Chapter 12

Educational Facilities Element

CHAPTER 12: EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES ELEMENT

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Educational Facilities Element

Overview 1200

THE 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 early childhood development facilities, public primary and secondary District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), public charter schools, private schools, and higher educational facilities, including public and private colleges and universities. 1200.1

The District’s pre-kindergarten (PK) through adult environment includes a network of neighborhood schools, matter-of-right schools, and feeder systems that provide predictable paths from elementary to middle to high school grades, as well as a District-wide application and lottery-accessed public and public charter schools. Both DCPS and the public charter schools offer traditional programming as well as specialized programs such as dual language, expeditionary learning, International Baccalaureate, and Montessori. Washington, DC’s collegiate environment includes nine universities whose home campuses are in the District, as well as many other educational institutions and non-local universities that provide programs within the District. 1200.2

The Element focuses on the efficient use of school property and the relationship between schools and the communities that surround them. For DCPS, it focuses on school planning and modernization efforts to meet existing and long-term educational needs, and on investing equitably in a system of neighborhood public schools to provide fair access to high-quality education throughout the District’s communities. 1200.3

The crucial educational facilities issues facing Washington, DC are addressed in this Element. These include:

• Ensuring that investments in schools promote equity and excellence, serve the needs of all students, and provide access to educational skills and development opportunities across all eight wards through matter-of-right neighborhood schools and District-wide public schools. Equity for many communities of color requires attention on family/community involvement.
• Continuing to plan for and invest in new and existing school facilities to meet the District’s growth and enrollment needs while delivering spaces that reflect best practices in building configuration and design.
• Leveraging schools as assets and anchors of District neighborhoods where culture, skills training, and civic engagement goals can be achieved, in addition to schools’ core educational missions.
• Encouraging university and community college satellite campuses in Wards 7 and 8 to provide expanded educational opportunities,

and engaging Washington, DC’s universities as innovation centers, potential activators for large site development, and good neighbors that are compatible with surrounding neighborhoods through the use of a campus plan.

• Using school facilities to exemplify Washington, DC’s environmental commitments through such measures as building to gold LEED standards.
• Maintaining District-owned school sites to provide adequate green space for educational, recreation, athletic, and environmental benefit, which are located equitably throughout the District. 1200.4¹

Since 2006, when the Comprehensive Plan was last updated, the District has committed to reconceiving and rebuilding its public schools in partnership with residents, business owners, and civic organizations. The Educational Facilities Element has guided Washington, DC’s historic strides toward increasing the quality of DCPS facilities to support teaching and learning after decades of disinvestment prior to the year 2000. From 2007 to 2018, the District allocated more than $2 billion to modernize or renovate 73 school facilities. As of 2020, over a dozen years after the modernization project started in earnest, twenty-one schools have yet to be modernized or have received only Phase 1 modernizations and are not yet scheduled for full modernization. Of the latter category, there are none in Ward 3, one each in Wards 1, 2 and 4; two in Ward 5; four in Ward 7, five in Ward 6 and seven in Ward 8. In addition, from 2007 to 2018, the District provided public charter schools with more than $1.2 billion in funding through the per-student public funding allotment specifically for facilities. 1200.5²

Washington, DC’s charter and private schools and universities have access to the District’s enviable tax-exempted bonds through Washington, DC’s private activity bond program. Institutions have used this financing tool to raise millions of dollars to finance their expansion, building and renovation programs. 1200.6³

Because the emphasis of the Comprehensive Plan is on the physical environment, this Element, as it relates to DCPS and public charter schools, addresses school land and buildings, rather than educational curriculum, teacher quality, school administration, and other programmatic issues. Such issues are critically important, but they will be addressed in the DCPS Strategic Plan and other DCPS documents. 1200.7⁴

Policies in the Educational Facilities Element work alongside those adopted by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education (DME), DCPS, the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB), the Department of General Services (DGS), the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and the Office of Planning (OP) as a coordinated, internally consistent strategy for educational excellence and neighborhood revitalization. 1200.8⁵

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

Continuing to improve schools is fundamental in meeting the goal of retaining and attracting households with children. Schools strongly define the social, economic, and physical characteristics of the District’s neighborhoods. 1200.9¹

Educational Facilities Goal ²

The overarching goal for educational facilities is to provide facilities that accommodate population growth and its geographic distribution and inspire excellence in learning; create a safe and healthy environment for students; and help each individual achieve their fullest potential while helping to build and strengthen local communities. 1201.1³

