You can ask Kaya about why Murch is getting screwed again on the Kojo show today at noon:

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2016-02-18/school-reform-changing-how-teachers-and-students-are-evaluated

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

Well, I hope he means it when he says he is meeting with them this morning without delay since the Chancellor is jetting off to Cuba in a couple days time and will be gone for almost a week. Pretty ballsy of her to go on a trip like this in the midst of budget season where she is doing things like threatening to cut Fillmore Arts Center, which several schools that don't have any space for arts education depend for providing students with quality arts programming.
http://www.gwhcc.org/news/2016/02/17/chamber-news/washington-regional-leaders-to-join-hispanic-chamber-on-exploratory-mission-to-cuba/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-maryland-and-virginia-officials-are-headed-to-cuba--together/2016/02/17/f8825da6-d596-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html

No way the CHANCELLOR is going to Cuba? To do what??

To gain useful information on how to manage and maintain schools. Her buddy, Mayor Bowser, is going to. A regular Thelma and Louise junket trip, while Murch and other pressing issues languish.

Bowser wasting time and money doesn't surprise me. Kaya does.

Typo correction : going, too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

Well, I hope he means it when he says he is meeting with them this morning without delay since the Chancellor is jetting off to Cuba in a couple days time and will be gone for almost a week. Pretty ballsy of her to go on a trip like this in the midst of budget season where she is doing things like threatening to cut Fillmore Arts Center, which several schools that don't have any space for arts education depend for providing students with quality arts programming.
http://www.gwhcc.org/news/2016/02/17/chamber-news/washington-regional-leaders-to-join-hispanic-chamber-on-exploratory-mission-to-cuba/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-maryland-and-virginia-officials-are-headed-to-cuba--together/2016/02/17/f8825da6-d596-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html

No way the CHANCELLOR is going to Cuba? To do what??

To gain useful information on how to manage and maintain schools. Her buddy, Mayor Bowser, is going to. A regular Thelma and Louise junket trip, while Murch and other pressing issues languish.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: parking... What about consolidating parking with Deal and Wlson? There seems to be a lot of parking space at Deal, that if reconfigured better could accommodate more space for Murch teachers.

I don't have a kid at Murch, but the idea that kids have no cafeteria.....you're begging for a rodent problem, which will make the entire place unsanitary. Speaking from experience here and the massive rodent problem that Lafayette had for years prior to renovation.

Does this help the funding issue at this time?

No, it doesn't. And again, people don't know what they are talking about (not that they have a reason too if they don't live there). All the space that looks like Deal parking is unzoned NPS land where commuters park before teachers even get there. Same with most of Davenport Street, where people park permanently and don't get tickets because NPS doesn't have authority to do that. Deal Murch and Wilson and neighbors have been trying to get this changed for decades, even during the two renovations. It isn't going to happen.

The design they have is the best that can be done. Now they have to just build it already.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

That's great to hear.

I emailed Mary Cheh (I live in Ward 3) and specifically asked for a response about what she was doing to fight for Murch's funding. Not surprisingly, none was forthcoming. But, you know, she did tweet that this is "one of" her budget priorities, so that's...something? No, not really. It's nothing.

Murch community, we have to hold her accountable on this. Is she fighting for us?

This is interesting. I wonder if this comes as a surprise to Grasso and others- Did Bowser try to slip this in hoping no one would notice?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

Well, I hope he means it when he says he is meeting with them this morning without delay since the Chancellor is jetting off to Cuba in a couple days time and will be gone for almost a week. Pretty ballsy of her to go on a trip like this in the midst of budget season where she is doing things like threatening to cut Fillmore Arts Center, which several schools that don't have any space for arts education depend for providing students with quality arts programming.
http://www.gwhcc.org/news/2016/02/17/chamber-news/washington-regional-leaders-to-join-hispanic-chamber-on-exploratory-mission-to-cuba/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-maryland-and-virginia-officials-are-headed-to-cuba--together/2016/02/17/f8825da6-d596-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html

No way the CHANCELLOR is going to Cuba? To do what??

Anonymous wrote:Re: parking... What about consolidating parking with Deal and Wlson? There seems to be a lot of parking space at Deal, that if reconfigured better could accommodate more space for Murch teachers.

I don't have a kid at Murch, but the idea that kids have no cafeteria.....you're begging for a rodent problem, which will make the entire place unsanitary. Speaking from experience here and the massive rodent problem that Lafayette had for years prior to renovation.

