Building a School to Maintain a Community

A free public education has long been the equalizer in American society. After years of declining enrollment in D.C. Public Schools (DCPS), many Northwest D.C. schools are now brimming beyond their enrollment capacities, a sign that perhaps DCPS is fulfilling its role in providing a quality public education.

But overcrowded elementary schools in Northwest D.C.'s Ward 3 mean parents have fewer options for local middle schools – the lottery system to get into an out-of-boundary middle school becomes defunct when the feeder schools are already maxed out.

For some parents this is not a problem. Ward 3's Deal Middle School is popular and enjoys support from many of the feeder school parents. However, Deal is already crowded with nearly 1,000 students, the third largest enrollment of any DCPS school.

The other middle school for Ward 3 elementary schools is in Ward 2. Hardy prides itself on a strong focus on the arts, which, for some Ward 3 parents and students, is not ideal. Many parents who are not in-boundary for Deal and are not buying-in to Hardy feel they have limited choices.

"I see the community that I live in as a very strong community, and somewhere between fourth and fifth grade, all the parents and all the students all go somewhere ... the community gets fractured" said Palisades resident and parent Geoff Kuck.

Kuck said Hardy might be a good option for his son who enjoys playing piano, but the arts focus would not be the right fit for his daughter.

He is not alone in this dilemma. "Everybody who’s sending their kid to a public school where we live has this issue," Kuck said.

Those who can afford it, and not everyone can, drop out of DCPS.

"They all disappear – they either move, send their kids to Catholic schools or send their kids to private schools," he said of the once involved community members who are notably absent at PTA meetings when their children get older.

Frustrated that the community in which he chose to raise his family could go from cohesive to scattered so quickly, Kuck said he realized the problem was the choices for middle school.

"I want to stay in my community. I love where I live. I want children to be raised in the community and stay there," he said.

Seeking Solutions

While venting about schools at a parent barbecue, Kuck had a fortuitous meeting with exactly the kind of person who could help with Ward 3's middle school problem: Susan Schaeffler.

Schaeffler founded KEY Academy, D.C.’s first Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) charter school, in 2001. She became KIPP D.C.’s chief executive officer in 2005 and now D.C. has nine KIPP schools. She knows a little something about filling an educational need and organizing a community.

"Many parents whether Ward 3 or any other ward in D.C. struggle with what to do with their children as they become middle-schoolers," Schaeffler said in an email.

After that meeting, Kuck was introduced to other Ward 3 parents who were looking for a solution and had been for some time. At first, the parents considered forming a charter school in Ward 3, but after meeting with administration officials they were pushed toward finding a solution within DCPS.

"The city is desperate for more quality middle schools and has an opportunity to grow on its successful Ward 3 elementary schools," said Schaeffler.

Making it Happen

Ward 3 Council member Mary Cheh recently announced her intention to propose adding school facilities to the already scheduled reconditioning of the Palisades Recreation Center, bringing the cost to about $25 million. The new facility would serve as a school and recreation center, similar to Stoddert Elementary in Glover Park.

Cheh's rationale is that though Hardy could technically hold all the in-boundary Ward 3 students, its arts focus does not address the needs of parents of the Western part of Ward 3. A new middle school in Ward 3, the thought goes, would be able to capture these students and prevent them from leaving the system.

It would also allow Hardy to remain committed to its arts programming, rather than having it diluted by parents and children who want something different from what the Hardy community has worked so hard to offer.

Schaeffler explained, "Hardy has been operating as a citywide MS for a while and could serve as a feeder to the as a magnet program; allowing it to continue as a citywide school."

Hardy last year saw a midway through the academic year, partially because some parents were frustrated with the . The new schedule was instituted by a principal hand-picked by former Chancellor Michelle Rhee, a move many out-of-boundary parents saw as an effort to cater to in-boundary parents.

If more Ward 3 parents decided to choose Hardy, "our kids would be displacing kids from other wards who go there ... we don’t want to take over," Kuck explained.

"We want Hardy to be successful on its own, and we thought, well, maybe we need another school," he said.

The Future

Cheh has not officially released details of her proposal and so far DCPS officials have not responded publicly to the idea.

Schaeffler said that though the project will, like any other, meet criticism, she hopes "people continue to try and solve this problem together and not put up road blocks before we have had a chance to generate viable ideas."

As for Kuck, he realizes it is entirely possible that even if a new middle school gains leverage and gets built in the Palisades, it could be too late for his children to attend it.

"I'm doing it because I think the community needs it ... and at some point a younger parent will take over."