Explain the Murch renovation saga to me please.

[Anonymous]

I've heard Janney's project described not as a new renovation, so much as a "right sizing" of the facility to meet overwhelming enrollment numbers just in Janney's IB area. There must be something in the AU Park water supply, because there's been quite the baby boom in the past several years!

[Anonymous]

18:26 - Murch's IB enrollment is about twice its building's capacity, so the community would gladly take a "right-sizing".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've heard Janney's project described not as a new renovation, so much as a "right sizing" of the facility to meet overwhelming enrollment numbers just in Janney's IB area. There must be something in the AU Park water supply, because there's been quite the baby boom in the past several years!

And quite the desperate effort to not shrink boundaries in order to deal with the overwhelming enrollment numbers!

There are easier, quicker, and most cost-efficient ways to deal with this problem other than constant "right sizing."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've heard Janney's project described not as a new renovation, so much as a "right sizing" of the facility to meet overwhelming enrollment numbers just in Janney's IB area. There must be something in the AU Park water supply, because there's been quite the baby boom in the past several years!

And quite the desperate effort to not shrink boundaries in order to deal with the overwhelming enrollment numbers!

There are easier, quicker, and most cost-efficient ways to deal with this problem other than constant "right sizing."

Exactly. Pandering is not okay poster talking about right sizing. You must have your head under a rock if you think that is true.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry, there EOTP schools need much more in terms of equity than Murch does. They can squeal but Mary Cheh cannot in good conscience do very much until about 8 other schools (Payne, Orr, Garrison, etc.) are taken care of.

This, because of the tens of millions poured into other the other Ward 3 ES's.

[Anonymous]

Why doesn't ward 3 adjust their boundaries so other schools eotp can have the renovation funds? It will be a struggle for elementaries to get funding with the focus on MS/HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, there EOTP schools need much more in terms of equity than Murch does. They can squeal but Mary Cheh cannot in good conscience do very much until about 8 other schools (Payne, Orr, Garrison, etc.) are taken care of.

This, because of the tens of millions poured into other the other Ward 3 ES's.

Not from a facilities standpoint. DCPS did an audit, and I believe Murch, Orr, and Garrison were deemed most in need of renovation among all ESs in the city. Someone from the Murch SIT can correct me if I've misspoken.

[Anonymous]

Not a Murch parent, but the school is truly in dire need of renovation. It is falling apart. If it were a business, they would have closed it long ago. It is so bad I wonder if it is going to take a child getting seriously hurt before city leaders do something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm sorry, there EOTP schools need much more in terms of equity than Murch does. They can squeal but Mary Cheh cannot in good conscience do very much until about 8 other schools (Payne, Orr, Garrison, etc.) are taken care of.

This, because of the tens of millions poured into other the other Ward 3 ES's.

You have outlined the politics of why Murch has not yet been renovated. The truth is that there are plenty of schools that need renovation. The District has failed to provide safe and adequate facilities in many places. The District needs to step it up and prioritize schools facilities. Now, school communities are forced to go out and prove that their school is in the greatest need. But even if a school truly has the greatest need, from a facilities standpoint, many people, like you, would apparently base the decision on other needs and equity of spending across Wards. As a result, DC has spent hundreds of millions renovating buildings like high schools with half the number of students at Murch.

Your attitude is exactly the reason Murch has not yet been modernized. People assume Murch can and should wait because other schools in DC have lower test scores or other schools in Ward 3 have been modernized. But test scores or a renovation at another nearby school don't help make Murch a safe or fit place for education. Test scores or a new addition at Janney don't allow a student with a disability to attend Murch or a parent with a disability to visit the front office to register their child (or go anywhere in the building beyond the multi-purpose room). A decent DC-CAS score doesn't give Murch students a place to eat that isn't their desk or a place for recess on a rainy day. Murch's 80-plus staff can't go to a renovated Deal to use the bathroom if their one facility is in use. Wilson's modernization was great, but it didn't remove the crumbling asbestos from Murch a single classroom at Murch more than two electrical outlets. We are talking about an 85-year-old building that has never been renovated.

What should govern the decisions on modernization is the actual condition of the facility and its fit to the enrollment of the school. And if you haven't toured Murch and all those other schools, you can't make assumptions about what school should be modernized ahead of another. For what it is worth, people who have seen all those schools you name have said that Murch's need is greater than most or all of them. That includes Councilmembers representing other Wards. But the politics keep getting in the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:18:26 - Murch's IB enrollment is about twice its building's capacity, so the community would gladly take a "right-sizing".

I believe the DME tried to do that but nobody was willing to head south to Hearst. Can't have it both ways.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:18:26 - Murch's IB enrollment is about twice its building's capacity, so the community would gladly take a "right-sizing".

I believe the DME tried to do that but nobody was willing to head south to Hearst. Can't have it both ways.

No one's having it both ways. Hearst enrollment is projected to go up--but still is getting the southernmost slice of Murch's current boundary. Lafayette's is projected to go down, so it's going to take on some of Murch's northern population. I believe Janney is the only school whose boundaries are going essentially untouched. But why should they change when Janney can just keep renovating?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:18:26 - Murch's IB enrollment is about twice its building's capacity, so the community would gladly take a "right-sizing".

I believe the DME tried to do that but nobody was willing to head south to Hearst. Can't have it both ways.

In fact, the DME moved more than 100 students out of Murch, many of them south to Hearst. That's enough to bring Murch's IB population down to 476 (according to the DME), just under the current building capacity of 488. To oppose expansion is therefore to oppose OOB enrollment.

[Anonymous]

Did they really move 100 students out of Murch?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If only the folks on the Chevy Chase list serv cared as much about Murch as they do about the name of a fountain and the ability to park in a bank parking lot after hours.

Yeah, no kidding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:18:26 - Murch's IB enrollment is about twice its building's capacity, so the community would gladly take a "right-sizing".

I believe the DME tried to do that but nobody was willing to head south to Hearst. Can't have it both ways.

In fact, the DME moved more than 100 students out of Murch, many of them south to Hearst. That's enough to bring Murch's IB population down to 476 (according to the DME), just under the current building capacity of 488. To oppose expansion is therefore to oppose OOB enrollment.

DCPS does not want to reduce OOB enrollment at Hearst. Hearst fulfills a very important role as a go-to school for a lot of EOTP families who are dissatisfied with their local elementary schools.