Bill introduced to declare the Old Hardy School surplus and extend long-term lease to the Lab School

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is bullshit. Charters should have a crack at this first.

Absolutely. That's why they are trying emergency legislation, there's no way a private would get it if it went through the normal process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Number one question should be how much have the Lab School lobbyists donated to the campaigns of the Mayor and each counsel member.

$7,700 to Grosso, per the City Paper link upthread.

[Anonymous]

Awkward question: How would reclaiming Hardy do anything to relieve overcrowding at Deal or Wilson?

Just don’t understand why proponents are going to die on this hill when it would have de minimis benefits. Seems like bad strategy to burn all your political capital when more significant changes are needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is crazy!! What can residents do? I feel so frustrated because it seems like the mayor and council members do whatever they want without considering what their voters want. Can anybody organize a protest or have the post investigate?

Tell a friend at the Post that you heard some conservatives’ kids go to Lab. They’ll gladly write a hit piece.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Awkward question: How would reclaiming Hardy do anything to relieve overcrowding at Deal or Wilson?

Just don’t understand why proponents are going to die on this hill when it would have de minimis benefits. Seems like bad strategy to burn all your political capital when more significant changes are needed.

Want some details?

The Hardy school would solve overcrowding at Key and Mann and be part of a solution for Stoddert.

There are currently 2 DCPS students in the Lab School building on Foxhall. 2. And DC taxpayers pay over $50,000 for them to attend there.

There is so many more sordid details I can share, but I'll refrain out of some semblence of decorum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't they getting a sweetheart lease where they paid like $80,000 for a 25,000 square foot space for 25 years? Sign me up for that! That's a lovely deal for a 45$K a year private school.

Current tuition:

Elementary $50,650
Intermediate $50,650
Junior High $51,250
High School $52,500

For the umpteenth time. Lab is a Special. Education. School. Yes, it takes a lot of experts and resources to teach kids with diagnosed learning disabilities. If DCPS had continued to fund DC students at Lab, the school wouldn't have needed to charge more and get the best deal they could on lease. Lab was not designed as a high-cost school for political elites. It sucks that it's turning into one. But DCPS bears a lot of the responsibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Awkward question: How would reclaiming Hardy do anything to relieve overcrowding at Deal or Wilson?

Just don’t understand why proponents are going to die on this hill when it would have de minimis benefits. Seems like bad strategy to burn all your political capital when more significant changes are needed.

Want some details?

The Hardy school would solve overcrowding at Key and Mann and be part of a solution for Stoddert. WHERE IS THE PROOF!

There are currently 2 DCPS students in the Lab School building on Foxhall. 2. And DC taxpayers pay over $50,000 for them to attend there. Yes. Because they are entitled to a free and public education just like your child in public school. What part of disabilities do you not understand?

There is so many more sordid details I can share, but I'll refrain out of some semblence of decorum.

Too late. You've put it out there. Go ahead and spill the beans about families of kids with disabilities. Meanwhile, DCPS has no plan to fix overcrowding and no interest in actually educating kids with disabilities whose parents can't afford to sue for reimbursement.

Lab could walk away from the space tomorrow, and none of the problems will be solved any faster. #EndMayoralEducationControl

[Anonymous]

I'd welcome Lab's move to NoVa. NoVa can't educate many of those with learning disabilities either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is bullshit. Charters should have a crack at this first.

Absolutely. That's why they are trying emergency legislation, there's no way a private would get it if it went through the normal process.

It's really bad optics for charters to locate in high-income neighborhoods and Ward 3. Before Lab, Old Hardy building was a charter school that failed. Then there was a charter that pulled out of the building near Guy Mason Park. It's pretty much a given that any new or expanding charter schools are expected to locate anywhere but wards 2 and 3.

With only 1 bus line and no metro, there would have to be an increase in street traffic for students and parking for staff. Palisades neighbors would go ballistic. Why would a charter school take on that headache when there are more accessible locations?

Another private school might make a better offer than Lab. But they'd have the same problem with traffic restrictions and enrollment limits put on Lab already.

I wouldn't hold my breath on a charter or nonprofit independent school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't they getting a sweetheart lease where they paid like $80,000 for a 25,000 square foot space for 25 years? Sign me up for that! That's a lovely deal for a 45$K a year private school.

Current tuition:

Elementary $50,650
Intermediate $50,650
Junior High $51,250
High School $52,500

For the umpteenth time. Lab is a Special. Education. School. Yes, it takes a lot of experts and resources to teach kids with diagnosed learning disabilities. If DCPS had continued to fund DC students at Lab, the school wouldn't have needed to charge more and get the best deal they could on lease. Lab was not designed as a high-cost school for political elites. It sucks that it's turning into one. But DCPS bears a lot of the responsibility.

