Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:53     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Don't forget:

Oyster Adams -- $79 million
Dorothy Height -- $63 million
JO Wilson -- $91 million
MLK -- $65 million
Burrville -- $85 million
Garfield -- $60.5 million
Burroughs -- $75 million

All DCPS. No charters.


Again, DCPS and DGS do not renovate charters. That's not how the system is set up. Part of the point of being a charter school is getting to manage your own renovations and not dealing with DCPS and DGS. You seem not to understand this. It's not some big conspiracy. It's how it's supposed to work.



Nobody cares which pocket the money comes from. The point is that the city is starving children in charters of resources while simultaneously building palaces for kids who happen to go to DCPS. Everyone should be treated equally.


You seem to think charters never renovate, though. And that is simply not true. There's no centralized list, but they do renovate. People provided you a short list already.

The point of facilities funding is charters can decide whether to save up for renovations and how much to spend. If they choose not to, in favor of spending on other things, that's up to them. And if they stupidly overspent on a building and can't afford to maintain it, too bad. Choices have consequences.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:50     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Don't forget:

Oyster Adams -- $79 million
Dorothy Height -- $63 million
JO Wilson -- $91 million
MLK -- $65 million
Burrville -- $85 million
Garfield -- $60.5 million
Burroughs -- $75 million

All DCPS. No charters.


Again, DCPS and DGS do not renovate charters. That's not how the system is set up. Part of the point of being a charter school is getting to manage your own renovations and not dealing with DCPS and DGS. You seem not to understand this. It's not some big conspiracy. It's how it's supposed to work.



Nobody cares which pocket the money comes from. The point is that the city is starving children in charters of resources while simultaneously building palaces for kids who happen to go to DCPS. Everyone should be treated equally.


Eh I like charters and think they provide an important outlet but DCPS has to do so much more than charters by law, of course they get more resources.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:49     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Don't forget:

Oyster Adams -- $79 million
Dorothy Height -- $63 million
JO Wilson -- $91 million
MLK -- $65 million
Burrville -- $85 million
Garfield -- $60.5 million
Burroughs -- $75 million

All DCPS. No charters.


Again, DCPS and DGS do not renovate charters. That's not how the system is set up. Part of the point of being a charter school is getting to manage your own renovations and not dealing with DCPS and DGS. You seem not to understand this. It's not some big conspiracy. It's how it's supposed to work.



Nobody cares which pocket the money comes from. The point is that the city is starving children in charters of resources while simultaneously building palaces for kids who happen to go to DCPS. Everyone should be treated equally.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:48     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Half the kids in DC go to charter schools, and yet there isn't a single charter school on this list.


Oh FFS. Charters. Do. Not. Want. DGS. In. Charge. Of. Their. Renovations.

If you'd like a list of charters that have renovated in the past 10-15 years, I'll start you off with with Latin. Mundo bought and renovated Calle Ocho. Eagle Academy's massive lawbreaking renovation spree is probably one of the reasons it collapsed. Sojourner Truth high school. Two Rivers Young campus. I'm sure others can think of more.

It may be true that charters renovate piecemeal rather than all in one fell swoop, but I don't think that matters.


I think DCPS could allocate their renovation money more wisely but I agree, it’s apples to oranges. Charters that can afford renovations do much better than DCPS in terms of getting them done (I mean Yu Ying and Latins new campus is really great, got done on time, and I think under budget). I do wish DCPS allocated more to charter buildings but it’s not a big deal to me.

It’s a big deal that DCPS and the DC gov are unwilling or unable to close or reconstitute low enrollment and attendance schools. Given the truancy numbers, there are as few as 15 students in the building at Anacostia on a given day.


15 students? Cite please.

The PCSB is also unwilling to close low enrollment schools, preferring to let them fail slowly over many years. How much is Rocketship wasting operating two buildings close together when all the same kids could fit into one, for example? CMI lost 100+ kids over the past two years but still has a nice big building.


94% truancy on a 250 student body is 15 students not truant. Now, rarely if ever will all of the 94% just not show up but it does happen.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:44     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Half the kids in DC go to charter schools, and yet there isn't a single charter school on this list.


Oh FFS. Charters. Do. Not. Want. DGS. In. Charge. Of. Their. Renovations.