Policies and Actions

EDU-1 PK-12 and Adult/Alternative School Facility Planning ⁴

Public education in the District of Columbia is provided by DCPS and by public charter schools. DCPS is a traditional local education agency (LEA) headed by a chancellor appointed by the Mayor under the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007. DCPS is responsible for educating Washington, DC’s children and provides a school of right for every compulsory school-age child. DCPS also coordinates with DGS in planning, operating, maintaining, designing, and constructing public school facilities (see text box, Understanding the Relationship of DC Public Schools to District Government). Public charter LEAs are publicly funded and organized as nonprofit corporations, and each is managed by an independent Board of Trustees. DC PCSB, created in 1996 and governed by the School Reform Act of 1995, is the sole authorizer of public charter schools, and it provides comprehensive oversight, application review, and stakeholder engagement across all public charter schools. 1202.1⁵

In school year 2017-2018 (SY2017-18), DCPS had 116 schools housed in 112 different facilities serving approximately 48,150 students. Other facilities include administrative buildings, swing space used for temporary relocation during campuses renovation, and facilities undergoing modernization. Map 12.1 shows the location of DCPS schools. Washington, DC has one of the most robust charter school sectors in the country. In SY2017-18, 66 public charter LEAs were operating 121 schools, serving approximately 43,350 students. The location of public charter schools as of SY2017-18 is shown on Map 12.2. 1202.2⁶

DCPS and public charter school total enrollment, including PK-12th grade and adult and alternative schools, started to increase in 2008, driven by

The overarching goal for educational facilities is to provide facilities that accommodate population growth and its geographic distribution and inspire excellence in learning; create a safe and healthy environment for students; and help each individual achieve their fullest potential while helping to build and strengthen local communities.

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

enrollment in public charter schools and also in DCPS in recent years. Between 2008 and 2017, total public school enrollment increased by 29 percent (see Figure 12.1). Public charter school enrollment has increased steadily since the School Reform Act authorizing charters was passed in 1997, with DCPS enrollment increasing after 2008. As of SY2017-18, DCPS enrolled 53 percent of all public school students, while public charters enrolled 47 percent. Total District-wide growth in enrollment between 2011 and 2017 was greatest in the elementary (K-5th) and early childhood grades (PK3 and PK4). 1202.3

These increases in public school enrollment mirror recent increases in population. The District added 122,000 residents between 2000 and 2017, driven mostly by an increase in adults. However, in the past five years, the number of children has substantially increased, surpassing the 2000 number—specifically, between 2010 and 2017, infants and toddlers under age five increased by 12,200. Forecasts from the OP State Data Center indicate that this trend will continue in 2017-2025, with an estimated net population increase of 91,000, of which 21,090 (23 percent) will be school-age children. These figures, coupled with vigorous housing construction activity over the last 10 years and improved quality of schools, suggest there will be many new students, necessitating additional school facility space and financial resources. Not only are there likely to be more students, but the racial composition of students is changing to reflect broader District demographic trends. It is important to collect and use data disaggregated by race to provide equitable outcomes in school facility planning. 1202.4

Figure 12.1:

Public School Enrollment Trends in the District 1996-2016 ¹

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(Source: DME)

C I T Y W I D E E L E M E N T S

The proposed 2018 Master Facilities Plan (MFP), for the first time, analyzed both the public charter school sector and DCPS schools. It used population forecasts, enrollment projections, utilization analyses, and facility data to better understand the current landscape of the District’s public school facilities (PK through adult provided by DCPS and public charter schools), as well as facility needs five and 10 years from now. The proposed MFP GAP analysis showed that as of SY17-8, capacity exceeded enrollment by over 22,000. Fully modernizing the DCPS inventory, addressing overcrowding in DCPS feeder schools where it has already become an issue, and already approved charter expansions will increase capacity in the coming years. The proposed MFP illustrated a key challenge confronting the District. The proposed 2018 MFP estimated that there would be sufficient facility capacity in aggregate within the educational sector taking enrollment patterns and market share into account. However, if the LEA’s growth plans are taken into account, the proposed 2018 MFP estimated that may be an overall shortage of seats by SY2027-28. The analysis indicated that without coordinated planning the District could open more school capacity than required, driving up costs and diluting the ability to serve students, families, and communities. 1202.6¹

Through the proposed 2018 MFP, DME, in conjunction with DCPS, DGS, DC PCSB, and community stakeholders, provided (1) information about current public school facility conditions and needs, and (2) analyses of future facility needs based on estimated population growth and LEAs’ aggregated enrollment growth plans. The proposed MFP included datasets and visualizations, which help the public, policymakers, LEAs, education support organizations, and other educational stakeholders in their work to improve public education. 1202.7²

