I'm sorry people - Filmore does not make sense for the school system as a whole.
This is one area where I support DCPS. It is about basic equity.
We would all love to have our kids go to Filmore but most DCPS kids don't have this opportunity.
Art and music $$ need to be spread out equally. I don't believe for a minute that there is not one inch of spare space
at these schools. Deal is at least 30% over capacity but somehow they find space for activities.
Everyone has to make concessions including the Filmore schools. If there really isn't space, walk kids to the closest school or to Hardy or Duke Ellington.
There are ways to figure this out rather than just stonewalling.

Nobody has addressed the issue that if Fillmore teaching is so great, why can't all DCPS elementary schools have access?

If the education is (as it should be) on a par with all of the other DCPS schools with arts education line items, then why should DCPS fund it for any more students than those within walking/1 mile proximity? Key, Hyde-Addison, Stoddert principals -- go for it. Split the cost 3 ways and/or get outside funding. It doesn't even have to be Fillmore.

Ross, with it's tiny little school house maxed at 150 kids (less than half what DCPS considers financially viable) is a 10 minute walk to Reed roughly a mile from two other DCPS schools with full time arts educators and arts space. Why do these kids have to be the ones to trek across Wisconsin Ave? Don't they deserve Fillmore-quality arts education?

DCPS has had Fillmore on the chopping block for years because it no longer serves the students it did years ago. No educator in their right mind would set up such a system today. Luckily for Fillmore, they were the Ellington before the current Ellington and were able to co-habitate with Hardy MS to placate the locals.

There is no justification whatsoever that Fillmore should serve students beyond a mile from its location. If it's so much better, then it should serve everybody.

Shut down the $100M buildout at Coolidge and you'd have a LOT of money to spend building new renovations at elementary schools that are more successful, more popular, and serve more students than Coolidge ever will.

Anonymous wrote:When art finally got a dedicated space at Murch (about 4 years ago) it was in a trailer without running water. It was literally just a small, old trailer without area to hang or dry any art. It was so bad that the art teacher quit over the situation. You know what happened? The parents demanded more. There are portable sinks that have running water. Shelving units were donated. The best part is that when a new teacher was hired she didn't care. She was just excited to be teaching art to children.

A kiln or studio space?!? Ha! The school didn't have a kitchen! They turned a bathroom into a nurse's office.

With some creative thinking this can be done but with Fillmore the schools and parents can't seem to think outside the box.

I agree that there can be a lot of creativity in solving problems and Fillmore has to get the support. So frustrating. But PP, Murch always had a dedicated art space which was there when DS started in 2004. It was one of the upstairs classrooms.
It was when it was moved to the trailer and out of the building that the teacher quit because of no water. And good old DC DGS had lost the plans identifying the water pipes that had been installed under the playground to water the grass on the hill. We did try to get the trailers hooked up to the water supply. The Fillmore problem is just another example of the the lack of creative approaches.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What we're seeing here is how difficult it is to use "rationality" to justify killing Fillmore, when the facts on the ground show the Fillmore feeder schools don't have a square inch of floor space to study art. Once you account for that reality, then you have to explain how the Fillmore kids would otherwise have access to the same arts education as every other DCPS student gets, if the Fillmore program is ended. But you can't do that, because "facts" are in the way.

As has been said many times on this board, DCPS: come up with a solution other than "suck it." But such a solution does not exist. So, find a way to fund Fillmore at reasonable cost. Using DCPS-owned buses would be a start. All you're paying for is gas and a driver on a government salary.

Not all the Fillmore schools lack space (Marie Reed will have art space next year).

Not every non-Fillmore school has dedicated arts space (Murch).

Push your principals. Close a PK4 class. Tough choices but everyone else in the city makes them daily.

Sorry, but this is still "suck it." Several Fillmore schools have not an inch of space, and will not unless DCPS starts excavating more new foundations soon.

You have no idea if the PK4 class space is even suitable, FYI (hint: have you ever seen a classroom for 3-4 year olds?). What you would have to do is close a k-5 classroom, but DCPS can't do that and meet legal obligations for providing seats to students.

To dedicate a classroom to art, you need to close one for something else.

At Ross there are 2 non-compulsory grades (PK3 and PK4); at Key there is one (PK4).

Eliminate those grades ----> art classroom.

Otherwise bring in a teacher and kids do art in their regular classroom.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When art finally got a dedicated space at Murch (about 4 years ago) it was in a trailer without running water. It was literally just a small, old trailer without area to hang or dry any art. It was so bad that the art teacher quit over the situation. You know what happened? The parents demanded more. There are portable sinks that have running water. Shelving units were donated. The best part is that when a new teacher was hired she didn't care. She was just excited to be teaching art to children.

