D.C. Council and D.C. Public Schools squabble over building contracts
Although parents, teachers, and officials agree that many school buildings in the District are in dire need of renovation and repair, the D.C. Council and D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) are squabbling over who will have control over contracts to make necessary changes. The dispute gives the council an opportunity to assert itself as it moves toward handing control of the school system to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. It also gives school officials a chance to exercise their power now, despite an uncertain future. DCPS Superintendent Clifford B. Janey and Board of Education President Robert C. Bobb opened themselves to second-guessing when they submitted 40 proposed contracts that failed to outline where and how the $1 billion will be spent. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray wants them to withdraw the contracts or he will lobby the council to reject the various agreements. School district officials, however, are defiant, challenging the council and the takeover plan. The board posted on its Web site a critical analysis of the mayor’s plan, which was written by the Council on Great City Schools, a coalition of large urban school districts.
School officials say the contracts allow them to retain construction companies on an "as-needed basis," the next step in moving quickly on a much-heralded $2.3 billion school modernization plan approved by the council last year. "We're dedicated to advancing the school system forward and not getting caught up with all the past criticisms of not moving fast enough," says Mr. Bobb. Mr. Gray says he has asked to meet with school officials this week to request new contracts on the work that needs to be started immediately. He says the council will then approve the contracts that pertain to those schools. "We want to work on projects that are imminent," he says. "I haven't heard from them." He notes that future school construction would be handled by the independent authority Mr. Fenty has proposed in his school plan. Some parents, meanwhile, are mobilizing against the mayor’s plan. Others fear the political struggles will delay the start of critical repairs, and DCPS officials say planning and design work for 23 schools targeted for construction in 2008 will be affected if the contracts are not approved.
Council members insist there is no intent to slow down construction projects, but, in a letter to Mr. Bobb and Superintendent Janey, they cite a lack of courtesy in submitting contracts worth $1 billion without consulting the council. The letter also cites the school system's tardy submission of the master facilities plan and raises concerns about a possible funding gap from expedition of the construction and the open-ended nature of the contracts. Mr. Bobb, who gave up his position as city administrator last year to run for the school board, says such contracts are commonplace throughout city agencies. "If we're going to chastise the school district for advancing these types of contracts, then we shouldn't do them anywhere in the District government," he says.
Washington Post
By Nikita Stewart & Theola Labb
[Full story]
[Editor’s Note: Background on the dispute is available starting below, as is the analysis by the Council of the Great City Schools and information on the school modernization plan.]
[NSBA School Law pages on D.C. mayoral school takeover bid]
[Council of the Great City Schools report]
[NSBA School Law pages on D.C. school modernization plan]