Murch- Getting screwed again?

[Anonymous]

Murch story made 5 p.m. news:

http://wjla.com/news/local/dc-parents-upset-after-finding-out-a-school-renovation-project-is-seriously-underfunded

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get the press involved. That helps!

No, it doesn't. This isn't Watergate.

[Anonymous]

I would find the pearl-clutching gasps of outrage more sympathetic if upper NW (in general) and the Murch community (specifically) showed as much concern for every other school that had facilities issues.

I don't wish ill of anyone at Murch, but the active horror looks a bit like the tail wagging the dog. You're the not the first school to be screwed over, and others have been harmed more than you. You just finally care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would find the pearl-clutching gasps of outrage more sympathetic if upper NW (in general) and the Murch community (specifically) showed as much concern for every other school that had facilities issues.

I don't wish ill of anyone at Murch, but the active horror looks a bit like the tail wagging the dog. You're the not the first school to be screwed over, and others have been harmed more than you. You just finally care.

I am not sure how much of this thread you have read but I will refer you to another PP upthread who already answered your post:

"I'm not the quoted PP, but I don't know what more you want from the Murch community. They have been doing exactly what you are asking for a very long time: calling for renovating all schools, trying to make sure funding for all these projects is more available, trying to bring attention to the flaws in the process, and demanding changes in the process.

You clearly have read the materials from the Education Committee's work last spring. I applaud that work, and helped with it. Have you studied and visited schools, including Murch? The Committee's analysis was based on the data DCPS and DGS provided, and it was acknowledged that was a big part of the problem. How you measure things can manipulate the results. Murch has pushed to have more accurate, honest assessments, not just because it would benefit Murch. No one at DGS could explain their facility assessment process. And the DCPS figures calculated capacity numbers to include all trailers, so they showed Murch as undercapacity. Anyone who has been to Murch knows that is a joke.

We can all continue to work on these issues citywide (and the problems are massive from facilities assessment to contracting to community engagement), but don't ask Murch to deny or sacrifice the needs of their own school in the process. Murch did that decades ago when they helped file the lawsuit to get DC to renovate and then sat waiting for their turn. They did that when they received a grant to figure out how to handle the historic preservation of Murch and turned it over to allow a citywide analysis of the issue. Now it is time to get Murch done and use its issues to inform city leaders of the massive flaws in the entire process. If you can't see and accept that, then I think the person that isn't willing to look at the issue citywide may be you."

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I would find the pearl-clutching gasps of outrage more sympathetic if upper NW (in general) and the Murch community (specifically) showed as much concern for every other school that had facilities issues.

I don't wish ill of anyone at Murch, but the active horror looks a bit like the tail wagging the dog. You're the not the first school to be screwed over, and others have been harmed more than you. You just finally care.

Murch has a legitimate gripe. Anyone who objectively considered the details of Murch's situation would agree that the community has a legitimate gripe. On the other hand, those who prioritize prejudices, stereotypes, and past grievances probably won't have much empathy. You appear to fall into the second group. I understand that you are not interested in helping Murch. Therefore, I'd ask that you at least refrain from causing harm. If your only involvement in this thread is going to be negative, it might be better if you simply avoided the thread. People are working very hard to try to improve a school. Why would you want to detract from that effort?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would find the pearl-clutching gasps of outrage more sympathetic if upper NW (in general) and the Murch community (specifically) showed as much concern for every other school that had facilities issues.

I don't wish ill of anyone at Murch, but the active horror looks a bit like the tail wagging the dog. You're the not the first school to be screwed over, and others have been harmed more than you. You just finally care.

Well said. Jeff obviously doesn't like to hear it, because he's censoring all types of comments here, but someone needed to voice those concerns

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would find the pearl-clutching gasps of outrage more sympathetic if upper NW (in general) and the Murch community (specifically) showed as much concern for every other school that had facilities issues.

