Newsroom

Seize the Moment and Purchase the Intelsat/Whittle Building

Councilmember Frumin’s commentary in the DC line, which proposes purchasing the former Intelsat site, is an indisputably ambitious idea. The site, located a block from a Metro stop at 4000 Connecticut Avenue NW, presents a unique opportunity for the city to acquire a massive property with a variety of potential civic uses. Purposes could include an early childhood education center, senior wellness programs, urban agriculture, a central food processing facility, and space for UDC or another university. To achieve this goal, the proposal suggests the possibility of relocating the high school on MacArthur Boulevard to the Intelsat site, offering a more accessible location proximate to public transportation. The District is about to move into the second phase of the MacArthur High School renovation in the Palisades neighborhood. The MacArthur launch has been an extraordinary success so far, but that very success highlights the challenges of accommodating a proposed program to serve 800 students at its current site. The school is in a difficult-to-reach location, tightly nestled in a residential community on the far western edge…

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Updates: School Readiness Tours, Back-to-School Info Read More

MacArthur High School Designation Act of 2023 READ MORE

A People-first FY2024 Budget: Schools

We must establish high-quality DCPS schools in every community, ensuring a predictable and accessible path from pre-school to high school. The FY 24 budget advances that goal, prioritizing well-resourced classrooms, modern facilities, support for teachers, and nutritious school meals. I am proud that the Council rectified shortcomings in the initial proposal to reverse devastating school-level budget cuts, support teacher wellness and retention programs, and proactively address school infrastructure maintenance and modernization. The final budget: adds $6.2 million to the capital budget for Stoddert Elementary to enable a sensible addition that can fully meet the needs of the community. provides first-time funding to address the challenges of midyear mobility in DCPS schools -- many DCPS schools receive significant numbers of students after audit day and they should be braced for those predictable arrivals, an issue I have raised for close to a decade. enables significant pay increases for charter teachers to keep pace with DCPS while also adding significant transparency requirements on charter teacher pay. Increased budgets for eight Ward 3 schools as part of Chairman…

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