Contact: Melissa Salmanowitz | 202-535-1096
DC Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Kaya Henderson today announced the final school consolidation and reorganization plan, which reflects input and ideas gathered over the past two months of conversations, community meetings and discussions with DC residents. The plan will consolidate 15 schools, 13 at the end of the 2012-2013 school year and two at the end of the 2013-2014 school year. Additionally, there are several expanded quality program offerings as part of the plan.
“The proposal we put out in early November evoked strong reactions from the community,” Henderson said. “We heard from people across the city that have never reached out or offered feedback before. People spoke up at meetings, they sent emails, they called, and we made sure to track everything they said. I’ve been inspired and encouraged by the thoughtful feedback we heard from parents, advocates, students, school staff and others during this process. My priority is, and will remain, what is best for our students, and I am confident that our final plan will best support our students and their families.”
Since November, DCPS participated in two City Council meetings, held four ward-based community meetings, met with Education Councils in three wards, and held public office hours for Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners of affected schools and the general public. DCPS also received hundreds of ideas from the community on the Engage DCPS website. Henderson and senior DCPS staff also met with State Board of Education members, union leaders, PTAs and parent groups, and U.S. Department of Education staff, among others.
Henderson released today “Better Schools for All Students,” which outlines feedback from the community and details what will happen with each school that will be consolidated. The plan includes details that respond and address areas of concern raised by the community, including high-quality programs, cost savings, safety and walkability, facilities and transitions for students.
“We’ve spent the last two months combing over every single comment, data point and proposal,” Henderson said. “Now it’s time for us to look to the future, for us to plan for the best ways that we can support our students. This plan, coupled with A Capital Commitment, sets us on the right path toward success.”
The 13 schools that will be consolidated at the end of the 2012-2013 school year are:
| Ward | Consolidating School |
| 4 | MacFarland MS |
| 5 | Marshall ES |
| 5 | CHOICE at Hamilton |
| 5 | Spingarn SHS |
| 5 | Spingarn STAY |
| 6 | Shaw MS @ Garnet-Patterson |
| 6 | Prospect LC |
| 7 | Davis ES |
| 7 | Kenilworth ES |
| 7 | Winston EC |
| 7 | Ron Brown |
| 8 | Ferebee-Hope ES |
| 8 | MC Terrell-McGogney ES |
The two schools that will be consolidated at the end of the 2013-2014 school year are:
| Ward | Consolidating School |
| 5 | Mamie D Lee |
| 4 | Sharpe Health |
Expand Existing High-Quality Programs
Other changes included in the final school consolidation and reorganization plan expand quality program offerings and quality seats available at several schools.
- School-Within-A-School (Ward 6), which currently serves students from pre-K to first grade, will expand over time to a pre-K to grade 5 school and relocate to Prospect Learning Center.
- Capitol Hill Montessori @ Logan (Ward 6) will convert from a pre-K to grade 5 school to a pre-K to grade 8 school and add more early childhood education seats.
- School Without Walls (Ward 2) and Banneker (Ward 1) will expand their ninth-grade classes.
- Francis-Stevens Education Campus (Ward 2) will merge with School Without Walls to serve students from pre-K to grade 12. Merging these schools allows the high-performing School Without Walls to expand its grades and manage a neighborhood/boundary education campus at the Francis-Stevens building.
Other impacted changes include:
- Garrison Elementary School (Ward 2) will offer new early childhood and special education classrooms.
- Malcolm X Elementary School (Ward 8) will be a part of an innovative partnership with a high-performing charter school serving Ward 8 students.
- Powell Elementary School (Ward 4) students will now feed into Columbia Heights Education Campus for middle school.
- Barnard Elementary School (Ward 4) students will now feed into West Education Campus or Truesdell Education Campus
- Students in grades six through eight grades at Langley Education Campus (Ward 5) will transition to the new McKinley Education Campus.
For more detailed information about the plan, including cost savings estimates and facilities details, click here.