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District of Columbia Public Schools NewsPublic School Capital Expenditures — Past and FutureOn Tuesday, April 27th the 21st Century School Fund testified in front of the Committee of the Whole regarding the D.C. public school capital expenditures. D.C. has spent about $1.8 billion on DCPS capital projects and plans to spend $2.7 billion more by 2019. Review the complete capital expenditures spreadsheet prepared by 21CSF in Datashop. DC Audit of DCPS Capital Projects BeginsWhen the funding stream for DCPS school modernization was established in the School Modernization Financing Act of 2006 the requirement for an annual audit of capital improvement projects was included. The first audit was supposed to have been completed by the District of Columbia Auditor no later than June 1, 2007. No audit has yet been done, although there is now, an audit of the capital program underway by the DC Auditor's office. OPEFM has expended approximately $1 billion dollars in the last three years. It is critical that we learn from what has been done and that there is accountability for high quality projects and decisions that survive the test of time. If you have input you would like to provide to the auditor about a public school capital project or procurement, please contact the auditor at odca@dc.gov, with the subject line: OPEFM audit. School Facilities Photo Exhibit Opening a SuccessOver 50 legislative staffers, students, parents, and advocates attended the opening reception for the Through Your Lens photo and essay exhibit at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. Of the over 400 entries received from 23 states, photos and stories from 25 student and teacher finalists were showcased in the Russell Building Rotunda. Attendees enjoyed talking to students about their photos, stories, and experiences in their school buildings. The photos and stories in the exhibit speak with clarity about our school building conditions from around the nation and are especially relevant as Congress considers legislation for school modernization and repair. To view the virtual gallery, visit www.ThroughYourLens.org. DCPS Enrollment Projections ProjectThe 21st Century School Fund and Urban Institute under a contract with the Brookings Institution (the Study Team) provided enrollment analysis and grade-level projections for DCPS schools for the 2009-10 school year. DCPS, using process and a model developed by the study team projected a slowing of the enrollment decline in DCPS from 8.2% to 2.5%. The methodology used in the projections and recommendations for annual enrollment planning, analysis and projections are described in a May 1, 2009 memo to DCPS. |
21st Century School Fund News & InformationJoint-Use of PK-12 Public School Buildings"Joint Use of Public Schools: A Framework for a New Social Contract" was released by the 21ST Century School Fund and the Center for Cities & Schools at the University of California, Berkeley. This report, supported through funding from the Convergence Partnership explores joint use as a way to provide services to children and families in convenient locations, improve opportunities for physical activity of youth and adults, leverage capital investments, and reduce the consumption of land. The report attempts to frame the basic challenges and opportunities for joint use to increase the quantity and quality of joint use policy and practice. Is Federal Stimulus Funding on PK-12 Public School Facilities Reducing Disparity between School Districts?The 21st Century School Fund, through its Building Educational Success Together (BEST) collaborative, is tracking the effect of federal stimulus funding on the condition of PK-12 public school facilities and whether or not the distribution of ARRA funding related to public school facilities is helping reduce the disparity of capital expenditures among and between school districts. This brief report highlights initial findings related to the following questions:
Creating Jobs by Improving Maintenance and Repair Investment in Our Nation's SchoolsRepair for Success: An Analysis of the Need and Possibilities for a Federal Investment in PK-12 School Maintenance and Repair released by the 21st Century School Fund describes how a new national commitment to address the deferred maintenance and renewal of our nation's PK-12 public school buildings will improve our education system, the economy and the environment. A $27 billion federal investment, just 10% of the minimum estimated total need, would take us a major step closer to ensuring that the nearly 55 million staff and students who attend school daily are in healthy, safe and educationally appropriate environments. This investment will also quickly create between 160,000 and 235,000 jobs that will protect our environment and sustain the public infrastructure investments made by earlier generations. This analysis was utilized by the Economic Policy Institute in their "American Jobs Plan" study to address the U.S. jobs crisis.  Schools and Housing: Is Washington DC Family Friendly?21st Century School Fund, Brookings Institution, and the Urban Institute hosted a public discussion at the Oyster Bilingual School of the findings and recommendations of their research and policy study, Quality Schools and Healthy Neighborhoods. The 18-month study, sponsored by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, examines the supply and demand of quality public schools in the District of Columbia and the relationship between public schools and neighborhood attributes, and explores how the District can become a more family-friendly city. A panel of national experts addressed how the District can become a model for the nation by focusing on the interconnections among quality schools, affordable housing, and healthy neighborhoods. Panelist comments:
Have a comment about the report, Oyster School presentation, or panelist comments? Go to our Quality Schools and Healthy Neighborhoods blog. Read the Quality Schools and Healthy Neighborhoods reports here. |
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