The District Council disapproved the proposed 2018 MFP submitted by the Mayor as the Council believed the information provided in the proposed MFP lacked critical elements that would inform the Mayor’s and Council’s decisions on school location, school building utilization, student enrollment, and potential charter school locations. The proposed MFP also lacked comprehensive information about the plan for six vacant public school facilities. Further, the proposed MFP failed to address school overcrowding, under-enrollment, or school buildings with poor utilization (below 50 percent), and it did not clearly define the Facility Condition Index (FCI) which identified ten schools with buildings in poor condition. An updated MFP that addresses Council interests, specifically providing a plan for the District to address over-crowding in over-utilized schools and increase enrollment in underutilized buildings, and plan for forecasted population growth to provide appropriate capacity, is a critical first step to advance a master plan. This MFP must be approved by Council. A Council-approved MFP would help inform strategic and sustainable long-term facilities planning for DCPS, charter LEAs, District agencies, and others. 1202.8³

Map 12.1:

Location of DCPS Schools School Year 2018-2019 ¹

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(Source: OP, 2018)

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

Across Washington, DC, DCPS school facilities and grounds serve as community assets by providing recreational space, meeting space, and more. As part of the facility modernization planning process, DCPS will continue to engage communities on how modernized facilities and grounds could better serve the needs of the surrounding communities and improve quality of life. 1202.10

Understanding the Relationship of DC Public Schools to District Government

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The District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 (PERAA), effective June 12, 2007 (DC Law 17-9; 54 DCR 4102), created a new and reorganized structure of educational leadership. PERAA established that the Mayor has direct control of District public schools and DCPS as a cabinet-level agency. It also empowered the Mayor to appoint, after review and confirmation by the Council of the District of Columbia, a DME to plan, coordinate, and supervise public education in the District, a chancellor to lead DCPS as its chief executive officer, and a state superintendent of education. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) is the state education agency that requests, distributes, and monitors the use of federal grant monies, sets state policy and regulations, and collects and shares reliable and actionable data. The District’s State Board of Education (SBOE) is responsible for advising the state superintendent on educational matters, including state standards, policies, and objectives. DGS oversees the maintenance, construction, and modernization of all DCPS facilities. All public charter schools are chartered under the authority of DC PCSB. 1202.10a

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

A School Improvement Team (SIT) is established at every DCPS school where a major capital project (to include modernization, school replacement, addition, renovation, or remodeling) is scheduled within the next one to two fiscal years. The SIT includes parents, neighbors, and community members, as well as DCPS and DGS staff. The SIT has several duties, including providing feedback during the development of education specifications and schematic design and assisting with disseminating information about the progress of the school improvement to constituencies and peers represented on the SIT. Team members are also expected to consult on issues that arise during construction, be available to receive updates, and serve on the SIT through the end of construction. 1202.11

Like many school districts in U.S. cities, DCPS is facing substantial social needs. Poverty, disrupted families, and neighborhood violence challenge school buildings (and grounds) to do more, such as stay open longer, expand their services, and adopt a broader constituency. Indeed, as school facilities are modernized, the opportunity is created to use those buildings to more fully serve the communities that surround them. 1202.12

The proposed 2018 MFP anticipated combined public charter school and DCPS growth in enrollment, from 91,484 students in SY2017-18 to between 109,000 and 122,000 students in SY2027-28, depending on the assumptions made. The upper end of the enrollment projection includes the aspirational growth plans of the public charter sector that would ultimately require DC PCSB approval and facility acquisition to actually reach that ambitious number. DCPS enrollment is based solely on school-level estimations that could reach 58,400 students in SY2027-28, up from 48,000 students in SY2017-18. When analyzed against available school capacity, the proposed 2018 MFP estimated that enrollment will outstrip DCPS’s current capacity in all wards except Wards 5, 7, and 8. The District has experienced overcrowding in certain schools. There are underutilized schools, particularly in Wards 7 and 8. While current and projected capacity are influenced by population growth, demographic trends, and the physical condition of facilities, the more difficult issue that must inform a revised MFP is significant disparities in school performance that lead students to enroll in higher performing schools, even if these schools are a considerable distance away. 1202.13

Map 12.2:

Location of Public Charter Schools School Year 2018-2019 ¹

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(Source: OP, 2018)

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

EDU-1.1 Integrated Master Planning for All Public Schools ¹

Washington, DC is committed to not only modernizing its inventory but also to maintaining school facilities over the long term. The Facility Conditions Assessment (FCA) Program aims to complete FCAs for every DCPS school on a three-year cycle. An FCA is a comprehensive evaluation of the condition of the systems and structure of the school building and is conducted via a walk-through by licensed engineers. FCAs, combined with other capital asset replacement programs currently in use by the District, assist DCPS and DGS in developing detailed repair needs, estimated repair costs, and capital reinvestment plans, which will allow for a more proactive approach to building maintenance and repair. ²

