New DCPS school on former Georgetown Day site will be a high school

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean GDS! Who was the buyer GDS had lined up before DCPS stepped in for the MacArthur site

It was a NYC based school that was planning to expand to the DC area. But they canceled their expansion plans and pulled out. GDS had no buyers at that point and were feeling pretty desperate but then DCPS stepped in with a full price offer.
Other schools looked at it but decided building + site was pretty crappy and not worth it. I don’t think DCPS did due diligence.

Other schools are for profit or have to do a capital campaign to fix up a site. DCPS has a bigger capital budget for schools.

Unless you're Lab School, a private school which Bowser thinks should be just handed property without any public input (perhaps because nearly the entire Lab School board has donated heavily to her campaign).

Disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean GDS! Who was the buyer GDS had lined up before DCPS stepped in for the MacArthur site

It was a NYC based school that was planning to expand to the DC area. But they canceled their expansion plans and pulled out. GDS had no buyers at that point and were feeling pretty desperate but then DCPS stepped in with a full price offer.
Other schools looked at it but decided building + site was pretty crappy and not worth it. I don’t think DCPS did due diligence.

Other schools are for profit or have to do a capital campaign to fix up a site. DCPS has a bigger capital budget for schools.

So they should just pay whatever someone asks, even though there is no competition for it? Fine by me, too. I don’t care how they spend my tax dollars….

ps: Would you like to buy ny used Honda Civic? The price is $45,000.

This exactly. Whoever did the transaction for DCPS was either not the brightest or just didn’t care about wasting DC taxpayer money

[Anonymous]

Palisades neighborhood is a terrible location for a new highschool. Just once, I would like to see DCPS get something right. Guess it is just too much to ask.

[Anonymous]

That plot of land is zoned only for a school. You can’t do anything else without getting the city to change the zoning. DCPS could’ve bent GDS over a barrel, but Bowser wanted the deal closed and new HS approved before the 2022 general election.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who was the mystery buyer DCPS had lined up? I'm inclined to think it was Maret, given their obvious thirst.

It was an out of state charter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That plot of land is zoned only for a school. You can’t do anything else without getting the city to change the zoning. DCPS could’ve bent GDS over a barrel, but Bowser wanted the deal closed and new HS approved before the 2022 general election.

It's zoned residential. It has a zoning variance that allows a private school to be operated there. It could have been sold to a developer who would have built mid-rise housing. Apparently a school is a more valuable use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who was the mystery buyer DCPS had lined up? I'm inclined to think it was Maret, given their obvious thirst.

It was an out of state charter.

It was Avenues, an international franchised private school. It was going to be their DC franchisee.

[Anonymous]

This new high school is a waste of money. They should have used the money to modernize another elementary school in ward 7 or 8.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also pointing out to the sports eye-rollers that it’s really important to play a varsity sport if you want to get into a top college. And demonstrate leadership in multiple extracurriculars. This isn’t just personal preference but could be a real challenge for some of the early cohorts. That said, I’m sure there are ways to solve it.

No, it isn’t. Come on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it will be immensely popular. The building will be gorgeous, it will not be overcrowded and kids peers from Hardy will be there. It is also perhaps more convenient than Wilson for some definitely for those in the key boundary.

Have you seen plans for this “gorgeous” building? Roughly 500 out of the 1500 kids attending will be at-risk out of boundary by design, according to the plan. It’s sole purpose isn’t to serve the surrounding community. They’re setting a precedent for an entirely new system here.

How will someone living east of the park (aka not zoned for hardy or deal) who is at risk get to the school via public transit in less than an hour. They know they will never get that many at risk kids from oob enrolling. If they really wanted to do this they should at least do it at Wilson which is right on the metro.

I could be wrong but I believe at risk are entitled to a school bus.

Wrong. All DCPS students who must travel to school are entitled to Metro/bus passes.

AND some out of bounds kids arrive in school buses…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, how is it possible they could have this school opened for the 23/24 school year? They haven’t even bid it out yet let alone broken ground and the facility is much larger than the elementary school renovations that have all taken almost 2 years up to the day to renovate.

While they may not have to "break ground" as it were, I am a little confused as to the SY23/24 timeline quoted in the communication sent out by DC Central office. This is only a line item in the budget which needs to be approved by Council. And the new fiscal year is not until July (I'm not sure but I think that is the earliest). So bids for planning will go out in the summer and finalized late Fall. Given that the site was originally for K-8 for 600 kids (and without a cafeteria etc.) I would imagine that it will take longer than 9 months to finish up all the work, given that they need to put in labs etc. Eaton renovation took over 2 years but granted it did involve a lot of foundation work for the new section.

