Reply to Explain the Murch renovation saga to me please.

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'm sorry, there EOTP schools need much more in terms of equity than Murch does. They can squeal but Mary Cheh cannot in good conscience do very much until about 8 other schools (Payne, Orr, Garrison, etc.) are taken care of.

This, because of the tens of millions poured into other the other Ward 3 ES's.[/quote]

You have outlined the politics of why Murch has not yet been renovated. The truth is that there are plenty of schools that need renovation. The District has failed to provide safe and adequate facilities in many places. The District needs to step it up and prioritize schools facilities. Now, school communities are forced to go out and prove that their school is in the greatest need. But even if a school truly has the greatest need, from a facilities standpoint, many people, like you, would apparently base the decision on other needs and equity of spending across Wards. As a result, DC has spent hundreds of millions renovating buildings like high schools with half the number of students at Murch.

Your attitude is exactly the reason Murch has not yet been modernized. People assume Murch can and should wait because other schools in DC have lower test scores or other schools in Ward 3 have been modernized. But test scores or a renovation at another nearby school don't help make Murch a safe or fit place for education. Test scores or a new addition at Janney don't allow a student with a disability to attend Murch or a parent with a disability to visit the front office to register their child (or go anywhere in the building beyond the multi-purpose room). A decent DC-CAS score doesn't give Murch students a place to eat that isn't their desk or a place for recess on a rainy day. Murch's 80-plus staff can't go to a renovated Deal to use the bathroom if their one facility is in use. Wilson's modernization was great, but it didn't remove the crumbling asbestos from Murch a single classroom at Murch more than two electrical outlets. We are talking about an 85-year-old building that has never been renovated.

What should govern the decisions on modernization is the actual condition of the facility and its fit to the enrollment of the school. And if you haven't toured Murch and all those other schools, you can't make assumptions about what school should be modernized ahead of another. For what it is worth, people who have seen all those schools you name have said that Murch's need is greater than most or all of them. That includes Councilmembers representing other Wards. But the politics keep getting in the way.[/quote]

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