What? You're blaming DCPS for not wanting to pay $50K plus per kid? Maybe if Lab didn't insist on a sweetheart lease for that property DCPS would have some more funds available to send its special needs kids to a school that only rich kids can afford.

[Anonymous]

Garden variety corruption. No discussion necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is bullshit. Charters should have a crack at this first.

Absolutely. That's why they are trying emergency legislation, there's no way a private would get it if it went through the normal process.

Shame on the mayor! Someone must be doing some major bribing or hold kompromat!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Weren't they getting a sweetheart lease where they paid like $80,000 for a 25,000 square foot space for 25 years? Sign me up for that! That's a lovely deal for a 45$K a year private school.

Current tuition:

Elementary $50,650
Intermediate $50,650
Junior High $51,250
High School $52,500

For the umpteenth time. Lab is a Special. Education. School. Yes, it takes a lot of experts and resources to teach kids with diagnosed learning disabilities. If DCPS had continued to fund DC students at Lab, the school wouldn't have needed to charge more and get the best deal they could on lease. Lab was not designed as a high-cost school for political elites. It sucks that it's turning into one. But DCPS bears a lot of the responsibility.

Why does the Lab school need to spend a bunch of money building a huge, state-of-the-art theater (and, in the process, destroying one of the few pools in NW DC)? Is that also DCPS's fault? Lab is the problem here, not DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Why does the Lab school need to spend a bunch of money building a huge, state-of-the-art theater (and, in the process, destroying one of the few pools in NW DC)? Is that also DCPS's fault? Lab is the problem here, not DCPS.

Actually, community access to the pool was a quid pro quo with the now deceased founder of the school and as to now unnamed DC public officials and Palisades residents. Nobody in their right mind these days would claim a pool is an effective learning tool for language-based learning disabilities.

Post-founder, Lab leadership turned the school back to it's original purpose of using visual and performing arts as a means to demonstrate learning, improve language-related challenges, and build on the strengths of the high percentage of people with LD who excel in creative arts. It's not "just a theater." It was designed purposefully to promote interdisciplinary learning opportunities that public schools don't have the curricular flexibility or expertise to do.

They raised the money themselves to invest in resources to benefit their own students on property they own.

The school doesn't owe the city a damn thing if the city won't fund DC kids to go there.

Lab doesn't own the Foxhall building. If DCPS sold it to them or any other private school, the owners could do pretty much what they want.

Again, the problem isn't Lab School or any other potential tenant of Old Hardy. DCPS needs to fix overcrowding in ward 3 and effective facilities citywide.

If you're so enraged by Lab School, fine. Pressure the mayor, who's in charge of the lease btw, to let the lease runout and watch the building sit empty until DCPS gets its s--t together.

Would that solve the problem? Or should you focus your energy on the bigger issue?
Focus, people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Why does the Lab school need to spend a bunch of money building a huge, state-of-the-art theater (and, in the process, destroying one of the few pools in NW DC)? Is that also DCPS's fault? Lab is the problem here, not DCPS.

Actually, community access to the pool was a quid pro quo with the now deceased founder of the school and as to now unnamed DC public officials and Palisades residents. Nobody in their right mind these days would claim a pool is an effective learning tool for language-based learning disabilities.

Post-founder, Lab leadership turned the school back to it's original purpose of using visual and performing arts as a means to demonstrate learning, improve language-related challenges, and build on the strengths of the high percentage of people with LD who excel in creative arts. It's not "just a theater." It was designed purposefully to promote interdisciplinary learning opportunities that public schools don't have the curricular flexibility or expertise to do.

They raised the money themselves to invest in resources to benefit their own students on property they own.

The school doesn't owe the city a damn thing if the city won't fund DC kids to go there.

Lab doesn't own the Foxhall building. If DCPS sold it to them or any other private school, the owners could do pretty much what they want.

Again, the problem isn't Lab School or any other potential tenant of Old Hardy. DCPS needs to fix overcrowding in ward 3 and effective facilities citywide.

If you're so enraged by Lab School, fine. Pressure the mayor, who's in charge of the lease btw, to let the lease runout and watch the building sit empty until DCPS gets its s--t together.

Would that solve the problem? Or should you focus your energy on the bigger issue?
Focus, people.

Why does Lab use some of that money it raised to pay a market price on the property it’s using? Or better yet, it should be the winning bidder when the property is opened up to competition.