I don't wish ill of anyone at Murch, but the active horror looks a bit like the tail wagging the dog. You're the not the first school to be screwed over, and others have been harmed more than you. You just finally care.

Well said. Jeff obviously doesn't like to hear it, because he's censoring all types of comments here, but someone needed to voice those concerns

Was that your message that said, "blah, blah, blah"? I see that is what you posted have posted elsewhere:

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/90/534587.page#8393979

Maybe you could work on increasing your vocabulary and you won't get "censored".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would find the pearl-clutching gasps of outrage more sympathetic if upper NW (in general) and the Murch community (specifically) showed as much concern for every other school that had facilities issues.

I don't wish ill of anyone at Murch, but the active horror looks a bit like the tail wagging the dog. You're the not the first school to be screwed over, and others have been harmed more than you. You just finally care.

I am not sure how much of this thread you have read but I will refer you to another PP upthread who already answered your post:

"I'm not the quoted PP, but I don't know what more you want from the Murch community. They have been doing exactly what you are asking for a very long time: calling for renovating all schools, trying to make sure funding for all these projects is more available, trying to bring attention to the flaws in the process, and demanding changes in the process.

You clearly have read the materials from the Education Committee's work last spring. I applaud that work, and helped with it. Have you studied and visited schools, including Murch? The Committee's analysis was based on the data DCPS and DGS provided, and it was acknowledged that was a big part of the problem. How you measure things can manipulate the results. Murch has pushed to have more accurate, honest assessments, not just because it would benefit Murch. No one at DGS could explain their facility assessment process. And the DCPS figures calculated capacity numbers to include all trailers, so they showed Murch as undercapacity. Anyone who has been to Murch knows that is a joke.

We can all continue to work on these issues citywide (and the problems are massive from facilities assessment to contracting to community engagement), but don't ask Murch to deny or sacrifice the needs of their own school in the process. Murch did that decades ago when they helped file the lawsuit to get DC to renovate and then sat waiting for their turn. They did that when they received a grant to figure out how to handle the historic preservation of Murch and turned it over to allow a citywide analysis of the issue. Now it is time to get Murch done and use its issues to inform city leaders of the massive flaws in the entire process. If you can't see and accept that, then I think the person that isn't willing to look at the issue citywide may be you."

I have read the entire thread. I genuinely feel for Murch. I just need more clarification on why this is more tragic than any of the many schools in more dire straights.

[Anonymous]

All the other D.C. schools that had had renovations postponed for decades and then, when they were finally promised, were scaled back for lack of funds so they don't even include a cafeteria? Which schools are those?

[Anonymous]

Isn't Murch #19 on the list of schools in need of renovation? So there are 18 ahead. That's not even counting the many charter schools that have been short-changed on facilities funding since their inception.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Murch #19 on the list of schools in need of renovation? So there are 18 ahead. That's not even counting the many charter schools that have been short-changed on facilities funding since their inception.

Yes. Plus the Murch community had an opportunity to reduce their boundary 2 years ago. But that apparently was not an option because an extra few blocks to Hearst would have been horrible. So. Horrible. Murch easily could have shifted 100 kids to Hearst and put itself on a sound growth trajectory and needed a smaller expansion and less parking. Yes, it would have been a longer commute, but certainly better than where we are now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Murch #19 on the list of schools in need of renovation? So there are 18 ahead. That's not even counting the many charter schools that have been short-changed on facilities funding since their inception.

It was not at the top of that particular list, solely because some of the data used to create that list was ridiculous. And the Education Committee acknowledged that. In particular, DCPS took a school (Murch) where 60% of educational space is in trailers and called it under capacity. Meanwhile schools with twice the space and half the enrollment of Murch were shown as being near, at, or over capacity.

Murch was at the top of the the prior list DC created and ignored (after spending millions of dollars to analyze the schools). I don't remember other schools begin angry that Murch was pushed back then in favor of other schools. Instead, I remember these same types of comments that DC should be prioritizing their school. Meanwhile, Murch has an 86 year old building that has never been renovated. The whole place is an ADA nightmare, in spite of having students in wheelchairs. And it is the most overcrowded school in the city.

