Reply to So, what is wrong with Hardy?

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "So, what is wrong with Hardy?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Fillmore is during school, not after.

And is part of Hardy's problem with IB kids. Most kids at our ES hate going there so there is are negative associations with the building and the arts focus.[/quote]

Would you clarify, PP?  My kids have never attended Fillmore, but I understand that they run after school program arts enrichment program that is attended by local elementary school kids.  The Fillmore mom's kids seem to have attended that program since they're at Stoddert during the day.[/quote]

In the early 1970's DCPS proposed closing six WOTP elementary schools -- Key, Mann, Stoddert, Hyde, Hardy and Fillmore. (At that time Hardy was an elementary school and located on Foxhall Road. Fillmore was the building next to current-day Hardy.) All were under-enrolled and were in dilapidated facilities built in the 1930's. The buildings lacked features that had become mandatory for elementary schools: libraries, gyms, art and music rooms. The proposal was to build a single consolidated, modern elementary school.

The parents of those schools came up with an alternative proposal: close Hardy and Fillmore, and distribute the students among the other four. For each school, one day a week would be "specials" day where they get on a bus and go to Burleith. They had art and music in the Fillmore building, gym at the Jelleff gym, and library at the Georgetown Library. Hardy was converted into a middle school for the other four schools, and since it didn't have a gym, library or art and music rooms either, the fifth day of the week middle schoolers would go over and have specials too.

Somewhat surprisingly, DCPS accepted this proposal and it went into effect in 1972. In 1996 Hardy Middle School moved into the old Gordon Junior High on Wisconsin. The Fillmore program was moved into Hardy and the Fillmore building was sold to the Corcoran. The city has tried several times to sell the old Hardy building but the neighbors have blocked it each time. Over the years Key, Mann, Hyde and Stoddert have all been renovated and expanded and have acquired gyms and libraries, so their kids no longer do those outside of the building. But they still do art and music in the Fillmore program.  The Fillmore program has since expanded to include more other schools, and after-school and summer programs.

Two years ago DCPS proposed abolishing Fillmore. The idea had not been thought out, and it failed. Key, Mann and Stoddert are all now over-crowded and have trailers. There isn't room to have art and music inside the building, and sending the kids out one day a week is a safety valve. Also, there are significant economies of scale with Fillmore, so participating in the program costs the schools less than having art and music teachers on staff. Since DCPS had no plan to provide the space or money needed to bring art and music instruction in-house, the plan failed.  It will probably be revived in the future.

The Fillmore program has a decidedly mixed reputation among the member schools. Teachers and administrators seem to like it -- it allows them to outsource a mandate that is a pain to implement, and yields more resources for the rest of the school. Having all of the kids out of school for a half day a week makes it easier for teachers to find time to meet and plan. Kids seem to either love it or hate it -- riding a bus and leaving their familiar school is tough on kids, but many really take to the instruction. The opinion of parents generally follows their kids' experience.[/quote]

I appreciate your history of the program at Fillmore, PP.

However, I'd like to clarify one point:  Is it the case the Stoddert kids no longer attend Fillmore during the day?  Thus, if Fillmore mom's kids witnessed a fight at Hardy while attending Fillmore, they must have done so after school? [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics