Two New Schools: Foxhall and MacCarthur

Tonight I spoke on WDMV about exciting opportunities to build 2 new schools in D.C. The best public policy comes from people on the ground who are most affected by it, which is why D.C. Public Schools’ community engagement process is so important.

What we know:

• The Wilson feeder pattern is overcrowded.

• Ward 2 is the only Ward in the city without an in-boundary neighborhood high school located in our Ward. Where students who live in other wards can go to a high school within their own ward, our students have to go to Ward 3 or Ward 1 for an in-boundary public high school.

• The city has allocated funding to add two schools to this feeder pattern: Foxhall and MacArthur (formerly Georgetown Day School’s lower campus).

What we’re deciding now is how these two sites will be used. DCPS has convened a community working group. They’re at the beginning of community engagement process, and what’s most important to me is that the community gets to decide.

For Foxhall (1550 Foxhall Road NW), which could serve an estimated 450-550 students, proposals being considered include:

• PK-5 neighborhood elementary school

• The upper elementary campus for Key and Stoddert.

For MacArthur (4530 Mac Arthur Boulevard NW), could serve an estimated 575 students, proposals being considered include:

• New neighborhood middle school, which would not alleviate the overcrowding issue at Wilson HS

• Move the Hardy program to MacArthur Blvd and use Hardy as a new high school.