If you'd like a list of charters that have renovated in the past 10-15 years, I'll start you off with with Latin. Mundo bought and renovated Calle Ocho. Eagle Academy's massive lawbreaking renovation spree is probably one of the reasons it collapsed. Sojourner Truth high school. Two Rivers Young campus. I'm sure others can think of more.

It may be true that charters renovate piecemeal rather than all in one fell swoop, but I don't think that matters.


I think DCPS could allocate their renovation money more wisely but I agree, it’s apples to oranges. Charters that can afford renovations do much better than DCPS in terms of getting them done (I mean Yu Ying and Latins new campus is really great, got done on time, and I think under budget). I do wish DCPS allocated more to charter buildings but it’s not a big deal to me.

It’s a big deal that DCPS and the DC gov are unwilling or unable to close or reconstitute low enrollment and attendance schools. Given the truancy numbers, there are as few as 15 students in the building at Anacostia on a given day.


That's not how the truancy stats work.

94% truancy means that 94% of students have at least 10 unexcused absences across the school year.

A students could be there 170 days and be "truant."





Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:44     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Don't forget:

Oyster Adams -- $79 million
Dorothy Height -- $63 million
JO Wilson -- $91 million
MLK -- $65 million
Burrville -- $85 million
Garfield -- $60.5 million
Burroughs -- $75 million

All DCPS. No charters.


Again, DCPS and DGS do not renovate charters. That's not how the system is set up. Part of the point of being a charter school is getting to manage your own renovations and not dealing with DCPS and DGS. You seem not to understand this. It's not some big conspiracy. It's how it's supposed to work.

Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:44     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Half the kids in DC go to charter schools, and yet there isn't a single charter school on this list.


Oh FFS. Charters. Do. Not. Want. DGS. In. Charge. Of. Their. Renovations.

If you'd like a list of charters that have renovated in the past 10-15 years, I'll start you off with with Latin. Mundo bought and renovated Calle Ocho. Eagle Academy's massive lawbreaking renovation spree is probably one of the reasons it collapsed. Sojourner Truth high school. Two Rivers Young campus. I'm sure others can think of more.

It may be true that charters renovate piecemeal rather than all in one fell swoop, but I don't think that matters.


I think DCPS could allocate their renovation money more wisely but I agree, it’s apples to oranges. Charters that can afford renovations do much better than DCPS in terms of getting them done (I mean Yu Ying and Latins new campus is really great, got done on time, and I think under budget). I do wish DCPS allocated more to charter buildings but it’s not a big deal to me.

It’s a big deal that DCPS and the DC gov are unwilling or unable to close or reconstitute low enrollment and attendance schools. Given the truancy numbers, there are as few as 15 students in the building at Anacostia on a given day.


15 students? Cite please.

The PCSB is also unwilling to close low enrollment schools, preferring to let them fail slowly over many years. How much is Rocketship wasting operating two buildings close together when all the same kids could fit into one, for example? CMI lost 100+ kids over the past two years but still has a nice big building.


The most MAGA talking point is those who are willing to hurt children to make their point. Charter school kids are dc kids. They deserve equal funding. If people want to aggressively close low performing charter and dcps that’s a different point.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:42     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Don't forget:

Oyster Adams -- $79 million
Dorothy Height -- $63 million
JO Wilson -- $91 million
MLK -- $65 million
Burrville -- $85 million
Garfield -- $60.5 million
Burroughs -- $75 million

All DCPS. No charters.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:41     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Wow. This is crazy and amount of money spent and wasted. Incredible the corruption and anise of taxpayers money.

They could have easily halved the amount, even more so and put that money towards more teachers, support staff, tutoring programs, etc…

60-180 million dollar renovations and yet majority of kids in this town can’t read or do math above 3rd grade level. So sad.



I don’t think the implication that modernizations only favored lower-income neighborhoods really holds up. DC has invested heavily in schools across the city, including some of the highest-income neighborhoods as well as historically underinvested communities.

And these projects couldn’t realistically have been done for “half as much.” Most involved full systems replacement, code upgrades, additions, and major infrastructure work. And not surprisingly, renos for MSs and HSs cost more than elementaries generally.

