From an OPEFM report:

http://opefm.dc.gov/masterfacilityplan.html

Jefferson – “Asbestos composition tiles remain present on some of the floor surfaces, a clear health safety issue.”

Stuart Hobson – “Asbestos tiles are still in use in the floors and deterioration is evident or imminent.”

Eliot Hine – No mention of asbestos in the report.

what buildings have asbestos & structural integrity issues?

What Makes a Winning Middle School?

The Capitol Hill Public School Parent Organization (CHPSPO) grappled with this question before presenting their ideas to DCPS. Many agreed that Deal Middle School in Northwest DC is a good model for several reasons. For starters, it’s big. Under a per-pupil funding system, more students mean more dollars. With more dollars, a school can provide a greater variety of activity for children at the age it matters most.

“Middle school is the age where kids figure out what excites them,” said Councilmember Wells. “Are they motivated by languages? By sports? By art? The more options you can provide in a middle school, the better. That’s why Deal is the ideal.” Wells also noted that high test scores are not necessarily what make a school attractive to parents. “We have schools with higher test scores that families are not clamoring to get into, and we have schools with low test scores that are very popular,” he said. “For parents, the most important things are, will their child be challenged? Do they feel like they can work with the administration at the school, and what’s the likelihood their child will be going to school with their friends?”

Parents also want the physical campuses to have the same quality as the classes inside them. “Our kids deserve a safe, high-performing building, and our teachers and administrators deserve decent place to work,” said Jones [Stuart-Hobson parent and Ward 6 School Board Representative], who voiced concerns about the facilities at Stuart-Hobson. “When parents make choices about where to send their kids, they want rigor, but they also want a building free of asbestos and structural integrity issues.”

From Hill Rag: July 2011
http://hillrag.com/CCN_Website09/images/papers/HR/Jul/0711/pdfs/38-41_RAG_0711.pdf

16:59,

My word, get over-it. If it is not a drunk Louisa then a tipsy Weezy can be a reasonable subsitute. I was just responding as one can do on this site.

You broke the ultimate rule on this site and that was to argue with anonymous and then you tried to validate yourself with your degree.

On that note, I need to find testerone/menopausal Weezy/Louisa and we both can begin to bar-hop on H-Street.

Anonymous wrote:All these scenarios sound great on paper, but unless DCPS has a well thought out and put together product to sell as a middle school the charters will definitely reap the rewards of any closures. DCPS is so lax on where kids can go (as long as there is a slot open) that there are no guarantees that all of these people whining about not having a middle school would even be brave enough to send their kids to one if it was created in their backyard! Let's be honest people!!!

You make a good point. The (mis)handling of Hardy gives me pause that DCPS can modify programs. It makes me think a program, if it has any chance, must be constructed from whole cloth.

I agree with the above observation. But if DCPS can't put together a decent middle school, isn't it right that they lose those students to charters? Or should those parents whining about dcps middle schools ( who legitimately have crappy options in their feeder patterns ) keep their kids in sub par schools to spare DCPS loss?

I thought that was one of the points of charter schools: to force local districts to infuse some quality in their programming. The problem here is not parents who ( rightly ) shop around for a decent public education. The problem is DCPS who can't seem to put together a decent program that will draw in discerning familes, school closures or not.

All these scenarios sound great on paper, but unless DCPS has a well thought out and put together product to sell as a middle school the charters will definitely reap the rewards of any closures. DCPS is so lax on where kids can go (as long as there is a slot open) that there are no guarantees that all of these people whining about not having a middle school would even be brave enough to send their kids to one if it was created in their backyard! Let's be honest people!!!

I would guess those 10 kids are the Chinese kids who go to Jefferson to take advantage of the fantastic ESL teacher there. The Asian subgroup at Jefferson has relatively high dc cas scores.

When I was at Thomson two years ago I was told maybe 10 kids a year go to Jefferson from Thomson. Many do go to Hardy and I know a fair number apply and go to Caesar Chavez Middle school in Columbia Heights.

Jack Evans doesn't care about Thomson students. Thomson parents are mostly low ses and half are ell. The kids at Thomson are screwed.

Anonymous wrote:Who thought of this? Are you drunk Louisa?

There is no way this is written by someone named "Louisa". First of all, I've seen this idea posted on washington post signed with initials and the first initial was "d", not "l". Second, that post is dripping with testosterone. No way a female wrote that. I think whoever really posted this should say that HE isn't named Louisa. And if I'm wrong, and a Louisa actually did write this, I will eat my MA degree in English Lit.

Also, while I think "Drunk Louisas" makes an awesome band name, it's actually pretty tacky to call out someone by name on dcurbanmoms. Jeff, isn't this like posting slander or something?

"I don't know why Thomson ES is even in this equation. It is a ward 2 school in NW. I don't really understand why their middle school is Jefferson in SW instead of Hardy in NW. Please kick us out!"

If I were a Thomson parent, I'd be begging to get to Hardy and out of Jefferson and calling my councilman regularly and organizaing around this.

I don't know why Thomson ES is even in this equation. It is a ward 2 school in NW. I don't really understand why their middle school is Jefferson in SW instead of Hardy in NW. Please kick us out!

Anonymous wrote:If metro accessibility is an issue, Jefferson should stay open. It is on 4 of 5 lines. Also, it is the only option in SW. And there will be a lot of development in the area over the next few years. as a SW resident, I am still holding out hope that by the time my PSer is ready for middle school, he'll have an option he can walk to.

There are currently only about 300 Ward 6 middle school students - barely enough to fill even one school, let alone three. DCPS should mothball Jefferson and Stuart Hobson, grow Eliot Hine to an enrollment of 800 and then re-open Jefferson in 2015.

Jefferson has an amazing location and facility. It used to be a great school and could be good again (magnet anyone?) if more elementary schools come on-line as strong schools. Hopefully that will be in time for your PSr.

If metro accessibility is an issue, Jefferson should stay open. It is on 4 of 5 lines. Also, it is the only option in SW. And there will be a lot of development in the area over the next few years. as a SW resident, I am still holding out hope that by the time my PSer is ready for middle school, he'll have an option he can walk to.