Surplussing the old Hardy School, again

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Stoddert looks lovely! How long does it take to do something like that and how much would it cost?

Key, Mann, Stoddert and Hardy were all built at the same time from the same plan. The modernizations varied from under $10mm for Key to around $20mm for Mann. Modernization takes about a year.

Anonymous wrote:
The Old Hardy now Lab School on Foxhall Rd is very close to Hardy MS. How would DCPS justify adding another ES so close to Hardy MS when IB % is so low now?

IB participation at middle school and elementary school are two different things. Neighboring Key, Stoddert and Janney are the most crowded elementary schools in the system and all have effectively stopped taking OOB students. Stoddert is waitlisting IB kids with siblings for pre-K.

Right now Key, Mann and Stoddert suffer significant erosion in enrollment in the upper grades. If Hardy ever starts attracting in-boundary kids in numbers those schools are going to explode. Hence the comment that DCPS is making a long-term bet against Hardy MS by disposing of this property.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not put "hardy" in a surplus building closer to the homes of the students who attend it?

Kids from all over the city come to Hardy, see the attendance map displayed on a thread of some weeks ago. The largest cluster is made of IB kids.

Quite the opposite.
http://edu.codefordc.org/#!/school/246

The previous statement is true: the largest cluster of Hardy students is that of the IB kids, about 40 of them (see the first two rays in the NW quadrant) .

So the suggestion to move the school closer to where the students live makes no sense.

Are you and the other PP low vision? Or can you not do simple math?

While it's true that 40 Hardy students live IB for Hardy, [i]the remainder live OOB/i] 386 Hardy students total - 40 IB students = 346 students who live OOB. aka, the actual "largest cluster" of Hardy students.

http://profiles.dcps.dc.gov/Hardy+Middle+School

And most oob live eotp.

Move hardy to where the kids live. The 40 IB kids can go to deal.

Do you suggest branch campuses or satellite locations? Of just find the east of the park epicenter and call it day?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why not put "hardy" in a surplus building closer to the homes of the students who attend it?

And you're going to convince the faculty to move with them so DCPS can put a completely new faculty in the new Hardy that's going to somehow be heads and shoulders above the existing faculty?

Remember the angry, militant teacher who led the fight against Michelle Rhee and her plan to oust the administration and increase IB enrollment at Hardy? She's still barricaded in the Hardy English department and would surely wage guerilla war over this.

Oh stop obsessing about the English teacher. You (or someone like you) brings that up every time. Don't you think there are other teachers that would not want to be moved either? And do you also want to get rid of Sarah Bax, the award-winning math teacher? But hey, she's been teaching those less than satisfactory OOB students so she can't possibly be any good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a private school. Unlike public schools, it has selective admissions and charges tuition to cover its costs. The vast majority of the students who attend are not DC residents. No matter how noble its mission there is no reason for the taxpayers of DC to subsidize it.

[Anonymous]

Indeed. My son has an IEP and I am not in favor of extending the lease to Lab. If it were a DC- only special needs school where kids could go without paying tuition and of the caliber of Lab, sure, extend the lease.

Lab is a private school that educates mostly out of state students. It can use non-DCPS real estate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indeed. My son has an IEP and I am not in favor of extending the lease to Lab. If it were a DC- only special needs school where kids could go without paying tuition and of the caliber of Lab, sure, extend the lease.

Lab is a private school that educates mostly out of state students. It can use non-DCPS real estate.

I agree completely. Lab does a disservice to the SN community by waving the SN banner as a diversion while it pulls this slight of hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a private school. Unlike public schools, it has selective admissions and charges tuition to cover its costs. The vast majority of the students who attend are not DC residents. No matter how noble its mission there is no reason for the taxpayers of DC to subsidize it.

