Anonymous
Post 02/25/2016 09:22     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:I have driven by Ellington 5 times during the last 10 days on my way to a conference in Virginia. I have seen, literally, no work being done on the building. Is it on some kind of hold?


I hope so. Maybe we can revisit that disaster of a decision before we sink any more money into it.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2016 09:18     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
I have driven by Ellington 5 times during the last 10 days on my way to a conference in Virginia. I have seen, literally, no work being done on the building. Is it on some kind of hold?
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2016 08:05     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is exhausting. Parents are to blame because they wrongly believe that anything new and shiny means the school is better. So they bitch non stop for new facilities and wow, the test scores still suck. You can renovate Cardozo, rebuild Dunbar and build a new brook land middle...guess what the test scores are abysmal, high SES parents won't send their kids there but yet everyone whines to spend more money or more new buildings.


I don't believe it will change test scores. But I'd like my kids (and ALL other kid in the city) to have decent facility because DECENCY.

How's that for a reason?

Or do you think poorly performing kids /schools should just be left in squalor?


NP - no one wants them in squalor but they are half empty. We need fewer schools. Give them to charters on 20-year leases.


For now, sure. But 10 years from now that space may be needed for DCPS.


The question is whether DCPS or a charter would serve the public better with the space. DCPS isn't making a strong case for itself.


Or the charter kids could just go to the school and then it won't be empty.


Why should they be forced to go to a failing school?
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2016 08:02     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Reasonable?


Nope, the Ellington costs are ridiculous.

But how about Capital City, as a charter example? $24 million for 1,000 students.


Interesting example since they hired the same builder DGS chose for Murch.

"Capital City invested more than $24 million in the city-owned facility through a state-of-the-art renovation. In addition to beautiful classroom spaces, the facility includes a multi-level library, four science labs, three computer labs, three art rooms, three music rooms, a black box theatre, a gymnasium, and fitness center. Seven acres of outdoor space include athletic fields, a garden, and two playgrounds."

MCN is also the builder at Murch and yet they want $88 million to give no science room, no computer lab, no fitness room, no garden, no black box theatre, one art room, one music room, not enough classrooms, a gym smaller than fire code requires for the school to gather together, a smaller than ed spec. library, and less than a acre left for play space.

Explain that. MCN needs to reexamine their heads and bid this project at budget. Enough of fleecing the city off the backs of little kids.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2016 08:02     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
At the Murch meeting, the DCPS rep said that there was a finite amount of resources for school Reno and increasing the budget for one school had to reduce the budget for other schools. I couldn't help but wonder how many school budgets have been negatively impacted by the mismanagement at Ellington. How many Murch or other well-deserving schools are paying that price now or will pay it in the future?

I don't think the excess at Ellington means all schools should get a blank check or huge budgets, but it's so upsetting that one project for a relative few students is putting many projects for many, many more students at risk.
Anonymous
Post 02/25/2016 07:46     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is exhausting. Parents are to blame because they wrongly believe that anything new and shiny means the school is better. So they bitch non stop for new facilities and wow, the test scores still suck. You can renovate Cardozo, rebuild Dunbar and build a new brook land middle...guess what the test scores are abysmal, high SES parents won't send their kids there but yet everyone whines to spend more money or more new buildings.


I don't believe it will change test scores. But I'd like my kids (and ALL other kid in the city) to have decent facility because DECENCY.

How's that for a reason?

Or do you think poorly performing kids /schools should just be left in squalor?


NP - no one wants them in squalor but they are half empty. We need fewer schools. Give them to charters on 20-year leases.


For now, sure. But 10 years from now that space may be needed for DCPS.


The question is whether DCPS or a charter would serve the public better with the space. DCPS isn't making a strong case for itself.


