Using Ellington to alleviate overcrowding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's happening with the Ellington track and field two blocks away? It's owned by DCPS and not used by the school anymore (no sports teams at Ellington). Basically, it doubles at a community park and Georgetown Univ pays to use it as a spare practice field.

It's actually bigger than the block on which Ellington is located. Someone please build a new high school here!

Did you not read the DME memo and report from last week?

It is all about overcapacity throughout the city and the vast number of open seats. No new DCPS high schools are going to be built for the foreseeable future, especially since that report didn't include any high schools opened in 2018-19 (Bard) or Coolidge Early College (19-20)

Here's the summary in case you missed it. https://dme.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dme/publication/attachments/School%20system%20capacity%20assessment%20-%20key%20information%20FINAL%20051519.pdf

Thanks, this is interesting to see.

As far as I can tell, it seems that kids in Ward 5, 6, 7, and 8 will need to start using their local schools. It boggles my mind why DCPS/PCS has so many empty seats in these Wards and continues to expand in them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's happening with the Ellington track and field two blocks away? It's owned by DCPS and not used by the school anymore (no sports teams at Ellington). Basically, it doubles at a community park and Georgetown Univ pays to use it as a spare practice field.

It's actually bigger than the block on which Ellington is located. Someone please build a new high school here!

This is a worst idea than old hardy. They are not going to build a new school at that location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's happening with the Ellington track and field two blocks away? It's owned by DCPS and not used by the school anymore (no sports teams at Ellington). Basically, it doubles at a community park and Georgetown Univ pays to use it as a spare practice field.

It's actually bigger than the block on which Ellington is located. Someone please build a new high school here!

Did you not read the DME memo and report from last week?

It is all about overcapacity throughout the city and the vast number of open seats. No new DCPS high schools are going to be built for the foreseeable future, especially since that report didn't include any high schools opened in 2018-19 (Bard) or Coolidge Early College (19-20)

Here's the summary in case you missed it. https://dme.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dme/publication/attachments/School%20system%20capacity%20assessment%20-%20key%20information%20FINAL%20051519.pdf

Thanks, this is interesting to see.

As far as I can tell, it seems that kids in Ward 5, 6, 7, and 8 will need to start using their local schools. It boggles my mind why DCPS/PCS has so many empty seats in these Wards and continues to expand in them.

Maybe - but that isn't what the DME is saying. He is arguing for mroe schools sharing space with the buildings that exist. So, for example, a new Washington Latin could move in with an under-enrolled Ward 5, 7 or 8 high school and save both schools overhead costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If they are currently at 90% capacity, then they can fit another 120 students or so. By DCPS logic, 100% capacity = 125% capacity.

Well not really. If you remove 270 kids who are not DC residents you would have a lot of capacity. The school is not even viable without taking students from out side the city. So why have it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If they are currently at 90% capacity, then they can fit another 120 students or so. By DCPS logic, 100% capacity = 125% capacity.

Well not really. If you remove 270 kids who are not DC residents you would have a lot of capacity. The school is not even viable without taking students from out side the city. So why have it?

Where are you getting 270?

That was not at all what the final audit found.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's happening with the Ellington track and field two blocks away? It's owned by DCPS and not used by the school anymore (no sports teams at Ellington). Basically, it doubles at a community park and Georgetown Univ pays to use it as a spare practice field.

It's actually bigger than the block on which Ellington is located. Someone please build a new high school here!

This is a worst idea than old hardy. They are not going to build a new school at that location.

And then where would that high school have playing fields?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would Duke Ellington be needed for extra capacity, when other high schools are under enrolled? This just sounds like more whining about Duke Ellington kids having a nicer facility than you think they deserve.

Exactly. This is why every time Ellington comes up -- even if it's to call attention to a great play/show/concert -- someone makes a snarky comment which cites the cost of the renovation.

"Cost" is a polite way of saying overruns so obscenely high that the only logical conclusions are that there was both corruption/skimming and blatant incompetence involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why would Duke Ellington be needed for extra capacity, when other high schools are under enrolled? This just sounds like more whining about Duke Ellington kids having a nicer facility than you think they deserve.

Exactly. This is why every time Ellington comes up -- even if it's to call attention to a great play/show/concert -- someone makes a snarky comment which cites the cost of the renovation.

