yes. First-class space purchase, yes.

Don't most of the popular charters have students from across the city? It was my impression that say, Yu Ying, Haynes, etc have students from every Ward. I'm at Inspired Teaching -- brand new, not the 'very best building and neighborhood' and a bit far from Metro -- and know that there are students from every Ward. Surely the more established popular charters do as well! People will travel for a good school, as PP said.

I might let my middle-schooler take the metro to Brookland. I would NOT let my middle-schooler take the metro to Anacostia.

[Anonymous]

I know that two charters were turned down at Franklin--because their proposals were not feasible, aka they had no money. Meanwhile if someone with deep pockets DID have the money, it would be a different story, correct?

Plus I agree-Anacostia is different from Brookland. "centrally located means somewhere along the longitude of 16th ST and the latitude of somewhere South of New York Ave and North of Constitution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

What makes you think they don't have huge donors? The Franklin School was only one option and has been taken off the table as others have said here.

[Anonymous]

I don't know if they have huge donors. Maybe they do, maybe they don't. I just have seen no one post any links or background info that points to donors that are willing to overcome the problems every single other charter has faced in navigating the commercial real estate market in DC which is the number 1 or 2 reason you don't see charter schools en masse West of 16th Street.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

What makes you think they don't have huge donors? The Franklin School was only one option and has been taken off the table as others have said here.

Because they're a non-profit which means their financial reporting data is online at Guidestar. They actually had negative revenues around $600K for the most recent year. They're not sitting on a pile of cash that they can send to DC to buy a downtown building.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

What makes you think they don't have huge donors? The Franklin School was only one option and has been taken off the table as others have said here.

Because they're a non-profit which means their financial reporting data is online at Guidestar. They actually had negative revenues around $600K for the most recent year. They're not sitting on a pile of cash that they can send to DC to buy a downtown building.

You do not know what you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

What makes you think they don't have huge donors? The Franklin School was only one option and has been taken off the table as others have said here.

Because they're a non-profit which means their financial reporting data is online at Guidestar. They actually had negative revenues around $600K for the most recent year. They're not sitting on a pile of cash that they can send to DC to buy a downtown building.

You do not know what you are talking about.

On the contrary, non-profits have to disclose their financials - it's publicly available information. I repeat, they have no cash reserves for a capital campaign. Look it up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I'm curious how folks think BASIS is going to overcome the facility issue with a magical, new, building. Perhaps they should go after the Franklin School and suck in some super huge donors to pay the $40m it will take to renovate.

What makes you think they don't have huge donors? The Franklin School was only one option and has been taken off the table as others have said here.

Because they're a non-profit which means their financial reporting data is online at Guidestar. They actually had negative revenues around $600K for the most recent year. They're not sitting on a pile of cash that they can send to DC to buy a downtown building.

You do not know what you are talking about.

On the contrary, non-profits have to disclose their financials - it's publicly available information. I repeat, they have no cash reserves for a capital campaign. Look it up.

You will be shocked soon.

[Anonymous]

^^^^I believe this person. Basis is a whole different animal than charters we have already seen. Don't know why people can't process that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^^^I believe this person. Basis is a whole different animal than charters we have already seen. Don't know why people can't process that.

I don't think anyone has trouble processing. We're just waiting for a little more than smoke and mirrors before we start doing back-flips in jubilation. What nobody has yet answered is:

What is the plan for taking 5th graders who are performing far below grade level and getting them to succeed in AP classes? BASIS doesn't get to pick and choose its students. The state average for 4th grade (the students who will be entering Middle School) Reading Proficiency is 61% The state average for 4th grade Math Proficiency is 45%.

Where are the necessary millions to buy or build the metro-accessible fantasy facility referenced up-thread? According to their tax forms, they're over half a million in the hole. That's not really such a big deal in and of itself, but what's the business plan to raise $15 million to acquire a building? And, assuming they actually could come up with $15 million, why would they spend it all here? They didn't even get the approval they sought for a High School. You don't think the parents of all those kids in both of their Arizona schools are going to have a collective hissy-fit to see it all funnelled to DC when their own children are college-ready?

I think everyone wants them to succeed, but your idea of rhetoric is "You will be shocked." That's not a persuasive argument, it's juvenile. The thing about a business plan, is that people (or organizations) who have them generally WANT to share them because they build support and investor confidence. It doesn't sound credible that BASIS has all of this in its back pocket, and just wants to keep it a secret.