DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ZONING COMMISSION APPROVES SCHOOL WITHOUT WALLS AND GW JOINT PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION
WASHINGTON - The District of Columbia Zoning Commission unanimously approved (4-0) the joint Planned Unit Development (PUD) application by the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and The George Washington University on Monday, Nov. 13, 2006. The Zoning Commission's approval will set in motion plans for the modernization of and addition to the School Without Walls and the development of a new GW residence hall.
(Media-Newswire.com) - November 20, 2006
CONTACT: Tracy Schario
( 202 ) 994-3566; tschario@gwu.edu
"The commission's decision is a significant milestone for the School Without Walls, bringing much needed renovation to this quality academic program," said GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg. "GW's partnership with the school and DCPS is truly a model for public private partnerships in the District. Further, the new residence hall for the University will help us continue to meet on-campus housing requirements, as well as provide students with apartment-style housing options. We sincerely appreciate the collaborative efforts of all those involved. I am grateful for the leadership of Clifford Janey, superintendent of D.C. Schools, and Peggy Cooper Cafritz, president of the D.C. Board of Education, without whom this would not have transpired."
As a result of the Zoning Commission's approval, GW will purchase the school's back parking lot and development rights to build a new, 474-bed residence hall with approximately 178 underground parking spaces. The school will use the approximately $12 million generated from the sale in addition to $6 million already allocated by DCPS to modernize the ailing facilities and create additional space for classrooms, a library, and a media center. The agreement between the school and the University also expands the existing programmatic partnership, which includes facilities sharing, teaching collaboration, internships, educator training, and educational opportunities for students, faculty, and staff of the school.
The Zoning Commission hearing held Oct. 30 drew a standing-room-only crowd of parents, school and University students and alumni, administrators, civic leaders, and Foggy Bottom neighbors to discuss the joint project. "When I look at the commission [room]... all eight of our eyes are working, and we see the amount of support," said Vice Chair Anthony Hood, who was acting chair for the panel.
The school's Home and School Association, comprising parents, faculty, students, and alumni, shared a compelling presentation about the state of physical decay of the building, the quality of the program, and the critical needs for infrastructure improvements and the renovations. "Our students do well because of the location of the school and in spite of the crumbling facilities," said Andrea Bagwell, president of the Home and School Association. "Walls consistently rates as one of the premier high schools in Washington, D.C. and has been recognized and ranked by Newsweek magazine as one of the best high schools in the country.... Over the last four years, 100 percent of the students have matriculated on to four-year colleges.... Surely with state-of-the-art facilities, technology and equipment [which would be made possible with this PUD], our students and faculty will further excel."
Parent Peter Mays said, "We need to talk about what the School Without Walls lacks. There are too few classrooms, and many are too small. The science labs are inadequate. There is no auditorium, no gym, and no cafeteria.... But we do have a parking lot [which GW will purchase to help pay for renovations]. After 10 years of effort, we now have the opportunity to parlay that meager asset into a beautiful new high school."
Will Alexander, an alumnus of both the School Without Walls ( 2000 ) and GW ( B.A. '04, M.B.A. '06 ), spoke in favor of the project. "Over the years, I have argued that the physical condition of the facility was merely cosmetic and the substantial import of the wealth and merit of School Without Walls lies in adherence to the mission upon which the school was initially founded -- a mission of truly utilizing the city as a resource," he testified. "Walls had always felt like home to me; so [recently] I went in. But this wasn't my home. No one's home should have leaking pipes. No one's bathroom should be without stall doors or have inadequate plumbing. And then I wondered what students' morale must be like when they have to come in to a bathroom like this. What do you do when you are unable to meet even basic needs of comfort? ... Pardon my cliche`, but I believe that GW is willing to put their money where there mouth is, at a time when others have only been paying lip service.... Quite simply, a change is long overdue."
School Without Walls is a non-traditional high school established in March 1971. Modeled after the successful Parkway Program in the School District of Philadelphia, the school provides a quality student-centered environment that maximizes integrative, interactive, experiential learning within the framework of a humanities approach. This is achieved by using the "city as a classroom" and the school as a model of collaboration among staff, students, and parents. For more information about the School Without Walls, visit www.swwhs.org.
Located four blocks from the White House, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business, and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 120 countries.
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