Policy EDU-1.1.1: Master Facility Planning

Strongly support DME efforts to prepare long-range Council-approved MFPs so that the DCPS school modernization program and public charter school facilities planning are based on comprehensive, system-wide assessments of facility conditions, enrollment trends, long-term needs, and the District’s land use plans. ³

Policy EDU-1.1.2: Locating DCPS and Public Charter Schools

Study and address neighborhood impacts when a public charter school or DCPS school locates in a non-school facility, such as a vacant commercial or industrial building. ⁴

Policy EDU-1.1.3: Co-Location of Charter and DCPS Schools

If co-location of charter schools in significantly under-utilized schools is proposed, address on a case-by-case basis the long-term ability of affected DCPS and charter schools to operate effectively and thrive. Address parking, traffic, noise, needs for green open space and recreational facilities, and other impacts associated with increased enrollment and space usage when co-location occurs. ⁵

Policy EDU-1.1.4: Administrative and Maintenance Facilities

Ensure that educational facility planning accommodates the administrative, maintenance, and transportation needs of DCPS, as well as public charter schools where relevant. ⁶

Policy EDU-1.1.5: Production, Distribution, and Repair (PDR) Uses and Schools

Discourage siting of schools in areas zoned as PDR. Already, some public schools exist on PDR lands, generating the potential for conflicts. Zoning regulations require buffers between PDR zoned land and residential zone uses, including schools. ⁷

Policy EDU-1.1.6: Programming Partnerships for Cultural Activities in Schools

Encourage partnerships between cultural organizations and schools to maximize students’ cultural exposure and access to space by cultural organizations. 1203¹

See also the Arts and Culture Element for information on fine and performing arts.

Policy EDU-1.1.7: Cultural Space

Maximize use of in-school facilities and spaces, such as art studios, rehearsal studios, and theaters, for cultural performance, expression, and production endeavors by students, as well as by external organizations when feasible and appropriate. 1203²

Policy EDU-1.1.8: Expanded Access to Facilities for DCPS and Public Charter Schools

Plan for forecasted District-wide and neighborhood-specific population growth by (1) considering the co-location of schools within and across schools where appropriate; (2) considering incentives for developers to include educational space in future mixed-use developments; (3) considering the establishment of impact fees on new or proposed development projects to contribute to the costs of providing services, including education, to those developments; and (4) investigating the inclusion of educational uses into the development plans for large, public vacant parcels. 1203³

Action EDU-1.1.A: Master Facility Plan Process

Submit an updated MFP that addresses D.C. Council interests, specifically the District’s plan to address over-crowding in over-utilized schools and increase enrollment in under-utilized buildings, and is approved by Council, as a critical first step in advancing a master plan. Ensure that the submitted MFP accounts for equitable access to matter-of-right DCPS public school locations in every ward; adequate acreage and quality of green space associated with DCPS matter-of-right school facilities locations in every ward; the full modernization of all DCPS school buildings by 2030; and investment in programming in those schools to build DCPS enrollment and ensure successful matter-of-right feeder systems in every community in the city. Complete the updated MFP process in close collaboration with relevant agencies and the District’s education stakeholders. Use the updated MFP outcomes to guide school facilities planning on a District-wide and neighborhood-specific basis, guiding growth across both DCPS and public charter school sectors for a span of 10 years. 1203⁴

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

Washington, DC has made significant progress toward modernizing DCPS school buildings, investing more than $2 billion since 2007 to modernize 73 school buildings. The District has budgeted an additional $1.6 billion to modernize 20 DCPS school buildings from 2019-2024.

Action EDU-1.1.B: Space for Youth Cultural Entrepreneurship Initiatives

Explore the availability of public school spaces to serve partnerships and programs between cultural organizations and schools that can help youth become entrepreneurs. 1203.11

See also the Economic Development Element for related policies.

EDU-1.2 DCPS Facilities ¹

Washington, DC has made significant progress toward modernizing DCPS school buildings, investing more than $2[^] billion since 2007 to modernize 73 school buildings. The District has budgeted an additional $1.6[^] billion to modernize 20 DCPS school buildings from 2019-2024. DCPS schools slated for future capital improvements will be prioritized using an approach identified in the Planning Actively for Comprehensive Education Facilities Amendment Act of 2016. This quantitative assessment employs data concerning facility conditions, school demand, community needs, and equity to arrive at an impartial ordering of school modernizations. The prioritization will inform District Capital Improvement Plans. Once the modernizations in the FY2021-26 Capital Improvement Plan are completed, 21 schools, the majority of which are east of the Anacostia River, will have yet to receive full modernizations. The 32 DCPS school buildings that have received a partial modernization will be prioritized for full modernization funding. By 2023, 90 percent of DCPS school buildings will have been renovated and modernized. 1204.1