A kiln or studio space?!? Ha! The school didn't have a kitchen! They turned a bathroom into a nurse's office.

With some creative thinking this can be done but with Fillmore the schools and parents can't seem to think outside the box.

Don't kid yourself, it's not "creative thinking." What is far more obvious and significant here is "lowering expectations." DCPS created an art situation that was so bad that the art teacher quit. Then (because DCPS wouldn't do anything about it) parents with resources raised enough funds for SINKS IN A TRAILER, and SHELVING.

Yay! Success!

How about we address the ridiculous overspending, and divert that $100M+ (for 300 students) at Coolidge (a school that's been a failure by any definition for decades) to several successful elementary schools (ALL of which are larger than Coolidge and NONE of which employ felons)?

This was made at the school level -- not a dictate from DCPS. I think that is what the Fillmore parents are missing. Their schools are serving them mediocre art at an off site location which costs more than hiring a great art teacher. How is that so hard to see or good for kids? Just because they won't create the space doesn't mean there isn't space. Besides Marie Reed, we are talking about schools with very low FARMs levels. Come on -- these parents have resources and PTAs!

Nonsense!

DCPS is literally bleeding money. Why should PTAs have to solve this problem?

Mayor Bowwow is a hack. That doesn't mean the children at Key or Ross should have to pay for her cronyism.

I should also mention that the former art teacher quit but left her kids at Murch -- doing art.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When art finally got a dedicated space at Murch (about 4 years ago) it was in a trailer without running water. It was literally just a small, old trailer without area to hang or dry any art. It was so bad that the art teacher quit over the situation. You know what happened? The parents demanded more. There are portable sinks that have running water. Shelving units were donated. The best part is that when a new teacher was hired she didn't care. She was just excited to be teaching art to children.

A kiln or studio space?!? Ha! The school didn't have a kitchen! They turned a bathroom into a nurse's office.

With some creative thinking this can be done but with Fillmore the schools and parents can't seem to think outside the box.

Don't kid yourself, it's not "creative thinking." What is far more obvious and significant here is "lowering expectations." DCPS created an art situation that was so bad that the art teacher quit. Then (because DCPS wouldn't do anything about it) parents with resources raised enough funds for SINKS IN A TRAILER, and SHELVING.

Yay! Success!

How about we address the ridiculous overspending, and divert that $100M+ (for 300 students) at Coolidge (a school that's been a failure by any definition for decades) to several successful elementary schools (ALL of which are larger than Coolidge and NONE of which employ felons)?

This was made at the school level -- not a dictate from DCPS. I think that is what the Fillmore parents are missing. Their schools are serving them mediocre art at an off site location which costs more than hiring a great art teacher. How is that so hard to see or good for kids? Just because they won't create the space doesn't mean there isn't space. Besides Marie Reed, we are talking about schools with very low FARMs levels. Come on -- these parents have resources and PTAs!

Anonymous wrote:When art finally got a dedicated space at Murch (about 4 years ago) it was in a trailer without running water. It was literally just a small, old trailer without area to hang or dry any art. It was so bad that the art teacher quit over the situation. You know what happened? The parents demanded more. There are portable sinks that have running water. Shelving units were donated. The best part is that when a new teacher was hired she didn't care. She was just excited to be teaching art to children.

A kiln or studio space?!? Ha! The school didn't have a kitchen! They turned a bathroom into a nurse's office.

With some creative thinking this can be done but with Fillmore the schools and parents can't seem to think outside the box.

Don't kid yourself, it's not "creative thinking." What is far more obvious and significant here is "lowering expectations." DCPS created an art situation that was so bad that the art teacher quit. Then (because DCPS wouldn't do anything about it) parents with resources raised enough funds for SINKS IN A TRAILER, and SHELVING.

Yay! Success!

How about we address the ridiculous overspending, and divert that $100M+ (for 300 students) at Coolidge (a school that's been a failure by any definition for decades) to several successful elementary schools (ALL of which are larger than Coolidge and NONE of which employ felons)?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When art finally got a dedicated space at Murch (about 4 years ago) it was in a trailer without running water. It was literally just a small, old trailer without area to hang or dry any art. It was so bad that the art teacher quit over the situation. You know what happened? The parents demanded more. There are portable sinks that have running water. Shelving units were donated. The best part is that when a new teacher was hired she didn't care. She was just excited to be teaching art to children.

