After lengthy debate about equity, trust, the decision-making process, safety and long-term capital improvement plans, the School Board in Alexandria Thursday night approved a plan to move more than 700 Douglas MacArthur Elementary School students to the old Patrick Henry Elementary School to facilitate a faster rebuild of MacArthur. The vote was 8 - 1, with only Board Member Heather Thornton voting no.
The decision creates a 1,500-student campus in the residential West End neighborhood.
“I personally feel that it’s incumbent upon us… to show our whole community that we're going to address these issues,” said Board Member Chris Suarez. “It’s not just about MacArthur, it’s about every single project we have to address going forward.”
All board members acknowledged that there have been issues with trust between residents, the city’s school system and city officials, and that deferred maintenance has created a crisis situation in several school buildings.
“This is not ok,” said an emotional Board Member Meagan Alderton. “But we are now charged with moving forward, and so I hope that whatever decision we make, we rally as a community to address these problems. … No child deserves it, no teacher deserves it, and when we talk about trying to retain teachers, I would not as an educator want to work in some of these buildings and some of these classrooms.”
School board members voted as follows:
District A
- Jacinta Greene - Yes
- Michelle Rief - Yes
- Christopher A. Suarez - Yes
District B
- Cindy M. Anderson (Chair) - Yes
- Margaret Lorber - Yes
- Veronica R. Nolan (Vice Chair) - Yes
District C
- Meagan L. Alderton - Yes
- Ramee A. Gentry - Yes
- Heather Thornton - No
Decision Background
A new Patrick Henry School serving elementary and middle school students opened earlier this year to replace the old Patrick Henry Elementary School. The old school was slated for demolition this summer.
ACPS and Alexandria officials started considering in January whether the old school could be used as “swing space” for students from other schools as the school system works through an extensive list of capital improvements.
ACPS faced an April 4 deadline to make a decision about whether to proceed with the demolition of the old Patrick Henry school, or the school district would face contractual, financial and legal issues from putting the site’s contractor on hold for too long. ACPS officials came to the community in March with the proposal.
Officials from the City of Alexandria and ACPS also said it could cost $60 million to acquire land and build a temporary school to house students from Douglas MacArthur (and possibly other schools in the future) while capital improvements continue. Using the old Patrick Henry Elementary School is less expensive, despite the building’s need for significant rehabilitation.
Douglas MacArthur is one of the city’s most overcrowded schools. Several classrooms lack windows, and there are reports of leaks, malfunctioning bathrooms and faulty major systems. Unlike with Patrick Henry, contractors cannot build a new school for Douglas MacArthur students while the old school remains standing and operational.
The school district has allocated more than $56 million for a new Douglas MacArthur Elementary School and using the old Patrick Henry Elementary School as swing space allows the school district to rebuild Douglas MacArthur much sooner than otherwise planned.
Concerns from Residents
A number of residents attended Thursday night’s School Board meeting to talk about the Douglas MacArthur/Patrick Henry decision, sharing both support and concerns.
Dwight Dunton, who lives near Patrick Henry and also has served on the Alexandria Ad Hoc Joint City-Schools Facility Investment Task Force, supported the decision, noting that the opportunity to use the old Patrick Henry Elementary School is a good solution to the swing space needs in the city and allows capital improvements to move forward more quickly.
MacArthur parents mostly agree with the decision to use the old Patrick Henry Elementary School as swing space, calling it the “best option available,” Douglas MacArthur parent William Pfister said. He acknowledged the sacrifice that Patrick Henry neighborhood residents are making in this process. Patrick Henry and Polk Elementary School PTAs both oppose the plan.
West End resident Sarah Fanning brought up concerns not only for elementary school students near Patrick Henry, but for students who walk through the neighborhood to get to Minnie Howard and a T.C. Williams bus stop.
West End resident Christine Rider said she is worried about whether the Patrick Henry campus has enough outdoor space to accommodate 1,500 students in the event that an emergency requires the evacuation of both buildings.
Residents at Thursday night’s meeting also brought up concerns that Douglas MacArthur construction would take longer than projected and that future studies may show the old Patrick Henry Elementary School needs to be used as swing space for other schools’ capital improvements after Douglas MacArthur. Joint City-Schools Facility Investment Task Force members in the recent past have recommended that the district build a permanent swing space that can be transitioned into use as a permanent school in the future.
Alexandria has a lengthy list of projects at its schools. Several residents spoke about deteriorating conditions at George Washington Middle School and other schools that need immediate attention – leaking roofs and concerns about resulting mold were common themes.
Over the past several weeks, school officials hosted a series of meetings to listen to and evaluate those concerns. Some residents of the West End expressed concern that ACPS is kicking the can on the long-term need for additional space for students by not building swing space now. One resident speaking at Thursday night’s School Board meeting called the decision “short-sighted.” Another called it a “hasty recommendation” and “fiscally irresponsible.”
A number of residents also brought up concerns at previous meetings that the City is considering plans to put Seminary Road on a “road diet” as part of the Vision Zero initiative at the same time that hundreds of students and ACPS teachers and staff will be using that road to get from their neighborhood to the Patrick Henry campus.
ACPS
The Path Forward
The City will be spending upwards of $5 million to bring the old Patrick Henry school into better repair, including significant changes to the ventilation systems, alarms, auditorium, roof, bathrooms and more. ACPS has also promised to work with the City to ensure a smooth flow of traffic, traffic enforcement and pedestrian safety.
ACPS officials are also considering a staggered schedule, essentially putting Douglas MacArthur students on a middle school schedule to alleviate some traffic and safety concerns.
ACPS officials have worked with real estate advisers, the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, consultants and developers to assess what other sites in Alexandria could be used as a school, and haven’t found a suitable space that would be economically viable to convert to a school. A school needs enough space to convert into large classrooms, play space, adequate access for buses, safety areas and more. Alexandria officials found just one building that had some promise, but it had significant environmental concerns and would not be safe for children.
ACPS will continue to look for swing space for future projects.
With this decision, ACPS has released the following timeline for this plan:
This fall, Patrick Henry students will get new playgrounds and play spaces. Contractors will also be working on the old Patrick Henry Elementary School to repair it for use, and a parking lot will be installed on the site to accommodate Douglas MacArthur and Patrick Henry staff. In addition, the old recreation center at Patrick Henry will be demolished to facilitate traffic flow and increase safety.
Douglas MacArthur students will start attending school at the old Patrick Henry school in the fall of 2020. Douglas MacArthur students will remain there until January 2023, when they move back to a new neighborhood school. After students leave the old Patrick Henry Elementary School, the building will be demolished, leaving room for the promised turf fields and additional play space for students.
Alexandria City Public Schools
The proposed construction timeline for Patrick Henry and Douglas MacArthur.
The vote also holds ACPS to working with the city on traffic and parking, continuing to seek appropriate swing space and permanent spaces for students, and working with the city’s parks department to find more open and play spaces for children in neighborhoods.
