Friday 25 October 2013

[WardFive] Shaed Elementary awarded to Public Charter Schools

http://mayor.dc.gov/release/shaed-elementary-school-awarded-public-charter-schools-and-two-additional-school-buildings

Shaed Elementary School Awarded to Public Charter Schools and Two Additional School Buildings Released for Offers

Inspired Teaching/Lee Montessori to Open New Site

(WASHINGTON, DC) – The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME) and the Department of General Services (DGS) today awarded Shaed Elementary School at 301 Douglas Street, NE to a partnership between Inspired Teaching Demonstration and Lee Montessori Public Charter Schools. The unique partnership at Shaed Elementary will include community access to the facility for recreational purposes.  This will be a permanent site for Inspired Teaching and a start-up location for Lee Montessori to begin growing a new program in the District. 

"This is more evidence of my administration's continuing commitment to providing students and families with strong school programs across the District," said Mayor Vincent C. Gray. "Shaed Elementary represents an exciting opportunity to put a building back into service as a school while also serving the broader needs of the community."

The partnership between Inspired Teaching, Lee Montessori and Building Hope will bring approximately 500 pre-k to 8th grade seats to Ward 5.  Inspired, currently located in Ward 1, opened its doors in 2011 and has posted strong gains in student proficiency.  As a demonstration school, Inspired Teaching trains teachers and requires them to serve in District schools for five years after leaving the training program.  Lee Montessori is a new program that will begin serving students next year.  It plans to build its program at Shaed Elementary and eventually move to a permanent site elsewhere, serving up to 350 students at full enrollment in grade pre-k to 5thgrade.

The reuse of Shaed Elementary is also exciting in that it will provide an opportunity for additional community services.  Inspired Teaching and Lee Montessori have begun discussion with the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), as well as non-profit community partners, about programming parts of the facility for community uses including recreation and community meetings.

"Inspired Teaching School is thrilled to have the opportunity to establish a permanent home at Shaed Elementary and we look forward to joining the vibrant community surrounding it," said Deborah Dantzler Williams, Executive Director of Inspired Teaching Public Charter School.

"The Board and staff of Lee Montessori Public Charter School are extremely excited at this opportunity to partner with DC government to increase the number of high-quality seats in our city," said Lee Montessori PCS Board Chair Dominique Fortune.  "This is also a wonderful opportunity to bring additional services to the Edgewood community."

"It is great news to be reactivating the Shaed building with such strong service providers.  I am particularly excited about the plans for partnership that will allow the community to use the building," said Deputy Mayor for Education Abigail Smith.

DC Public Schools (DCPS) closed Shaed Elementary School in 2011 due to low enrollment.  The building has been vacant since then.  The two schools plan to open their programs at Shaed in time to welcome students for the 2014-15 school year.

Yesterday, the Department of General Services also released a Request for Offers (RFO) for Shadd Elementary School at 5601 East Capitol Street SE and Sharpe Health School at 4300 13th Street NW.  DCPS stopped using the Shadd building in 2011.  Since then it has been occupied by the University of the District of Columbia and DC Scholars Public Charter School. The current program at Sharpe Health will be moving to River Terrace for the 2014-15 school year. 

Public charter schools are invited to submit proposals for Sharpe and Shadd by November 25th, 2013.


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