Or the charter kids could just go to the school and then it won't be empty.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 21:25     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is exhausting. Parents are to blame because they wrongly believe that anything new and shiny means the school is better. So they bitch non stop for new facilities and wow, the test scores still suck. You can renovate Cardozo, rebuild Dunbar and build a new brook land middle...guess what the test scores are abysmal, high SES parents won't send their kids there but yet everyone whines to spend more money or more new buildings.


I don't believe it will change test scores. But I'd like my kids (and ALL other kid in the city) to have decent facility because DECENCY.

How's that for a reason?

Or do you think poorly performing kids /schools should just be left in squalor?


NP - no one wants them in squalor but they are half empty. We need fewer schools. Give them to charters on 20-year leases.


For now, sure. But 10 years from now that space may be needed for DCPS.


The question is whether DCPS or a charter would serve the public better with the space. DCPS isn't making a strong case for itself.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 21:22     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is exhausting. Parents are to blame because they wrongly believe that anything new and shiny means the school is better. So they bitch non stop for new facilities and wow, the test scores still suck. You can renovate Cardozo, rebuild Dunbar and build a new brook land middle...guess what the test scores are abysmal, high SES parents won't send their kids there but yet everyone whines to spend more money or more new buildings.


I don't believe it will change test scores. But I'd like my kids (and ALL other kid in the city) to have decent facility because DECENCY.

How's that for a reason?

Or do you think poorly performing kids /schools should just be left in squalor?


NP - no one wants them in squalor but they are half empty. We need fewer schools. Give them to charters on 20-year leases.


For now, sure. But 10 years from now that space may be needed for DCPS.


That's what they have been saying for 15 years.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 21:11     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:Ballou had $142 million reno for 744 kids.


So?

Everyone at DCPS knows money just grows in trees.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 20:44     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is exhausting. Parents are to blame because they wrongly believe that anything new and shiny means the school is better. So they bitch non stop for new facilities and wow, the test scores still suck. You can renovate Cardozo, rebuild Dunbar and build a new brook land middle...guess what the test scores are abysmal, high SES parents won't send their kids there but yet everyone whines to spend more money or more new buildings.


I don't believe it will change test scores. But I'd like my kids (and ALL other kid in the city) to have decent facility because DECENCY.

How's that for a reason?

Or do you think poorly performing kids /schools should just be left in squalor?


NP - no one wants them in squalor but they are half empty. We need fewer schools. Give them to charters on 20-year leases.


For now, sure. But 10 years from now that space may be needed for DCPS.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 20:36     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:IMO, as an Ellington grad, it deserves more money. It is 1 of the only truly functional, successful DCPS high schools. I graduated some years back with a class of 92. 90 of us went on to at least community college if not a 4-year-college. I am friends with many Ellington grads and we all have good jobs, often still in our majors or close to them. Several are teaching in DCPS or otherwise involved with city kids. It's an amazing place that could be grown into a real draw for DCPS as a whole with a renovated building.

When I was there the theater was regularly rented out to professional theater companies. We students were hired to help out behind stage.

From the backgrounds of a lot of kids I was there with, I would say that most of them would not have ended up at college or even in a career if they had not attended Ellington. We should all be celebrating the energy of the kids who attend school for nearly 2 more hours than the rest of DCPS and are often there late into the evening rehearsing and otherwise using the facility. Ellington's building was absolutely my second home the entire time I was there and I was one of the few students for whom my first home was a middle class one with relatively functional parents and food on the table.

I'm the proud parent of a future Ellington student and I am absolutely thrilled about the renovation. We are truly a family and whenever you meet an Ellington student, grad, or teacher anywhere around you are instant friends. Let's be glad that the city is investing in a school that produces graduates of whom DCPS can be proud.


Appreciate reading about your perspective as an Ellington student, alum, and prospective parent. What are your thoughts about the now defunct discussion of relocating Ellington to the center city, reducing commute times for many students?
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 20:36     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is exhausting. Parents are to blame because they wrongly believe that anything new and shiny means the school is better. So they bitch non stop for new facilities and wow, the test scores still suck. You can renovate Cardozo, rebuild Dunbar and build a new brook land middle...guess what the test scores are abysmal, high SES parents won't send their kids there but yet everyone whines to spend more money or more new buildings.