Policy EDU-1.2.1: Continue to Provide Updated DCPS Facilities

Continue to provide updated and modernized DCPS school facilities throughout the District based on a Council-approved MFP and in compliance with laws, regulations, and appropriations. 1204.2

Policy EDU-1.2.2: Partnerships for DCPS Facilities

Explore partnership opportunities to enhance operation, modernization, and/or construction of new DCPS school facilities, and strongly encourage the retention and inclusion of actively used recreational areas and/or open space. 1204.3

Policy EDU-1.2.3: Developer Proffers for DCPS Facility Needs

Explore developer proffers as a way to meet school facility needs through the development process. 1204.4

Policy EDU-1.2.4: Using District-Owned Facilities for Healthy Food Access

Encourage the renovation and new construction of schools to support healthy food education and access. Assess feasibility of incorporating space

for teaching kitchens, prep kitchens, cafeterias, and educational gardens in renovated and modernized buildings. 1204.5¹

Policy EDU-1.2.5: Facility Expansion

Where additional DCPS school capacity is needed to satisfy enrollment demand and to avoid overcrowding, DCPS may need to consider existing site capacity, site acquisition, and new school development, in addition to school boundary and enrollment adjustments. 1204.6²

Policy EDU-1.2.6: Transportation Demand Management Programs for DCPS Facilities

Improve parking management at DCPS facilities by pairing reduction in surface parking availability with a transportation management plan for school staff. 1204.7³

Policy EDU-1.2.7: DCPS School Design and Sustainability

Continue to use green practices in the modernization, construction, and operation of DCPS schools to maximize sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Examples of building features and systems that can help achieve this include architectural design and materials, solar panels, rain gardens, green roofs, and high-efficiency energy, water, and waste management systems. 1204.8⁴

Policy EDU-1.2.8: DCPS School Design as a Tool for Teaching Sustainability

Promote design features of schools as a tool for interactive learning about sustainability and to provide related stewardship opportunities. Examples of design features include green roofs and rain gardens; energy, water, and waste management systems; and on-site greenhouses and urban farming facilities. 1204.9⁵

Policy EDU-1.2.9: Neighborhood Schools of Excellence

Strongly support the goal of making neighborhood schools and feeder systems an appealing school of choice where students’ academic and personal achievements are nurtured, so that children do not have to travel long distances to schools across the District and to ensure families in every community have attractive, predicable options from PK through 12th grade. 1204.10⁶

Action EDU-1.2.A: Parking Utilization Study at DCPS Facilities

Conduct studies to understand use of parking facilities at appropriate DCPS sites to determine where reductions may be possible in order to identify potential higher and better uses for them. 1204.11⁷

C I T Y W I D E E L E M E N T S

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Public charter schools provide another school choice for families with school-age children.

Action EDU-1.2.B: Shared-Use Agreements

Continue to support shared-use agreements for public access to recreation facilities and gardens in public schools while ensuring host schools have appropriate, prioritized access. ¹

EDU-1.3 Public Charter School Facilities ²

Public charter schools provide another school choice for families with school-age children. As of SY2016-17, 46 percent of all public-school students were enrolled in public charter schools, and DC PCSB approved the conditional opening of three more public charter schools in SY2018-19. ³

Public charter schools are publicly funded, their daily operations and curriculum are managed by their school leadership and an independent board of trustees, and some offer specialized programs such as dual language, expeditionary learning, International Baccalaureate, and Montessori. The per-pupil facilities allowance from public funds helps public charter schools acquire and renovate space and is intended to cover their facility expenses (see description in the text box entitled Uniform Per Student Funding). Public charter schools are authorized and monitored by DC PCSB and are held accountable for student performance and compliance with local and federal laws in the same way as DCPS schools are by OSSE. ⁴

As of SY2017-18, there were 121 public charter schools with 135 campuses located in 104 facilities. Of those public charter school campuses, 63 were located in 40 former DCPS buildings through long-term leases or ownership of a surplus facility. These 63 campuses include 10 co-locations of public charter LEAs. Two additional public charter schools are co-located with existing DCPS schools. The remaining 70 public charter school campuses were located in 62 commercial facilities that they either owned or leased from the District; these 70 campuses include six co-locations. ⁵

Although public charter schools operate in a wide range of facilities, former DCPS school buildings offer attractive solutions due to the ready functionality of their space and to the scarcity of and rising costs for space. To help identify those sites that may be suitable for public charter school use, the D.C. Council adopted a pre-surplus designation of excess in 2014. D.C. Law 20-114 (D.C. Official Code § 38-2803(e)) defines a school site to be designated excess after it has been identified as vacant without a plan for reuse or has been significantly underused for two consecutive years without a plan for reuse. Thirty-nine former DCPS schools have been turned over for use by charter schools. There are very few DCPS school buildings that are not being used, and these sites are needed to ensure there are adequate schools in various geographic locations available, as well as places available for swing space. ⁶

