Promises, Promises: DC parents say its time to build our school

“As a mother, I feel that we have been meeting and meeting and meeting, and meanwhile the school system is just playing with us.”

“What kind of world we will have for our children when no one seems to care about their education.”

These were just two of the many comments from parents of Bruce-Monroe at Park View ES in Washington, DC (one of the schools where Teaching for Change supports parent engagement) who demand that a new school building promised for 2011 be built immediately. They argue that the city must find the necessary resources to make this happen. The children are the ones who have suffered and been left at a disadvantage from the delays, disruptions and broken promises.

Three years ago the parents and staff at Bruce Monroe ES fought to remove their successful school from the Chancellor’s school closure list. After a year of protests, they won. But they were told that in order to save their school, they would need to vacate the building for three years while a new building was erected as part of a private-public partnership. Their requests for time to plan carefully for a move so as not to disrupt the successful academic programs were denied by the Chancellor who cited the urgency of moving forward with the new construction. So, the staff and families moved to Park View ES. The two schools managed a consolidation the best they could with limited time and resources.

Education of this largely Latino and African American student population was disrupted with the explanation that the result would be a new improved learning environment.

Two years later, the parents demand an answer as to why not only has nothing happened with the Georgia Avenue building, now there are discussions about “interim use” for the space. 

On Monday, March 8th, 2010, over fifty parents, children and staff from Bruce-Monroe at Park View ES marched to a community meeting about the “interim use” of their former school site. The parents made it clear that they do not want to hear about interim uses of the property until a plan is in place for their new school building. Trust is thin after a decade of broken promises. (See photos and articles in The Washington Hispanic.)

As a result of the parents’ outcry on March 8th, city representatives met with parents at Bruce Monoe at Park View on March 9th. Claudia Lujan, from the Chancellor’s office, and Donny Gonzalez from The Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization attended the weekly parent meeting at Bruce-Monroe at Park View on Tuesday, March 9th. The parents talked with Ms. Lujan about the status of the Park View building. Mr. Gonzalez toured the facilities with the parents, taking pictures and promising to address all the facility concerns within 30 days. Washington Post reporter Bill Turque also attended. While the parents would be pleased to see repairs to the temporary building, their primary concern is the promised new facility. More....

Photo: Univision reporter interviewing a student about the conditions of the temporary building. Parents hold a banner in Spanish stating Rich and Poor Have the Same Rights.

Background on parent organizing at Bruce Monroe in this 2009 Rethinking Schools article.