Does this help the funding issue at this time?

Anonymous wrote:I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

Well, I hope he means it when he says he is meeting with them this morning without delay since the Chancellor is jetting off to Cuba in a couple days time and will be gone for almost a week. Pretty ballsy of her to go on a trip like this in the midst of budget season where she is doing things like threatening to cut Fillmore Arts Center, which several schools that don't have any space for arts education depend for providing students with quality arts programming.
http://www.gwhcc.org/news/2016/02/17/chamber-news/washington-regional-leaders-to-join-hispanic-chamber-on-exploratory-mission-to-cuba/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-maryland-and-virginia-officials-are-headed-to-cuba--together/2016/02/17/f8825da6-d596-11e5-be55-2cc3c1e4b76b_story.html

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

That's great to hear.

I emailed Mary Cheh (I live in Ward 3) and specifically asked for a response about what she was doing to fight for Murch's funding. Not surprisingly, none was forthcoming. But, you know, she did tweet that this is "one of" her budget priorities, so that's...something? No, not really. It's nothing.

Murch community, we have to hold her accountable on this. Is she fighting for us?

I emailed her, too, and have not received any response whatsoever. What is she doing for Murch?! Sending out inane tweets?! Unbelievable.

Anonymous wrote:I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

That's great to hear.

I emailed Mary Cheh (I live in Ward 3) and specifically asked for a response about what she was doing to fight for Murch's funding. Not surprisingly, none was forthcoming. But, you know, she did tweet that this is "one of" her budget priorities, so that's...something? No, not really. It's nothing.

Murch community, we have to hold her accountable on this. Is she fighting for us?

Anonymous wrote:Re: parking... What about consolidating parking with Deal and Wlson? There seems to be a lot of parking space at Deal, that if reconfigured better could accommodate more space for Murch teachers.

I don't have a kid at Murch, but the idea that kids have no cafeteria.....you're begging for a rodent problem, which will make the entire place unsanitary. Speaking from experience here and the massive rodent problem that Lafayette had for years prior to renovation.

This is a very good idea.

Anonymous wrote:Re: parking... What about consolidating parking with Deal and Wlson? There seems to be a lot of parking space at Deal, that if reconfigured better could accommodate more space for Murch teachers.

I don't have a kid at Murch, but the idea that kids have no cafeteria.....you're begging for a rodent problem, which will make the entire place unsanitary. Speaking from experience here and the massive rodent problem that Lafayette had for years prior to renovation.

Honestly, it is great that people are interested and drive by and throw out ideas. But you have to realize that these are not new thoughts. The Murch community and at least 5 architects have studied this situation for well over 5 years (yes, numerous other schools have gone from start to finish in that time). Trust that what ever you are all thinking of today, the SIT, DGS, and the paid and unpaid experts have gone over a thousand times. Years of study, multiple design ideas, thousands of hours of work and millions in taxpayer money have gone into finally coming up with a design that can be crammed onto literally every inch allowed by the numerous restrictions on the site (N-S-E-W, up and down, modern codes and historic preservation) and that all of the agencies involved signed off on (DCPS, DGS, NPS, CFA, HPB, ANC, etc). It was done. It fit. It worked. It had no bells or whistles. It was extremely budget conscious, cheaper than similarly sized schools, about the same as schools built for half the students. There is no fat in the project; every design feature was demanded by the size DCPS wants to build for and the site restrictions (which are size, zoning, environmental, and historic). The final result does not meet the ed. specs, but minimally, it worked.

Now it needs to be funded. Because the rodents at Murch have names, and they are bold enough to eat in the classrooms with the students. I promise you that is not hyperbole. The city cannot saddle a neighborhood with the third largest elementary school in the city (larger than many high schools) and not take care of that very serious public health issue.

I e-mailed Council Member David Grosso (chair of the Education Committee) last night about this mess and already have received a response. He said he's meeting with DCPS and DGS this morning to get to the bottom of it. Who knows if that actually means anything, but he's certainly aware of the problem and says he's trying to do something about it.

Re: parking... What about consolidating parking with Deal and Wlson? There seems to be a lot of parking space at Deal, that if reconfigured better could accommodate more space for Murch teachers.

I don't have a kid at Murch, but the idea that kids have no cafeteria.....you're begging for a rodent problem, which will make the entire place unsanitary. Speaking from experience here and the massive rodent problem that Lafayette had for years prior to renovation.