Finally, while renovated buildings alone don’t create great schools, modern facilities are absolutely necessary if you want to attract and retain a broader socioeconomic mix of families. It’s much harder to build long-term buy-in around schools that feel physically neglected.


If DC wanted to attract and retain a broader mix of families they’d do more than just renovate schools. I can’t believe they’re that stupid to think that was enough.

I suspect the whole Reno campaign was basically a last ditch attempt to keep the families they had from fleeing without changing much and pissing off the equity mafia that drives so many policy discussions (moreso back then than now, now that parents are more vocal and visible).
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:39     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Wow. This is crazy and amount of money spent and wasted. Incredible the corruption and anise of taxpayers money.

They could have easily halved the amount, even more so and put that money towards more teachers, support staff, tutoring programs, etc…

60-180 million dollar renovations and yet majority of kids in this town can’t read or do math above 3rd grade level. So sad.



I don’t think the implication that modernizations only favored lower-income neighborhoods really holds up. DC has invested heavily in schools across the city, including some of the highest-income neighborhoods as well as historically underinvested communities.

And these projects couldn’t realistically have been done for “half as much.” Most involved full systems replacement, code upgrades, additions, and major infrastructure work. And not surprisingly, renos for MSs and HSs cost more than elementaries generally.

Finally, while renovated buildings alone don’t create great schools, modern facilities are absolutely necessary if you want to attract and retain a broader socioeconomic mix of families. It’s much harder to build long-term buy-in around schools that feel physically neglected.


Yeah, MacArthur really isn't in a low income neighborhood either....
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:39     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Half the kids in DC go to charter schools, and yet there isn't a single charter school on this list.


Oh FFS. Charters. Do. Not. Want. DGS. In. Charge. Of. Their. Renovations.

If you'd like a list of charters that have renovated in the past 10-15 years, I'll start you off with with Latin. Mundo bought and renovated Calle Ocho. Eagle Academy's massive lawbreaking renovation spree is probably one of the reasons it collapsed. Sojourner Truth high school. Two Rivers Young campus. I'm sure others can think of more.

It may be true that charters renovate piecemeal rather than all in one fell swoop, but I don't think that matters.


I think DCPS could allocate their renovation money more wisely but I agree, it’s apples to oranges. Charters that can afford renovations do much better than DCPS in terms of getting them done (I mean Yu Ying and Latins new campus is really great, got done on time, and I think under budget). I do wish DCPS allocated more to charter buildings but it’s not a big deal to me.

It’s a big deal that DCPS and the DC gov are unwilling or unable to close or reconstitute low enrollment and attendance schools. Given the truancy numbers, there are as few as 15 students in the building at Anacostia on a given day.


15 students? Cite please.

The PCSB is also unwilling to close low enrollment schools, preferring to let them fail slowly over many years. How much is Rocketship wasting operating two buildings close together when all the same kids could fit into one, for example? CMI lost 100+ kids over the past two years but still has a nice big building.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:34     Subject: Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

This idea that DCPS's well-intentioned but stupid decision to overspend on several high school renovations years ago somehow means that now charter schools are owed money is so odd.

I think these posters are taking lessons from MAGA. Just keep vehemently repeating your claim, no matter the facts, and somehow the repetition will make it seem real.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:32     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Wow. This is crazy and amount of money spent and wasted. Incredible the corruption and anise of taxpayers money.

They could have easily halved the amount, even more so and put that money towards more teachers, support staff, tutoring programs, etc…

60-180 million dollar renovations and yet majority of kids in this town can’t read or do math above 3rd grade level. So sad.



I don’t think the implication that modernizations only favored lower-income neighborhoods really holds up. DC has invested heavily in schools across the city, including some of the highest-income neighborhoods as well as historically underinvested communities.

And these projects couldn’t realistically have been done for “half as much.” Most involved full systems replacement, code upgrades, additions, and major infrastructure work. And not surprisingly, renos for MSs and HSs cost more than elementaries generally.

Finally, while renovated buildings alone don’t create great schools, modern facilities are absolutely necessary if you want to attract and retain a broader socioeconomic mix of families. It’s much harder to build long-term buy-in around schools that feel physically neglected.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:31     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Half the kids in DC go to charter schools, and yet there isn't a single charter school on this list.