Then there is the question of sequencing -- if the current crop of 7th Graders at Hardy are the first to attend this school, that only makes about 120 kids for the 9th grade class. Are they planning to fill the rest by lottery + at risk preference? Are there even that many kids in the system who would want to attend? What about class offerings? If the majority are at risk in grades 10-12, will they have sufficient mass to offer AP/honors classes right off the bat? While this may sound politically incorrect, am I accurate in assuming that many of these possible 10-12th graders are coming from other schools in the system that do not currently have extensive AP offerings (or honors?)

If not, then what is the draw of this school?

I'm wondering if they plan to add one additional class each year?

So 23-24 has only the freshman class. 24-25 has freshman and sophomore classes. Etc.

In this scenario, they do not need the entire campus finished by 22-23. They can work on renovations and expansion each year, adding more capacity for the next year's additional class. Finally, by year 26-27 the school has all four grades filled.

This is how most new schools operate. It wouldn't make sense to fill all grades the same year.

So this high school would be totally inferior to Wilson with regard to athletics opportunities? How can they offer funded, competitive programs when you only have freshmen trying out? And then only freshman and sophomores the next year. And how does ramping up the student body like that allow for all the course offerings, including honors and AP? This plan seems like it might roll out as a bait and switch, at least for advanced and athletic kids. For the first 2 or 3 years, Hardy kids should be given the option to choose to go to Wilson or the new HS (like they did with Eaton with Hardy and Deal). I attended many of the meetings about the Gtown day and Old Hardy properties and every presentation emphasized that there WOULD be grandfathering. The
Y better stick to that promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, how is it possible they could have this school opened for the 23/24 school year? They haven’t even bid it out yet let alone broken ground and the facility is much larger than the elementary school renovations that have all taken almost 2 years up to the day to renovate.

While they may not have to "break ground" as it were, I am a little confused as to the SY23/24 timeline quoted in the communication sent out by DC Central office. This is only a line item in the budget which needs to be approved by Council. And the new fiscal year is not until July (I'm not sure but I think that is the earliest). So bids for planning will go out in the summer and finalized late Fall. Given that the site was originally for K-8 for 600 kids (and without a cafeteria etc.) I would imagine that it will take longer than 9 months to finish up all the work, given that they need to put in labs etc. Eaton renovation took over 2 years but granted it did involve a lot of foundation work for the new section.

Then there is the question of sequencing -- if the current crop of 7th Graders at Hardy are the first to attend this school, that only makes about 120 kids for the 9th grade class. Are they planning to fill the rest by lottery + at risk preference? Are there even that many kids in the system who would want to attend? What about class offerings? If the majority are at risk in grades 10-12, will they have sufficient mass to offer AP/honors classes right off the bat? While this may sound politically incorrect, am I accurate in assuming that many of these possible 10-12th graders are coming from other schools in the system that do not currently have extensive AP offerings (or honors?)

If not, then what is the draw of this school?

I'm wondering if they plan to add one additional class each year?

So 23-24 has only the freshman class. 24-25 has freshman and sophomore classes. Etc.

In this scenario, they do not need the entire campus finished by 22-23. They can work on renovations and expansion each year, adding more capacity for the next year's additional class. Finally, by year 26-27 the school has all four grades filled.

This is how most new schools operate. It wouldn't make sense to fill all grades the same year.

Yes, but this would be really rough extracurricularly for a high school. No teams basically (or totally non-competitive ones that will get crushed); I assume you'd need to grandfather them into Wilson or something along those lines. That alone would drive lots of kids away.

I'd be fine if the high school didn't have a major focus on sports, if instead it was an IB program or STEM-focused. Football is declining pretty quickly in popularity and is a huge money suck. There won't be a pool at this site.

I'd expect the new MacArthur HS to instead focus on sports activities with a small footprint - tennis, crew (take advantage of easy access to the Potomac!), basketball, cross-country running, etc. Maybe utilize Palisades Rec Center for soccer and baseball/softball teams.

In short, don't expect this school to be a sports powerhouse. You can go elsewhere in the city if you want your kid to have that experience.

Who the hell are you to say? If this is suddenly the by right HS for kids who were for the last 9 years fully expecting to go to Wilson, the city can’t deny those kids access to an equitable experience. They will grandfather.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What % of kids DO play a sport in HS? I’m honestly curious. It was not my thing and I didn’t hang out with that crowd so I have no idea. I had one friend who played soccer.

Anyway, I have heard there’s a thing where if your charter school doesn’t offer a sport you can try out and play for a DCPS team. Seems like they could work something out for the jock kids at the new school if they don’t have enough kids/coaches to field a team right away…

I think it's around 50% nationally. But I believe that includes both school-based and community-based teams combined.

