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DCPS comes up $20 million short
(Published September 20, 2004)

By STEPHANIE BRINSON
Staff Writer

The D.C. Board of Education is working with a deadline of Oct. 1 to reallocate funds in the school system’s 2005-2010 Capital Improvement Plan Budget after being informed by city officials that $20 million in previously anticipated revenue has not materialized.

Statements from students and faculty at several of the District’s rundown schools, made during a public hearing Sept. 9 on the proposed shift in school building repair priorities, re-awakened the dire need for action to address the schools’ numerous facilities problems.

As a result, the board said it will reassess where some of the more deteriorated schools are listed in the budget, which determines how quickly they will receive funding for repairs.

In the fourth year of a 10-year plan to improve the condition of D.C. public schools, the board found itself short anticipated funds and forced to reallocate money from one project to another in the capital budget. The board has three weeks to finalize its reallocations before it has to submit the budget to Mayor Anthony A. Williams for approval by Oct. 1.

Students and faculty of Cardozo Senior High School, the last school listed in the budget, expressed concerns that the school would not receive the money it needs fast enough to fix the various problems plaguing the building. Last year, students also complained about inoperable restroom facilities.

Frazier O’Leary, a teacher at Cardozo, noted how the showers in the school’s locker rooms don’t work and the indoor swimming pool has been out of use for 10 years. The school has never held a home game for its sports teams in the gymnasium that is not regulation size, he went on, and the football stadium is falling apart "row by row."

"When I walk down the hallway, I see paint on the walls peeling in big pieces and tiles on the floor rising up," said senior Laura Jean Toussaint.

Addressing the board members, Toussaint said the condition of Cardozo reflects how important the students are to the board and "our environment tells us that we don’t matter, that you don’t care."

Cardozo’s principal, Reginald Ballard Jr., said he spent much of his time pleading with outside sources for materials to repair the building.

"I’m not supposed to do that," he said. "I’m an educator. I’m supposed to be in the classroom."

School board member Julie Mikuta agreed that the 88-year-old Cardozo building should not be considered last for funding behind newer school buildings, such as Phelps and Woodson, which were built in 1934 and 1973, respectively. Phelps, a vocational school, was closed two years ago.

"It’s absolutely appalling to me that we’re letting 800 kids go to school in these conditions," Mikuta said.

Representatives from Alice Deal Junior High School in Northwest Washington requested that the board proceed with its plan to begin modernizing their school next year so that it can eventually be converted into a middle school.

Several speakers showed frustration over the greater amount of funding being given to charter schools, citing the federally funded "City Build" program and Sallie Mae’s recent donation of $58 million.

"Instead of making charter schools the center of communities, let’s make public schools the center," said Carrie Sylvia, a teacher at Cardozo.

Ballard described how he frequently drove by Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School and watched the building develop from an "eyesore to one of the nicest buildings in the city."

Wells acknowledged charter schools have better funding than public schools, saying they can borrow money in more ways. He said public schools have to expand their funding options if they want to compete with charter schools.

"We’re going to have to do business differently," he said.

Too often, money is allocated in the budget for a particular project, but there is not following through to ensure the project is completed, Wells said.

"I do think that in many ways, we’re just not getting the job done," he said.

Board members opted to reallocate funds in the capital budget after receiving less money than they had requested from the mayor’s office and City Council. The board’s proposed spending plan of $193 million was approved for roughly $20 million less by both entities of the city government.

"I’m just as baffled as you are. Where is the money?" board member Dwight Singleton said in response to inquiries from audience members about the budget changes.

Copyright 2004, The Common Denominator