alternate plan for ward 4 schools (macfarland - shappe)

7/30/2019 Alternate Plan for Ward 4 schools (Macfarland - SHAPPE)

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From: Cathy Reilly [[email protected]]Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 11:25 AMTo: Anderson, Kamili (OSSE); Bowser, Muriel (COUNCIL);[email protected]; Ron Hampton;

DeGuzman, Anthony D. (DCPS); Mary Filardo; Anderson, Thomas (DCPS)Subject: Alternate Plan for Ward 4 schools

Dear All,

I realize that the meeting last night concentrated on the current status of the educationalspecification for Roosevelt and the possible consolidation of MacFarland into Roosevelt as a 6-

12 school with one administration but some building separation of the middle and high school

students. I felt it was important to at least put in writing a fuller description of a proposal that hasbeen circulating verbally before the final decision is made by DCPS. It is an expansion of the

proposal put forward by MacFarland and based on the agreed upon document that came from the

Ward 4 convening before the Dec. 4th meeting.

This is a description to be followed by a detailed plan with exact enrollments, timing and budget

information included. It seems worth taking a look at all the capital funds allocated for thisfeeder pattern as well as the projections. It also takes into consideration the values expressedboth in the community conversations of the DME, the ward 4 state of the schools and the

meeting this month at Brightwood. Given the short timeline on everything and the holiday, I

hope this draft can be vetted in these communities and by DCPS at the same time.

Emma Brown of the Post is doing a story on the proposals, I have also sent it to her.

Ward 4

Proposal on the DCPS Ward 4 Closing and Consolidation

This proposal grew out of the document presented from the Ward 4 group convened prior

to the meeting at Brightwood and the current MacFarland proposal. It is in the process of

being more fully vetted. Because of the short time line and the coming holiday it is

submitted as a draft with a detailed plan to follow quickly. Cathy Reilly

Current Ward 4 Proposal

Consolidate the Mac Farland Middle School into the Roosevelt HS to create single 6th through

12th

grade school with one principal and administration. Middle school students would be in a

separate part of the building. The STAY program would remain at Roosevelt. There is noproposal for the MacFarland building beyond a swing space possibility. Both populations arecurrently small- with a combined total of between 650 and 700 students. This plan attempts to

address the very low enrollment at Mac Farland and Roosevelt and increase the utilization of

Roosevelt in anticipation of the modernization.
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Sharpe Health is to be consolidated with Mamie D Lee and re-located to River Terrace. River

Terrace will be fully modernized with funds from a special education budget. The move will nottake place till the fall of 2014.

Alternate Proposal:

Justification

DC is experiencing strong population growth as noted in yesterdays report. This is especially

true in ward 4. It can be seen in the rising enrollment at Truesdell, Barnard and Powell inparticular. There is increased demand for slots in the early childhood programs at these and other

Ward 4 elementary schools.

A strong middle school is essential to the viability of the southern ward 4 feeder school

program. The current and projected DCPS population of this neighborhood can support a 600

student middle school and 800 student high school. MacFarland is beautifully located and

positioned to be as high quality a middle school as Deal. The separate middle school buildingprovides a nurturing and appropriate environment for the growing middle school age students

who reside in these neighborhoods and are currently in DCPS elementary schools. You have all

the advantages of a 6 -12 secondary campus in two buildings, nothing prevents greatercollaboration and alignment. The secondary schools serving the Powell, Barnard, West and

Truesdell communities should be providing an academic program that is high quality, multilingual and serves a multiracial population well.

Without a strong and expanded DCPS middle school option, there will never be adequate

enrollment for Roosevelt to be the comprehensive high school that can offer the rich

programming this community demands and is seeking elsewhere.

Proposal

This is an expansion of the current MacFarland proposal to consolidate the 6th

through

8th

graders from Truesdell and Raymond into MacFarland in order to provide richer

programming and a more fully enrolled middle school.

Over a three year period in order to accommodate the growth at the elementary level and toprovide a strong DCPS middle and high school option for ward 4 families both Roosevelt and

MacFarland will be modernized. MacFarland and Roosevelt will co-locate during the 2 to 3

year period of modernization.

The elementary feeder schools are growing with demountables already placed at Powell and

Barnard. The feeder school communities (Barnard, Powell, Truesdell and West) will workclosely with MacFarland and Roosevelt on the vision, program and design of the modernized

buildings. The strong academic programs initiated and currently drawing students at the

elementary level will be continued into the secondary program. This includes a dual languageoption. It can also include a language hub housed in either building of the campus providing


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foreign language instruction options open to all students. Successful programs and partnerships

currently operating at both Roosevelt and MacFarland will be supported through the transition.

Concurrent with the Roosevelt- MacFarland modernization West and Truesdell will expand the

early childhood through 5th

grade seats to prepare for the transition of the 6th

through 8th

graders

into the modernized MacFarland in the fall of 2015 or 2016. Projections support a rising6th

grade from these 4 feeder schools of 200 (average of 50 students from each school) in this

decade and into the 2020s. This will support a MacFarland Middle School of 600 and aRoosevelt High School in the planned 800 student range. The full utilization of the building is

further enhanced by the continued presence of the Roosevelt STAY program.

SHARPE Health

ProposalThis building is currently designed to serve this student population. It has the addedasset of a swimming pool for therapeutic use and a bathroom in every room. It is in the middle of

a large campus of schools including charter and DCPS schools, and a public library. It should

remain as a special needs site for DCPS at this location in the western half of the city. With thehigh number of students still in private placement it is important for DCPS to maintain this

location.

alternate plan for ward 4 schools (macfarland - shappe)

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