February 21, 1999
Councilmember Kevin Chavous
D.C. City Council
441 4th St., NW
Washington, DC 20001
Dear Councilmember Chavous:
I am writing to request that you meet with us urgently to help restart the disposition of D.C.P.S. properties, which has reached as crisis point for several charter schools.
The Emergency Board of Trustees when chaired by Bruce MacLaury set up a system that, though complex and agonizingly slow, did produce temporary facilities for six charter schools and permanent facilities for three. Since the new superintendent assumed control and Mr. MacLaury has been replaced, no progress has been made.
Suzanne Conrad, the sole disposition officer, was replaced in October by Mr. Dallas Evans. Mr. Evans discarded the policies set in place under MacLaury that provided for lease/purchase arrangements with charter schools and in the case of the Hyde School, which was trying to produce McKinley Tech, proposed that D.C.P.S. execute a 60 year lease instead. This would have retained the property for D.C.P.S. but would have offered enough time for the Hyde school to amortize the $15,000,000 of renovations required to put the school back in condition.
However, the Emergency Board of Trustees in its recent February 10th meeting refused to consider terms in the lease that would allow a bank to make a renovation loan and just yesterday we learned that Dallas Evans has left the job ofDispositions Director. We can not find out who if anyone will pick up this responsibility.
Meanwhile, nine of the existing Public Charter Schoools need to find space for next year, either because their existing space is temporary or because they need to add classes to keep their students in school. Seven schools with new charters including Hyde are desperately trying to find space as well.
Ironically, those schools chartered by the Board of Education that have been given a deadline of March 1st to locate space, but D.C.P.S. won't even meet with them to discuss the subject.
Under the 1998 Court decision, the Control Board has the final responsibility to act in this matter but has shown little inclination to act thus far. They have instead deferred to the superintendent and the reconstituted Emergency Board of Trustees. Unless they do act, however, the growth of the D.C. Public Charter Schools Program will be slim indeed.
Very Sincerely,
Malcolm E. Peabody
Chairman
D.C. Charter Schools Coalition