December 31, 2008
The city is soliciting proposals to redevelop or reuse 11 closed D.C. Public Schools facilities, a group that includes Grimke Elementary at 1925 Vermont Ave. in Shaw and Stevens Elementary at 1050 21st St. in the West End. "We have a rare opportunity to bring transformative projects that will improve neighborhoods across the city," Neil Albert, deputy mayor for planning and economic development, said in a Dec. 22 release.
"Teams must have an outstanding track record for community engagement and a proven capacity to bring projects to completion, not only on time, but on budget." According to the release, successful proposals will minimize the use of public subsidies and include commitments to small and disadvantaged businesses. The city will evaluate proposals based on their vision, plans for community involvement, designs and feasibility. They are due Feb. 17.
The deputy mayor’s office will then host a series of community meetings at which neighbors can address the bidders and outline their priorities for the sites. Selections will be made in the spring. Robert Cane, executive director of Friends of Choice in Urban Schools, criticized the call for proposals, saying the solicitation ignores the needs of area charter schools.
"What it means is, once again, the majority of the schools are going to be used for luxury condominiums and other developments and not for D.C. public school kids," he said.
"We have 60 charter schools on 96 campuses. They occupy everything from church basements to annexes and former warehouses to some school buildings. D.C. parents, more and more every year, want to send their kids to charter schools. Both legally and morally, the city government should be giving these schools to D.C. public school students."
In July, the Office of Property Management released a "request for expressions of interest" for eight of the city’s closed school buildings, including Grimke. But Cane took issue with the request, noting that, according to D.C. law, charter schools must be given the "right of first offer" to lease or buy the buildings at the appraised value. In September, the Office of Property Management released a revised request — this time including Stevens — that was geared specifically to charter schools.
According to Cane, 18 charters responded, with 33 offers for buildings. "Some charter schools made offers for more than one building," he said. But the outcome was disappointing, Cane said. In early December, the city offered six charter schools the opportunity to compete for three buildings: Clark Elementary at 4501 Kansas Ave. NW, J.F. Cooke Elementary at 30 PSt. NW, and the Taft Center at 1800 Perry St. NE.
Many of the charter schools that made offers were rejected, Cane said, and even those that got a green light still have to compete for the sites. "They may not win," he said. "The government gave us the right of first offer under duress, but there’s a question of whether it was a sham."
Sean Madigan, a spokesperson for the deputy mayor’s office, said the schools are welcome to resubmit their proposals, or team up with developers. "It is not restricted," he said. But charter schools will have to prove the financial feasibility of their proposals, he said.
"What we really want to do is maximize the value of these assets," Madigan said. He added that his office is open both to leasing the buildings or selling them outright. Asher Corson, chair of the Foggy Bottom-West End advisory neighborhood commission, said the community had hoped to see an educational use for Stevens — one of the 23 schools closed by Chancellor Michelle Rhee last spring.
And according to Cane, plenty of charters were interested. Appletree Early Learning Center Public Charter School, Capital City Public Charter School, Community Academy Public Charter School and the Living Classroom Foundation all submitted applications for the 21st Street school and got rejected. But neighbors would also be enthusiastic about transforming Stevens into a public gathering spot.
"Most neighborhoods have community space or a recreation center," Corson said. "We have nothing like that in Foggy Bottom." Neighbors of the Grimke School have also made their opinions known. The structure, built in 1937, ceased functioning as a school in 1978. It now contains offices for the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department and the Department of Corrections, but plans call for both agencies to move.
Cane said Capital City Public Charter School, E.L. Haynes Public Charter School, Maya Angelou Public Charter School, Meridian Public Charter School and Yu-Ying Public Charter School all expressed interest in the site. But the area is already home to several schools, said U Street area advisory neighborhood commissioner Phil Spalding, and "the community around there isn’t terribly encouraging about charter school use" for the site. Instead, he said, neighbors have put their support behind the African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum, which has outgrown its current home at 1200 U St. He noted that the museum would probably need only 20,000 to 30,000 square feet, so another use would be possible as well. Either way, Spalding said, he’d like to see more outreach. "The response from the city has not been terribly transparent," he said. Ward 5 Council member Harry Thomas agreed. On Dec. 23, he announced his intention to reintroduce a bill that would set guidelines for the disposition of city property. The bill, originally called the Public Land Surplus Standards Amendment Act of 2007, would amend existing rules to create standards that must be met before any property is excessed. "Across the city, residents to have their voices heard in the process," said Thomas spokesperson Vicky Leonard-Chambers. "Once you dispose of a District- owned property ... you don’t get it back."