Actually, there are a number of DC residing special needs students who attend private schools like Lab, Ivymount, Kingsbury, et al because DCPS is not able to meet the needs of the student's IEP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a private school. Unlike public schools, it has selective admissions and charges tuition to cover its costs. The vast majority of the students who attend are not DC residents. No matter how noble its mission there is no reason for the taxpayers of DC to subsidize it.

Actually, there are a number of DC residing special needs students who attend private schools like Lab, Ivymount, Kingsbury, et al because DCPS is not able to meet the needs of the student's IEP.

And DC pays full boat tuition for them to do so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a private school. Unlike public schools, it has selective admissions and charges tuition to cover its costs. The vast majority of the students who attend are not DC residents. No matter how noble its mission there is no reason for the taxpayers of DC to subsidize it.

Sounds a lot like Duke Ellington. While non-DC residents may not be a vast majority there, they are a significant share of the enrollment. If and when their families pay out-of-state tuition for Ellington, it does not come anywhere close to covering per student operating costs, reflecting a material subsidy paid by DC taxpayers for students who don't live in the District. Other Ellington costs (like $170 million in construction and any financing for the school renovation) are carried completely by District taxpayers.

[Anonymous]

Speaking of Ellington, its current location (formerly Western High School) could be used better as a site for a new elementary, middle or eve high school to serve the expanding NW area school population. With all the money spent on renovating Ellington, it would have been smarter to build a brand-new, purpose-built arts facility that was more centrally located and Metro accessible for DE's city-wide student population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a private school. Unlike public schools, it has selective admissions and charges tuition to cover its costs. The vast majority of the students who attend are not DC residents. No matter how noble its mission there is no reason for the taxpayers of DC to subsidize it.

Sounds a lot like Duke Ellington. While non-DC residents may not be a vast majority there, they are a significant share of the enrollment. If and when their families pay out-of-state tuition for Ellington, it does not come anywhere close to covering per student operating costs, reflecting a material subsidy paid by DC taxpayers for students who don't live in the District. Other Ellington costs (like $170 million in construction and any financing for the school renovation) are carried completely by District taxpayers.

No Maryland child left behind!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Speaking of Ellington, its current location (formerly Western High School) could be used better as a site for a new elementary, middle or eve high school to serve the expanding NW area school population. With all the money spent on renovating Ellington, it would have been smarter to build a brand-new, purpose-built arts facility that was more centrally located and Metro accessible for DE's city-wide student population.

Not this again. Your beating a dead horse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a private school. Unlike public schools, it has selective admissions and charges tuition to cover its costs. The vast majority of the students who attend are not DC residents. No matter how noble its mission there is no reason for the taxpayers of DC to subsidize it.

Lab is paying rent to DCPS for the space. Regardless of what some people on this Board want, there is no plan to open another school in Ward 3. Better to let someone pay to use this building than to have it sit empty, like the rest of DCPS' unused facilities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lab school has powerful friends in DC even though most students are from MD and VA.

DC residents or DCPS pays annual tuition over $30,000 for students to attend Lab. Compare this with the $9,000 DC charges out of state students to attend Ellington.

Students at the closest school -key- are in trailers. This decision is not being made with the needs if DC students in mind.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a school for special needs students. It costs significantly more money to educate special needs students than general education students. The reason for the cost difference is due to the fact hat many special needs students require related services that genral education students don't need like: occupational therapy, speech therapy, transition services, social-emotional services, etc.

I'm not sure if you know this or not, but the Lab school is a private school. Unlike public schools, it has selective admissions and charges tuition to cover its costs. The vast majority of the students who attend are not DC residents. No matter how noble its mission there is no reason for the taxpayers of DC to subsidize it.

Lab is paying rent to DCPS for the space. Regardless of what some people on this Board want, there is no plan to open another school in Ward 3. Better to let someone pay to use this building than to have it sit empty, like the rest of DCPS' unused facilities.

Under the terms that were floated in 2013 Lab would have ended up paying zero rent for fifty years.

There are many public uses the property could be put to. Charters would love to have it.