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

If a school building has been determined to be excess by DCPS, and the District does not have plans for its public reuse, DME conducts a process to designate the building as surplus, subject to final approval by the Council of the District of Columbia. For surplus buildings, DME develops a Request for Offers (RFO), which allows public charter schools to submit proposals to lease the space from the District. Public charter schools and charter school incubators, which are nonprofit organizations that provide short-term, transitional, and below-market rent space to public charter schools that may face difficulty in finding and/or financing education facilities, have right of first offer for the use of surplus DCPS school buildings. 1205.5¹

Since school buildings serve as institutional anchors, the RFO process includes public engagement. 1205.6²

Consistent with 110 Stat. 1321, Pub. L. 104-134, as amended (D.C. Official Code § 38-1802.09), the following preferences are used to determine the use of former DCPS schools that are deemed surplus:

• First preference to an existing tenant that is a public charter school that occupies all, or substantially all, of the facility;
• Second preference to a high-performing and financially sound public charter school, or to an existing tenant that has occupied all or substantially all of the excess school facility since December 30, 2008, and is a District nonprofit elementary or secondary school or District community-based nonprofit arts education organization whose programming includes youth classes; and
• Third preference to any other eligible entity. 1205.7³

Policy EDU-1.3.1: Planning for Public Charter Schools

Incorporate the needs of public charter schools in public school facility planning, including in MFP efforts, to account for the community’s desire for a District-wide system of neighborhood public schools supplemented by school choice that is equitably invested in and provides predictable and fair access to high-quality schools in all of Washington, DC’s communities. 1205.8⁴

Policy EDU-1.3.2: Partnerships for Public Charter School Facilities

Explore partnership opportunities to enhance operation, modernization, and/or construction of new public charter school facilities, and strongly encourage the retention and inclusion of actively used recreational areas and/or open space. 1205.9⁵

Policy EDU-1.3.3: Developer Proffers for Public Charter School Facility

Needs Explore developer proffers as a way to meet school facility needs through the development process. 1205.10⁶

Uniform Per Student Funding

The Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) is used to help set annual operating funding for DCPS and public charter schools. The requirement that education be funded on a uniform per-student basis was enacted into DC law in 1995 (110 Stat. 1321, Pub. L. 104-134; D.C. Official Code § 38-1804.01). UPSFF allocates funding to DCPS and DC public charter LEAs based on students’ grade levels and additional relevant characteristics, such as at-risk status. It applies only to local funding. In addition, public charter schools also receive a per-pupil facility allotment through UPSFF intended for facility funding. DCPS capital expenses are funded from the capital budget. Between FY16 and FY20, UPSFF is expected to increase by 15.7 percent, resulting in the foundation-level per-student rate increasing from $9,492⁷ per public school student in FY16 to $10,980⁸ per public student in FY20. 1205.7a⁹

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

Policy EDU-1.3.4: Alternative Financing Systems

Support the construction and renovation needs of public charter schools, as well as private schools and universities, by allowing them access to low-cost financing programs offered by the District. Examples of these programs include the DC Revenue Bond Program, the Green Bank, and Property Assessed Clean Energy Programs. ¹

EDU-1.4 Private PK-12 School Facilities ²

Information gathered from the National Center for Educational Statistics, the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington (AISGW), the National Center for Education Statistics, and the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) indicates that, in 2017, there were approximately 94 private schools in the District of Columbia. These private schools rendered services to specific segments of the District’s population, from PK to 12th grade, as well as children throughout the metropolitan area. These facilities are shown in Map 12.3. Thirty-one schools are affiliated with AISGW. Several of these, as well as schools unaffiliated with AISGW, are affiliated with churches, including a total of 11 represented by NCEA and several affiliated with other religious organizations. Washington, DC acknowledges the contributions that these schools have provided to the education sector and the importance of including K-12 private schools in overall school planning and discussions. ³

Policy EDU-1.4.1: Private PK-12 Schools

Recognize private schools as an important part of Washington DC’s educational infrastructure. Private school representatives should be encouraged to participate in District-wide educational facility planning initiatives. ⁴

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

Map 12.3:

Location of Private Schools ¹

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(Source: OP, 2018)

CITYWIDE ELEMENTS

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Attractive, well-designed, and well-sited schools communicate respect for the people who use them and contribute to a positive school climate and productive learning.