"Cost" is a polite way of saying overruns so obscenely high that the only logical conclusions are that there was both corruption/skimming and blatant incompetence involved.

This

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's happening with the Ellington track and field two blocks away? It's owned by DCPS and not used by the school anymore (no sports teams at Ellington). Basically, it doubles at a community park and Georgetown Univ pays to use it as a spare practice field.

It's actually bigger than the block on which Ellington is located. Someone please build a new high school here!

This is a worst idea than old hardy. They are not going to build a new school at that location.

"If you will it, it is no dream."

-Theodore Herzl


PS - High school sports are going the way of the do-do bird. I'm fine if a new all-city academic-focused HS is opened on the land, with the condition that the school will field no sports teams. It's about time DCPS opened another HS west of Connecticut Ave and its literally one of two spots where that can happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's happening with the Ellington track and field two blocks away? It's owned by DCPS and not used by the school anymore (no sports teams at Ellington). Basically, it doubles at a community park and Georgetown Univ pays to use it as a spare practice field.

It's actually bigger than the block on which Ellington is located. Someone please build a new high school here!

This is a worst idea than old hardy. They are not going to build a new school at that location.

"If you will it, it is no dream."

-Theodore Herzl


PS - High school sports are going the way of the do-do bird. I'm fine if a new all-city academic-focused HS is opened on the land, with the condition that the school will field no sports teams. It's about time DCPS opened another HS west of Connecticut Ave and its literally one of two spots where that can happen.

So long as athletes receive college admissions preferences or preferential consideration for college admissions, sports will not disappear from U.S. high schools.

Even BASIS, which famously eschewed sports when it began, has added sports teams for DC students who want them (at this point MS and HS soccer, basketball, track, cross country).

As for Ellington, don't they need those fields for PE? They aren't exempt from that graduation requirement.

[Anonymous]

The stupidest idea I’ve heard in a long time.

There are so many other ideas that make total sense, but because they do, they will not lead to anything like this bizarre plan.

[Anonymous]

There is no arts side and academic side to Ellington in terms of function. It's not as if all the kids are on one side then gravitate to the other side after academics are done. That's ow how it, or any arts school, works. All the space is functioning at all times with kids doing independent projects, teachers doing labs and holding office hours or prepping. Arts teachers come hours earlier to prep for classes, plays, filming, speakers. Meanwhile equally beautiful Dunbar is literally half empty. Why no mentions of that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's happening with the Ellington track and field two blocks away? It's owned by DCPS and not used by the school anymore (no sports teams at Ellington). Basically, it doubles at a community park and Georgetown Univ pays to use it as a spare practice field.

It's actually bigger than the block on which Ellington is located. Someone please build a new high school here!

This is a worst idea than old hardy. They are not going to build a new school at that location.

"If you will it, it is no dream."

-Theodore Herzl


PS - High school sports are going the way of the do-do bird. I'm fine if a new all-city academic-focused HS is opened on the land, with the condition that the school will field no sports teams. It's about time DCPS opened another HS west of Connecticut Ave and its literally one of two spots where that can happen.

So long as athletes receive college admissions preferences or preferential consideration for college admissions, sports will not disappear from U.S. high schools.

Even BASIS, which famously eschewed sports when it began, has added sports teams for DC students who want them (at this point MS and HS soccer, basketball, track, cross country).

As for Ellington, don't they need those fields for PE? They aren't exempt from that graduation requirement.

Ellington doesn't have traditional PE on the track/field. Dance and theater students have "movement" and ballet classes.

The other students have a PE module for one year (out of four) that is more academic in nature and learning about best practices for physical movement: http://www.ellingtonschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/NSuttonMackey-Physical-Education-I-II-Syllabus-SY18-19.pdf

They are not using the track and field with any sort of daily regularity. I think the marching band may use it for part of the year, but they mostly march in the streets of Burleith.

[Anonymous]

Might be helpful to know that while the school had little final say in the matter, Ellington's recommendation was to build from ground up at that field. Much cheaper than the reno. It was not approved and was fought mostly by neighbors who wanted green space. Does not bode well for a new school in that location.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Might be helpful to know that while the school had little final say in the matter, Ellington's recommendation was to build from ground up at that field. Much cheaper than the reno. It was not approved and was fought mostly by neighbors who wanted green space. Does not bode well for a new school in that location.

Boy, "green space" is really turning into the all-purpose NIMBY rationale for opposing anything new.