A kiln or studio space?!? Ha! The school didn't have a kitchen! They turned a bathroom into a nurse's office.

With some creative thinking this can be done but with Fillmore the schools and parents can't seem to think outside the box.

Keeping Fillmore the way it is would seem to be the best "out of the box" thinking there is. For DCPS, which has been intent on killing Fillmore for years, keeping Fillmore would be truly creative (and sensible) thinking for them. Leadership is required to create the creative, albeit obvious, spark.

Stockholm syndrome.

Anonymous wrote:When art finally got a dedicated space at Murch (about 4 years ago) it was in a trailer without running water. It was literally just a small, old trailer without area to hang or dry any art. It was so bad that the art teacher quit over the situation. You know what happened? The parents demanded more. There are portable sinks that have running water. Shelving units were donated. The best part is that when a new teacher was hired she didn't care. She was just excited to be teaching art to children.

A kiln or studio space?!? Ha! The school didn't have a kitchen! They turned a bathroom into a nurse's office.

With some creative thinking this can be done but with Fillmore the schools and parents can't seem to think outside the box.

Keeping Fillmore the way it is would seem to be the best "out of the box" thinking there is. For DCPS, which has been intent on killing Fillmore for years, keeping Fillmore would be truly creative (and sensible) thinking for them. Leadership is required to create the creative, albeit obvious, spark.

When art finally got a dedicated space at Murch (about 4 years ago) it was in a trailer without running water. It was literally just a small, old trailer without area to hang or dry any art. It was so bad that the art teacher quit over the situation. You know what happened? The parents demanded more. There are portable sinks that have running water. Shelving units were donated. The best part is that when a new teacher was hired she didn't care. She was just excited to be teaching art to children.

A kiln or studio space?!? Ha! The school didn't have a kitchen! They turned a bathroom into a nurse's office.

With some creative thinking this can be done but with Fillmore the schools and parents can't seem to think outside the box.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What we're seeing here is how difficult it is to use "rationality" to justify killing Fillmore, when the facts on the ground show the Fillmore feeder schools don't have a square inch of floor space to study art. Once you account for that reality, then you have to explain how the Fillmore kids would otherwise have access to the same arts education as every other DCPS student gets, if the Fillmore program is ended. But you can't do that, because "facts" are in the way.

As has been said many times on this board, DCPS: come up with a solution other than "suck it." But such a solution does not exist. So, find a way to fund Fillmore at reasonable cost. Using DCPS-owned buses would be a start. All you're paying for is gas and a driver on a government salary.

Not all the Fillmore schools lack space (Marie Reed will have art space next year).

Not every non-Fillmore school has dedicated arts space (Murch).

Push your principals. Close a PK4 class. Tough choices but everyone else in the city makes them daily.

Sorry, but this is still "suck it." Several Fillmore schools have not an inch of space, and will not unless DCPS starts excavating more new foundations soon.

You have no idea if the PK4 class space is even suitable, FYI (hint: have you ever seen a classroom for 3-4 year olds?). What you would have to do is close a k-5 classroom, but DCPS can't do that and meet legal obligations for providing seats to students.

Anonymous wrote:What we're seeing here is how difficult it is to use "rationality" to justify killing Fillmore, when the facts on the ground show the Fillmore feeder schools don't have a square inch of floor space to study art. Once you account for that reality, then you have to explain how the Fillmore kids would otherwise have access to the same arts education as every other DCPS student gets, if the Fillmore program is ended. But you can't do that, because "facts" are in the way.

As has been said many times on this board, DCPS: come up with a solution other than "suck it." But such a solution does not exist. So, find a way to fund Fillmore at reasonable cost. Using DCPS-owned buses would be a start. All you're paying for is gas and a driver on a government salary.

Not all the Fillmore schools lack space (Marie Reed will have art space next year).

Not every non-Fillmore school has dedicated arts space (Murch).

Push your principals. Close a PK4 class. Tough choices but everyone else in the city makes them daily.

What we're seeing here is how difficult it is to use "rationality" to justify killing Fillmore, when the facts on the ground show the Fillmore feeder schools don't have a square inch of floor space to study art. Once you account for that reality, then you have to explain how the Fillmore kids would otherwise have access to the same arts education as every other DCPS student gets, if the Fillmore program is ended. But you can't do that, because "facts" are in the way.

As has been said many times on this board, DCPS: come up with a solution other than "suck it." But such a solution does not exist. So, find a way to fund Fillmore at reasonable cost. Using DCPS-owned buses would be a start. All you're paying for is gas and a driver on a government salary.