I don't believe it will change test scores. But I'd like my kids (and ALL other kid in the city) to have decent facility because DECENCY.

How's that for a reason?

Or do you think poorly performing kids /schools should just be left in squalor?


NP - no one wants them in squalor but they are half empty. We need fewer schools. Give them to charters on 20-year leases.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 20:27     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:IMO, as an Ellington grad, it deserves more money. It is 1 of the only truly functional, successful DCPS high schools. I graduated some years back with a class of 92. 90 of us went on to at least community college if not a 4-year-college. I am friends with many Ellington grads and we all have good jobs, often still in our majors or close to them. Several are teaching in DCPS or otherwise involved with city kids. It's an amazing place that could be grown into a real draw for DCPS as a whole with a renovated building.

When I was there the theater was regularly rented out to professional theater companies. We students were hired to help out behind stage.

From the backgrounds of a lot of kids I was there with, I would say that most of them would not have ended up at college or even in a career if they had not attended Ellington. We should all be celebrating the energy of the kids who attend school for nearly 2 more hours than the rest of DCPS and are often there late into the evening rehearsing and otherwise using the facility. Ellington's building was absolutely my second home the entire time I was there and I was one of the few students for whom my first home was a middle class one with relatively functional parents and food on the table.

I'm the proud parent of a future Ellington student and I am absolutely thrilled about the renovation. We are truly a family and whenever you meet an Ellington student, grad, or teacher anywhere around you are instant friends. Let's be glad that the city is investing in a school that produces graduates of whom DCPS can be proud.


Based on your reasoning renovating Sidwell's friends should cost $600-$700. great school, great kids, they all go to college and have great careers.


$600M-$700M
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 20:26     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:IMO, as an Ellington grad, it deserves more money. It is 1 of the only truly functional, successful DCPS high schools. I graduated some years back with a class of 92. 90 of us went on to at least community college if not a 4-year-college. I am friends with many Ellington grads and we all have good jobs, often still in our majors or close to them. Several are teaching in DCPS or otherwise involved with city kids. It's an amazing place that could be grown into a real draw for DCPS as a whole with a renovated building.

When I was there the theater was regularly rented out to professional theater companies. We students were hired to help out behind stage.

From the backgrounds of a lot of kids I was there with, I would say that most of them would not have ended up at college or even in a career if they had not attended Ellington. We should all be celebrating the energy of the kids who attend school for nearly 2 more hours than the rest of DCPS and are often there late into the evening rehearsing and otherwise using the facility. Ellington's building was absolutely my second home the entire time I was there and I was one of the few students for whom my first home was a middle class one with relatively functional parents and food on the table.

I'm the proud parent of a future Ellington student and I am absolutely thrilled about the renovation. We are truly a family and whenever you meet an Ellington student, grad, or teacher anywhere around you are instant friends. Let's be glad that the city is investing in a school that produces graduates of whom DCPS can be proud.


Based on your reasoning renovating Sidwell's friends should cost $600-$700. great school, great kids, they all go to college and have great careers.
Anonymous
Post 02/24/2016 20:24     Subject: Ellington. $250 m for 600 students. Murch. $70 m for 700 students.
Anonymous wrote:This is exhausting. Parents are to blame because they wrongly believe that anything new and shiny means the school is better. So they bitch non stop for new facilities and wow, the test scores still suck. You can renovate Cardozo, rebuild Dunbar and build a new brook land middle...guess what the test scores are abysmal, high SES parents won't send their kids there but yet everyone whines to spend more money or more new buildings.


I don't believe it will change test scores. But I'd like my kids (and ALL other kid in the city) to have decent facility because DECENCY.

How's that for a reason?

Or do you think poorly performing kids /schools should just be left in squalor?