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Tens of thousands of students return to class Monday in nation’s capital Tens of thousands of students return to class Monday in nation’s capital
(about 11 hours later)
Tens of thousands of students return to class Monday in the nation’s capital as the academic year begins for D.C. Public Schools and for many charter schools. D.C. Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson woke up a little earlier than usual Monday to brace himself for his first opening day of school in the nation’s capital. That meant getting up at 2 a.m. instead of 3 a.m. and squeezing in nearly two hours at the gym, some meditation and a little reading before he headed off for a busy day at work.
With 115 schools, DCPS had about 48,000 students in the last school year. Another 41,000 students were enrolled in 120 charter schools, which are independently operated but publicly funded. By 9 a.m. Wilson was standing in front of news cameras at Marie Reed Elementary School in Adams Morgan.
Many students will arrive at schools celebrating fresh renovations thanks to a long-running modernization plan, including some makeovers that proved controversial because of their expense. “Students, are you ready for school?” he asked a group assembled behind him.
Duke Ellington School of the Arts will debut its refurbished Georgetown campus after a three-year overhaul that could end up costing as much as $178.5 million, roughly $100 million over budget. “Yes,” they replied meekly.
[D.C.’s vaunted high school for the arts reopens — $100 million over budget] “We can’t wait for you to continue to learn so you can continue to make progress, build upon the great progress that you had last year,” Wilson said.
Monday also marks the first opening day for D.C. Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson. He took the helm in February and has already left an imprint. So began the 2017-18 year for D.C. Public Schools. On Monday, most of the city’s public schoolchildren went back to class as 102 of 115 DCPS schools opened. Two alternative high schools in DCPS and 11 that have extended-year schedules had opened earlier in August. Many of the city’s 120 charter schools, which are publicly funded but independently operated, began classes as well.
Wilson has instituted more teacher training in social-emotional learning, which aims to teach children how to regulate their emotions. He also helped negotiate a new proposed labor contract, unveiled last week, that would grant teachers a 9 percent raise over three years, keeping them among the best-paid educators in the nation. DCPS has about 48,000 students and the charter sector about 41,000.
[New teacher contract proposed in D.C. for first time in five years] Wilson’s day began at Bruce Monroe Elementary in Park View, where he greeted students returning from summer vacation, and continued at Marie Reed, where he appeared with Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) to announce the opening of the refurbished campus.
The chancellor plans to spend part of his day at Marie Reed Elementary in Adams-Morgan, which recently underwent a $61.5 million renovation. That included redoing the community swimming pool, right-sizing classrooms and restoring the building’s facade. The chancellor, who took the reins of the school system in Febuary, faces a school year in which he hopes to formulate new strategies to tackle problems that have dogged DCPS for years, including student absenteeism and vast achievement gaps that separate students in the wealthiest and poorest parts of the city.
Wilson will also soon release a systemwide plan to improve schools, including strategies to narrow D.C.’s vast achievement gaps. [D.C. schools leader prepares to release systemwide plan for improvement]
For many charter schools, Monday will mark the first day of class. But some charters are not yet open. They will be resuming class over the next several days. Wilson is slated to unveil a strategic plan in early September to address those and other issues, drawing on feedback from educators, parents, students and others.
This year, Wilson has instituted more teacher training in social-emotional learning, which aims to teach children how to regulate their emotions. He recently helped negotiate a new proposed labor contract, unveiled last week, that would grant teachers a 9 percent raise over three years, keeping them among the best-paid educators in the nation.
On Monday, DCPS opened four schools that had been overhauled under the school modernization program: Garrison, Watkins and Marie Reed elementary schools and Duke Ellington School of the Arts.
Ellington debuted its refurbished Georgetown campus after a three-year overhaul that could end up costing as much as $178.5 million, roughly $100 million over budget.
[D.C.’s vaunted high school for the arts reopens, $100 million over budget]
At Marie Reed, Wilson and Bowser got a tour of renovations from Principal Katie Lungren.
“It used to be really dark,” Lungren said, marveling at the light-filled corridors, decorated with bright accent tiles. The renovation has transformed what was once a noisy, out-of-date building into a sleek, modern one.
Marie Reed, with about 400 students, is one beneficiary of the city’s far-reaching school modernization program.
It received a $61.5 million makeover that includes a rebuilt gym with a retractable stage, as well as state-of-the-art audio-visual technology with special projectors. There are now nearly enough laptops in the building for every student.
Students will soon take swimming lessons in the school’s indoor pool — also redone as part of the renovation — and will have art and music lessons at Marie Reed. In the past, they were bused elsewhere for those subjects.
In the school lobby, Wilson said there was a point behind all of the remodeling.
“It’s a reflection of the District’s commitment to make sure that our teachers, our students, our families, the educators from D.C., that they have what they need in order to maximize student learning,” Wilson said.
Parents, too, were pleased. Tamiya Hicks, a leasing clerk whose 10-year-old son Deago attends Marie Reed, gazed in wonder at the sleek design.
“I love it,” said Hicks, who attended the school as a child and has watched it evolve. “It’s like a little college campus.”
Deago is in the school’s bilingual English-Spanish program. Hicks said she wants her son to learn Spanish because he is half-Cuban, and she wants him to be able to converse with students who might not speak English.
The DCPS opening day was the first in a wave of school reopenings in the Washington region.
Maryland schools will be opening after Labor Day this year, a shift in the calendar ordered by Gov. Larry Hogan (R). In years past, many Maryland schools had opened in late August.Maryland schools will be opening after Labor Day this year, a shift in the calendar ordered by Gov. Larry Hogan (R). In years past, many Maryland schools had opened in late August.
In Northern Virginia, start dates are staggered. Loudoun County schools will open on Thursday; Fairfax County and Prince William County schools will open on Aug. 28; and Arlington and Alexandria schools will open Sept. 5.In Northern Virginia, start dates are staggered. Loudoun County schools will open on Thursday; Fairfax County and Prince William County schools will open on Aug. 28; and Arlington and Alexandria schools will open Sept. 5.
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