Oh FFS. Charters. Do. Not. Want. DGS. In. Charge. Of. Their. Renovations.

If you'd like a list of charters that have renovated in the past 10-15 years, I'll start you off with with Latin. Mundo bought and renovated Calle Ocho. Eagle Academy's massive lawbreaking renovation spree is probably one of the reasons it collapsed. Sojourner Truth high school. Two Rivers Young campus. I'm sure others can think of more.

It may be true that charters renovate piecemeal rather than all in one fell swoop, but I don't think that matters.


I think DCPS could allocate their renovation money more wisely but I agree, it’s apples to oranges. Charters that can afford renovations do much better than DCPS in terms of getting them done (I mean Yu Ying and Latins new campus is really great, got done on time, and I think under budget). I do wish DCPS allocated more to charter buildings but it’s not a big deal to me.

It’s a big deal that DCPS and the DC gov are unwilling or unable to close or reconstitute low enrollment and attendance schools. Given the truancy numbers, there are as few as 15 students in the building at Anacostia on a given day.
Anonymous
Post 05/07/2026 14:28     Subject: Re:Charter school funding gap in FY27 budget

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The city will spend astronomical amounts renovating schools, but only if they're DCPS. DC spent $180 million redoing Duke Ellington, which only has 600 or so students. Works out to about $300,000 per student.


Banneker got a $130 million renovation (700 students)



There's a long list of DCPS high schools that have gotten $100 million+ renovations


How long exactly is that long list?

What portion of DCPS schools is it?


The city has spent $3 billion and counting remodeling public schools (but not charters!)...


Some of the renovations are really over the top. Apparently money is no object for some schools.


It's kinda hilarious how the city treats charter school kids like red headed stepchildren. You would not think a government would or could go so far out of its way to be shitty to a group of children.


DC is obsessed with the “right” people using city services. It IS racial. It is a low level counter insurgency waged against “transplants.” To turn a phrase, you face twice as much scrutiny and be twice as good.


I think the city still resents the charter school system, even though half the kids in the city are now it in, and the way it tries to get back at it is by starving the schools of money. The difference between DCPS facilities and charter facilities is mind blowing. I would not think it is legal to treat an entire class of children like third class citizens.


I realize this thread is talking about facilities funding, but I think the other big part of the conversation is that for years, charters were expanding/opening with seemingly little thought as to how many schools would be in a certain neighborhood, how many seats would be open, etc. The birthrate has stopped increasing, we have too many schools/seats, and that is hard to un-do. DCPS closed a lot of their buildings 20ish+ years ago, and they can't close many more bc there needs to be guaranteed/neighborhood/by-right options for all students within a certain distance from their home. Not to mention the budget of the city overall has been hit hard recently, so you end up with less money all around. Many people argue that charter schools opened to respond to a need/demand, which is true -but the lack of big picture planning resulted in a large number of independent charter schools opening, many of them serving the same communities with similar models.
All that to say, it is a lot more nuanced and complex than just 'give us more money'.


Seems a little rich to blame charters when the city routinely spends $100 million to renovate DCPS schools that are already severely under-enrolled. Anacostia High School has 250 students in total.


People here are obsessed with poor Black kids getting a school building over a decade ago. It's weird and unhealthy.


Here's a list of major school renovations in Washington D.C.:

Duke Ellington -- $180 million
Coolidge -- $160 million
Jackson-Reid -- $130 million
Dunbar -- $125 million
Roosevelt -- $125 million
Woodson -- $100 million
Deal -- $100 million
Cardozo -- $90 million
Deal -- $90 million
Ballou -- $90 million
Jefferson -- $90 million
Truesdell -- $80 million
Janney -- $70 million
Anacostia -- $60 million

Notice anything weird about which schools the city decides get the fancy renovations?


Well

For one, three of the largest renovations are J-R or feeders, which is a quite decent proportion out of 100+ schools.

But mostly they're high schools and the city was trying to keep kids in HS. I won't argue that the mayor likes to hand out favorable contracts to friends but the city tries to help vulnerable populations stay in school is not really a gotcha.


Yep. Add to that:

- This list includes renovations done more than a decade ago. It's not like these are all recent.

- Pre-renovation, some of these schools would not have met code to lease out, whether to a charter or a different organization.