Policy EDU-1.4.2: Private School Partnerships

Encourage engagement and partnership with communities and other institutions in the delivery of school services and engagement with local neighbors in planning and development processes. ¹

EDU-1.5 School Building Design and Site Planning ²

Attractive, well-designed, and well-sited schools communicate respect for the people who use them and contribute to a positive school climate and productive learning. By strategically locating windows, access points, and gathering places, for example, school designers can foster student safety and security. High-quality site planning and architecture also provide an opportunity to enhance the learning experience. ³

School modernization projects should take into consideration issues that extend beyond school boundaries, such as the safety of children traveling to and from school, public transit accessibility, the availability of open green space, playgrounds, and athletic facilities, as well as parking and traffic. ⁴

Policy EDU-1.5.1: Promoting High-Quality Design

New construction, renovation or reconstruction of public, private, and public charter school facilities should use high architectural and landscape design standards that are sensitive to community context, as well as academic and student safety needs. ⁵

Policy EDU-1.5.2: Safety First: Designing For Multiple Uses

Strongly encourage design of K-12 public, private, and public charter schools to include appropriate measures that keep students healthy, secure, and safe, especially where multiple activities are accommodated in a single structure. ⁶

Policy EDU-1.5.3: Eco-Friendly Design

Strongly support the use of green building, energy efficiency, and green infrastructure development methods in school construction and rehabilitation of K-12 public, private, and public charter school design. ⁷

Policy EDU-1.5.4: Multimodal Access to Schools

Continue to coordinate among District Department of Transportation (DDOT), DCPS, DC PCSB, and K-12 private school stakeholders to improve the safety of students walking or biking to and from school through design and transportation improvements in coordination with the safe routes to school program. In addition, new K-12 public, private, and public charter school buildings should be designed to foster safe and attractive pedestrian access. Encourage transit connections to high schools to provide easy access for students and teachers, thereby minimizing the need for driving to school. ⁸

See also the Transportation Element for additional information on modes of transit to schools.

Policy EDU-1.5.5 School Projects and Design Plans

Seek to better align proposed school modernization and new school projects with District-wide and place-based design plans so that school design achieves a high quality. ¹

Policy EDU-1.5.6: Historic Preservation

Consider historic preservation concerns in the planning of DCPS and public charter schools, as well as private school facilities occupying DC government property. ²

Policy EDU-1.5.7: Site Planning

Continue to plan for the modernization of entire DCPS school campuses rather than just the school buildings. Where school facilities are adjoined by athletic fields, playgrounds, educational and community gardens, and open space, the improvement of these areas should be included in renovation plans wherever feasible. In addition, school employee parking should not be provided at the expense of recreational space. ³

EDU-1.6 Planning for the Long-Term Future ⁴

An important long-range planning objective is to align DCPS and public charter school enrollment projections with the Comprehensive Plan’s demographic forecasts. The Comprehensive Plan can aid DCPS by identifying the specific schools that may be most impacted by increased in-boundary enrollment from new development and therefore most in need of future expansion. As an example, population forecasts used in 2016 for the Comprehensive Plan amendment process were used to develop student population projections to support the proposed 2018 MFP. ⁵

In Washington, DC, the relationship between new housing construction and school planning is complex. Public school enrollment policies allow students to enroll in their in-boundary DCPS school and apply to enroll in an out-of-boundary DCPS school, a public charter school, or any other District-wide or selective DCPS school. Thus, students often travel to schools in other parts of the District, leading to significant out-of-boundary enrollment at many DCPS facilities and to public charter schools far from students’ homes. Figure 12.2 shows the share of students who enroll in the different types of schools in SY2016-17 and how many students enroll in their own ward of residence. This complexity makes projecting enrollment at DCPS and public charter schools challenging. ⁶

The Comprehensive Plan cannot predict who will actually occupy new housing units and whether they will be singles or families with children. Increases in enrollment may also take place in established neighborhoods

DCPS Boundary and Student Assignment Policy Review

In 2013-2014, DME and DCPS led a comprehensive review process of student assignment policies and DCPS school boundaries. The process culminated in a series of recommendations made by the DC Advisory Committee on Student Assignment that were fully adopted by the Mayor and chancellor at that time. Implementation of the recommendations began in 2015. In its Final Recommendations on Student Assignment Policies and DCPS School Boundaries, the committee noted that, “The overwhelming input from parents and District residents was that families want a District-wide system of neighborhood public schools that is equitably invested in and provides predictable and fair access to high-quality schools in all of the city’s communities.” ⁷

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as the existing housing stock changes hands—even though very little new construction is occurring. In addition, a higher percentage of students may choose to attend public schools rather than private schools in the future. 1208.4¹

