Reply to Funding for Shepherd's Renovation

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]From the Education Committee's report:

The Committee feels very strongly that [u]schools that have already had some sort of modernization should not get a Phase 2 or 3 while there are still schools that have not had any work done[/u], except for reasons including significant building utilization concerns or health and safety reasons. The Committee recommends re-prioritizing that funding to cover some necessary small capital projects of schools not included on the CIP or not slated for modernization for several years. (page 28)

Shepherd, you've received a $19 million renovation budget already.  You can wait for your extra $12 million second-helping until after everyone else has gotten their first serving.[/quote]

I'm absolutely fine with that if that's going to be the way all schools are renovated in the future (including ones about to embark on a renovation).[/quote]

Until we have a new mayor, or a new education chair and it all gets changed again.

This is nuts. [/quote]

If you read Grosso's report, he's working to avoid exactly the sort of constant reshuffling of priorities that you fear.  The background section talks about how the Committee had a model in place that ranked the schools according to renovation need, but then soon after Bowser was elected Mayor, DCPS put forward a different model.  Grosso's committee rejected that model in part because of the politics it encourages.  ("Last year, the Committee purposefully did not use a Ward-based approach [like the DCPS model did] because it was believed to be too political. ") Now, the Committee is reverting back to a version of the original Committee model.  The Committee is specifically trying to create a model that will remain in place for a long time, unlike DCPS's model ...

[quote]Continuously during the budget hearing, [u]DCPS stated that they did not believe their [own] model was a good tool for prioritization with regard to future CIPs, and that they would need to create something new next year[/u], starting the conversation this summer and come back in the Fall with something new. This is very frustrating not only for the Committee, but also for the public who engaged with the Committee over the  past year to provide input to make last year’s model even better.  The Committee understands that DCPS was trying to create a tool that worked for the 18 schools that have not been modernized; however, the  purpose of an objective approach is to provide all school communities, not just those in the CIP, with some idea of where they land in the queue. Drastically changing the tool each year does not provide consistency nor does it instill public trust that the process is transparent and equitable. The Commit tee’s tool last year was not perfect, by any means, but it was better than what DCPS put forward this year. At the budget hearing, DCPS stated that they thought the results may have been different using their tool, but would not have known otherwise if they did not go through the process.[/quote][/quote]

Aren't there currently schools slated for renovation that are not in as much need as others? If this were the case, Lafayette's renovation would be placed on hold for Orr no? I'm not at any of these schools, I'm trying to understand.[/quote]

Orr is being renovated, so there's really no way to make that happen sooner.  But look at the top 5 in the education committee's report, and at least 3 of them aren't being started for a few more years.

That's why I don't buy Grosso's grandstanding about using objective priorities. [b] If he was serious, he would have stopped several other renovations from moving forward and spent that money on the top priorities. [/b] Instead, he only went after Shepherd, which makes it seem politically motivated.[/quote]

Agree.[/quote]

+2.  [/quote]

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