I'd be curious to know what percentage of kids at Wilson HS play a sport. That will most accurately mirror the demand for sports at a new MacArthur HS.

The point is that for many students and many families athletics is a vital part of the high school experience. Failing to provide students with these opportunities, when until recently, anticipated attending Wilson by right, which has a strong athletics program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What % of kids DO play a sport in HS? I’m honestly curious. It was not my thing and I didn’t hang out with that crowd so I have no idea. I had one friend who played soccer.

Anyway, I have heard there’s a thing where if your charter school doesn’t offer a sport you can try out and play for a DCPS team. Seems like they could work something out for the jock kids at the new school if they don’t have enough kids/coaches to field a team right away…

I think it's around 50% nationally. But I believe that includes both school-based and community-based teams combined.

I'd be curious to know what percentage of kids at Wilson HS play a sport. That will most accurately mirror the demand for sports at a new MacArthur HS.

The point is that for many students and many families athletics is a vital part of the high school experience. Failing to provide students with these opportunities, when until recently, anticipated attending Wilson by right, which has a strong athletics program.

Where will they play sports? This site does not have the space. School without Walls doesn’t have space either but that is an application school so it is your choice whether to apply. This is a different situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Also, how is it possible they could have this school opened for the 23/24 school year? They haven’t even bid it out yet let alone broken ground and the facility is much larger than the elementary school renovations that have all taken almost 2 years up to the day to renovate.

While they may not have to "break ground" as it were, I am a little confused as to the SY23/24 timeline quoted in the communication sent out by DC Central office. This is only a line item in the budget which needs to be approved by Council. And the new fiscal year is not until July (I'm not sure but I think that is the earliest). So bids for planning will go out in the summer and finalized late Fall. Given that the site was originally for K-8 for 600 kids (and without a cafeteria etc.) I would imagine that it will take longer than 9 months to finish up all the work, given that they need to put in labs etc. Eaton renovation took over 2 years but granted it did involve a lot of foundation work for the new section.

Then there is the question of sequencing -- if the current crop of 7th Graders at Hardy are the first to attend this school, that only makes about 120 kids for the 9th grade class. Are they planning to fill the rest by lottery + at risk preference? Are there even that many kids in the system who would want to attend? What about class offerings? If the majority are at risk in grades 10-12, will they have sufficient mass to offer AP/honors classes right off the bat? While this may sound politically incorrect, am I accurate in assuming that many of these possible 10-12th graders are coming from other schools in the system that do not currently have extensive AP offerings (or honors?)

If not, then what is the draw of this school?

I'm wondering if they plan to add one additional class each year?

So 23-24 has only the freshman class. 24-25 has freshman and sophomore classes. Etc.

In this scenario, they do not need the entire campus finished by 22-23. They can work on renovations and expansion each year, adding more capacity for the next year's additional class. Finally, by year 26-27 the school has all four grades filled.

This is how most new schools operate. It wouldn't make sense to fill all grades the same year.

So this high school would be totally inferior to Wilson with regard to athletics opportunities? How can they offer funded, competitive programs when you only have freshmen trying out? And then only freshman and sophomores the next year. And how does ramping up the student body like that allow for all the course offerings, including honors and AP? This plan seems like it might roll out as a bait and switch, at least for advanced and athletic kids. For the first 2 or 3 years, Hardy kids should be given the option to choose to go to Wilson or the new HS (like they did with Eaton with Hardy and Deal). I attended many of the meetings about the Gtown day and Old Hardy properties and every presentation emphasized that there WOULD be grandfathering. The
Y better stick to that promise.

Under DCPS rules, if you attend a school that doesn't offer a sport you're interested in you're eligible to play for a school that does.

Here's a list of all DCPS high schools and their enrollment:

River Terrace Education Campus 132
Luke C. Moore High School 208
Bard High School Early College DC (Bard DC) 265
Phelps Architecture, Construction and Engineering High School 276
Anacostia High School 326
H.D. Woodson High School 434
Ballou STAY High School 523
Benjamin Banneker High School 549
Coolidge High School 561
Duke Ellington School of the Arts 591
School Without Walls High School 600
Cardozo Education Campus 621
Roosevelt STAY High School 634
Ballou High School 664
Dunbar High School 666
McKinley Technology High School 696
Eastern High School 735
Roosevelt High School 752
Columbia Heights Education Campus 1477
Woodrow Wilson High School 1951

At full capacity this school will be the third largest in the city. At half capacity it will be firmly in the middle. Most DC high schools can't offer a full menu of sports.