Reply to Why is the Foxhall Community Citizens Association scared of public school children?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Yes, I don't expect anything until after the election.  Should be fun to watch the people running for the Ward 3 council seat try to please everyone while saying nothing.[/quote]

The most vociferous opponent (an FCCA stalwart) of Foxhall ES and MacArthur HS posted the following to the Glover Park listserv on Friday (edited for brevity):

“During the Democracy for DC (D4DC) Ward-3 councilperson candidate debate last night, all candidates talked about the importance of access to high-quality public schools.  
Some focused on public-school over-crowding in Ward 3 (more than others).  
Some acknowledged the very large disparities in public-school quality across Wards (more than others).  
Schools were also mentioned when candidates talked about reducing crime in DC (e.g. more and better after-school programs to keep kids off the streets).

We should be asking candidates for more specifics about their proposals for improving  “equitable” access to high-quality public schools in DC.  Schools are a really important part of a neighborhood, so they are an important issue for all elected positions (Mayor, Councilperson, and ANC commissioners)

Schools are also a reason why the ANC redistricting process currently underway in the city is very important.  The local ANC is an effective way that a neighborhood can deal with issues about their schools.  
 
Two New Schools in the very southwestern corner of Ward 3

Two capital expenditure proposals that have been in the budget since July of 2020 are two new schools that will be located in the very southwestern corner of Ward 3.  The first of these new schools is the new 1000-student high school at the MacArthur Blvd and Q-street location . . .

The second new school will be a 550-student elementary school (the Foxhall School), to be built across the street from the new high school on Hardy Park. [b]Chancellor Ferebee recently announced that the proposed Foxhall School will be populated by moving students from Key Elementary and Stoddert Elementary schools to the new school[/b]. [ED: Source???]

The proposed location of the new elementary school has been controversial as a solution to over-crowding in Ward 3 schools. FS Key elementary School enrollment has been declining since 2017 and enrollment for the 2021-2022 school year is 319 students.  It currently has the smallest enrollment of Ward 3 elementary schools  . . .

Residents in ANC 3B (the home of Stoddert Elementary School) do not want to have to drive their kids to the Foxhall school when they have a wonderful school within walking distance.  As a result of their engagement, funds for the expansion of Stoddert Elementary School were reinstated in the FY 2022 budget.  Moreover, the western part of Ward 3 (ANC 3D) grew by very little during the past 10 years (compared to other parts of Ward 3 and other parts of DC).  This is especially true when one excludes population growth at the two universities in ANC 3D (AU and the GW Mt Vernon Campus).

So why is the mayor so committed to putting a new elementary school in this particular location?  Who will have to attend the Foxhall School?  Why isn't DCPS trying to locate a new elementary school in a  part of Ward 3 where elementary schools currently have very large enrollments?  Why isn’t the city doing more to improve the quality of public schools in the parts of DC where there has been a lot of population growth?  Is the most equitable solution to access to quality education one that expands Ward 3 capacity and then make students in other Wards travel long distances to attend these schools?  
 
Schools are really important. The coming election represents a great opportunity for DC residents to ask candidates for more specifics about their solutions to improving  “equitable” access to high-quality local public schools in DC”[/quote]

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