Section 10-A1200. OVERVIEW

 

1200.1The Educational Facilities Element addresses the location, planning, use and design of the District’s educational facilities and campuses. It includes policies and actions related to primary, secondary, and higher educational facilities. The Element focuses on the efficient use of school property, and the relationship between schools and the communities that surround them. For District public schools, it focuses on school modernization and the right-sizing of school facilities to meet existing and long-term educational needs.

 

1200.2  The crucial educational facilities issues facing the District of Columbia are addressed in this Element.  These include:

 

(a) Modernizing the District’s public schools to provide a safe and stimulating learning environment for District students;

 

(b) Re-establishing quality schools that are anchors and assets for District neighborhoods; and

 

(c)  Encouraging university and community college satellite campuses east of the Anacostia River to provide expanded educational opportunities.

 

1200.3The District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS)-in partnership with residents, business-owners and civic organizations has committed to rebuild and re-conceive its public schools. The DCPS Master Education Plan clearly states this renewed commitment:

 

“To provide high-quality teaching and learning in every classroom in every school over the long term, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) must find sustainable solutions to critical challenges inside and outside our school system. First and foremost, DCPS must regain its place as the school system of choice for children and families in the District of Columbia. We must extend and strengthen our services to all of our student populations, bring young children into the system earlier, serve our special education students within their own neighborhood schools, give all students a strong foundation for learning in the fundamental skills of reading and mathematics, close achievement gaps, expand opportunities for students to excel, and develop effective strategies to keep all of our students in school through high school graduation.” 1200.3

 

1200.4The Educational Facilities Element incorporates the DCPS vision for a new generation of public schools. It recognizes that improving our schools is an important part of the city’s goal of attracting more residents, especially households with children. As recent school construction projects in the District have shown, new schools can become catalysts for private investment and can have a tremendous effect on local growth patterns. More than any other community facility, schools define the social, economic, and physical characteristics of our neighborhoods. 1200.4

 

1200.5  Because the emphasis of the Comprehensive Plan is on the physical environment, this Element, as it relates to DCPS, addresses school land and buildings, rather than educational curriculum, teacher quality, school administration and other programmatic issues. Those issues are critically important, but they are addressed by the DCPS Master Education Plan and other DCPS documents.  Policies in the Educational Facilities Element are intended to work in tandem with those adopted by DCPS, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, and the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization as a coordinated, internally consistent strategy for educational excellence and neighborhood revitalization.

 

authority

Pursuant to the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1984, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1-306.01 et seq.), the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: District Elements of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (10 DCMR A300 through A2520) (“Comprehensive Plan”).

source

Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2006, effective March 8, 2007 (D.C. Law 16-300) published at 54 DCR 924 (February 2, 2007); as amended by Comprehensive Plan Amendment Act of 2010, April 8, 2011 (D.C. Law 18-361) published at 58 DCR 908, 919 (February 4, 2011).

notation

The provisions of Title 10, Part A of the DCMR accessible through this web interface are codification of the District Elements of the Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital. As such, they do not represent the organic provisions adopted by the Council of the District of Columbia. The official version of the District Elements only appears as a hard copy volume of Title 10, Part A published pursuant to section 9a of the District of Columbia Comprehensive Plan Act of 1994, effective April 10, 1984 (D.C. Law 5-76; D.C. Official Code § 1 -301.66)) . In the event of any inconsistency between the provisions accessible through this site and the provisions contained in the published version of Title 10, Part A, the provisions contained in the published version govern. A copy of the published District Elements is available www.planning.dc.gov.