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Murch #19 on the list of schools in need of renovation? So there are 18 ahead. That's not even counting the many charter schools that have been short-changed on facilities funding since their inception.

I asked you to avoid this thread since you had made it clear that you would not support Murch on this issue, but I guess you don't want to cooperate. Just so everyone realizes how many of the negative posts here come from a single poster -- given that you never identify yourself as a previous poster -- I'm going to point out your posts from now on. To be clear, PP is the poster worried about "pearl-clutching" above. One of earlier posts in this thread was to complain that I hadn't demonstrated support for DCI's funding, which may give a hint of her agenda.

In response to your question about other projects, if someone would like to point out other projects that are at similar crisis points in their funding, I would more than likely support them as well. Murch's renovation is at a critical point in which the question is not whether it will be done, but whether it will be done right. If renovations are only going to be done once every 80 years, it makes no sense to be penny-wise but pound foolish. The school shouldn't have to suffer due to DCPS incompetence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Murch #19 on the list of schools in need of renovation? So there are 18 ahead. That's not even counting the many charter schools that have been short-changed on facilities funding since their inception.

Yes. Plus the Murch community had an opportunity to reduce their boundary 2 years ago. But that apparently was not an option because an extra few blocks to Hearst would have been horrible. So. Horrible. Murch easily could have shifted 100 kids to Hearst and put itself on a sound growth trajectory and needed a smaller expansion and less parking. Yes, it would have been a longer commute, but certainly better than where we are now.

Boundary discussions were made by the central office. Let's try to focus on the issue at hand. Murch has not been renovated since it was built in the 1930s: there is peeling paint, asbestos, rodents, inadequate bathroom space, no minimum ADA compliance, substandard space for a school nurse, no faculty lounge or restrooms, a large collection of trailers that force children to go outside throughout the entire school day for instruction in the elements, children in a temporary outdoor space that was designed to be used for less than five years that has been up for almost 30. The alarming conditions of the facilities need to be addressed immediately.

This is a wonderful school community with socio-economic, linguistic, racial and cultural diversity. There are children from immigrant families throughout the world, and such a large percent of children in the classes are bilingual. The community is exceptionally open, tolerant, and welcoming. This willingness to be patient and understanding is precisely why the school is being mistreated now. Enough is enough. Consider bringing video cameras in to show the appalling condition of the school. A renovation of Murch is not a luxury it is an absolute emergency needed immediately! Due to DCPS neglect the school has suffered for decades and now Murch is expected to accept a sub par renovation. I am furious and my child doesn't even go to Murch. Those of you who think this is about a privileged group of people complaining really need to visit the school. I assure you it will all make sense when you see what is actually going on with the current facility. All our children deserve better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Isn't Murch #19 on the list of schools in need of renovation? So there are 18 ahead. That's not even counting the many charter schools that have been short-changed on facilities funding since their inception.

Yes. Plus the Murch community had an opportunity to reduce their boundary 2 years ago. But that apparently was not an option because an extra few blocks to Hearst would have been horrible. So. Horrible. Murch easily could have shifted 100 kids to Hearst and put itself on a sound growth trajectory and needed a smaller expansion and less parking. Yes, it would have been a longer commute, but certainly better than where we are now.

Hearst parent here. While shifting the boundaries might make sense for lots of reasons, it would not have made the need to renovate Murch any less dire. Heck if you halved the size of the school or more and only needed the original building, it would still be a building that hadn't be renovated since it was first built in the 1930s. And short of that they still have temporary trailers that they have had for decades. Hearst was in the same situation not that long ago. AND Hearst was jerked around by the city and made to fight for more dollars when the city said whoops what we had budgeted wasn't enough. It is exhausting to constantly have to fight as a parent for things that your child should just get. Like a safe school. Happy to write in support of Murch.