Aggregate projections indicate the need to coordinate the growth of educational facilities with the growth of housing in some parts of the District, driving recommendations in the proposed 2018 MFP to consider incentives for developers to include educational space in future mixed-use developments, consider establishing impact fees on new development projects to contribute to the costs of providing services to new developments, including education, and investigate the inclusion of educational uses into the development plans for large public vacant parcels. 1208.5²

Notwithstanding these challenges, a Council-approved MFP will enable the District to align population growth forecasts, estimated school needs, and facilities planning to better anticipate facilities’ space needs. This will include facility utilization data as well as population trend and forecast information from the District’s OP State Data Center to inform enrollment projections. Given that population and enrollment growth lagged projections even before COVID, it will be important to update population and enrollment projections after the completion of the 2020 Census. 1208.6³

In addition to the proposed 2018 MFP, the District launched EdScape Beta, the educational landscape, in 2019. This online tool provides a comprehensive set of interactive visualizations and downloadable datasets

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on topics essential to inform and coordinate the opening and siting of programs and schools in Washington, DC. This information, as updated on an ongoing basis, can support data transparency and help build a coherent public education system as well. EdScape Beta is intended to help inform whether and where new schools, programs, or facility capacity may be needed, and to provide the public with the same information available to policy-makers for transparency purposes. Together, a Council-approved MFP and EdScape Beta will help assess overcrowding and identify strategies to address it. 1208.7

As of 2017, the District’s OP State Data Center forecasts a sizable increase in children, particularly infants, toddlers, and elementary-age children, over the next 10 years. These forecasts assume age cohort movement and population net migration. Recent forecasts indicate a net population increase of 114,954 people over the 10 years spanning 2015-2025, with an average growth of 11,500 people each year. The District’s total population will continue to increase but at a slower rate: from an annual change of 1.9 percent in 2015, to 1.6 percent in 2020, to 1.5 percent in 2025. 1208.8

For the District’s youth population aged 0-17 years, the forecast points to an additional 21,090 (23 percent) youth from 2017-2025. With a total forecasted youth population of 144,250 in 2025, this number will comprise 18.3 percent of the total District population, up from 18 percent in 2017. The 0-17 age group is expected to increase but will do so at a declining annual rate of 2.1 percent by 2020, to 2.0 percent by 2025. The 2018 MFP provided estimated DCPS school-level enrollment projections, estimations of sector enrollment (DCPS and public charter schools), and a gap analysis of facility needs at various scales such as District-wide and ward-level. 1208.9

Over the last 10 years, the District has made great strides toward inclusively rebuilding its educational infrastructure and attracting families back to Washington, DC and to public education, reversing the decline in enrollment the District experienced previously. With the forecasted growth in population, the District should approach the disposition of surplus DCPS school facilities for non-educational use with great caution. Given the high cost and limited supply of land, the District should retain as many of its assets as possible, employing interim use strategies for the short or mid-term to achieve this goal if necessary. As spatial mismatches between growth and capacity occur, boundary adjustments, grade realignments, and facility expansion should be considered to avoid overcrowding. 1208.10

In previous decades, DCPS consolidated school facilities and eliminated more than three million square feet of space, sometimes releasing the buildings into the private market. Recent modifications to District regulations make it clear that Washington, DC will retain DCPS’s surplus buildings to provide opportunities for both DCPS and public charter schools. In addition, if the requirement that charter schools receive the

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Schools as Community Anchors

In addition to supporting the academic needs of local students, schools can reflect the social, educational, recreational, and personal needs of the broader community. Historically, the District’s schools have been anchors for the community at large, serving as neighborhood gathering places. 1208.12a

right of first offer is satisfied, and no charter school proposal is selected for adaptive re-use, non-charter school entities may be able to submit proposals for adaptive re-use. The re-use process for non-charter schools is often handled by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED). One enduring factor in the disposition of school land is that some of the school grounds were formerly owned and maintained by the federal government. When jurisdiction was transferred from the federal government to the District in 1973, the transfers were typically made for recreational purposes only. Such use constraints should be considered as school properties are repurposed and were considered in the proposed 2018 MFP, which provided additional direction on the use of excess space. 1208.11

Policy EDU-1.6.1: Retention of DCPS Public Schools Facilities

Retain DCPS public school buildings and lands in public ownership to the maximum extent feasible, which includes expiry of leases of former DCPS schools currently leased by public charter schools through the RFO process. This will put the District in a better position to respond to future demographic shifts, address long-term needs for public education, and maintain the need for swing space, which temporarily accommodates students during construction or renovation projects. 1208.12

Policy EDU-1.6.2: Long-Term Leases

Strongly encourage long-term leases instead of sales so that underused school sites and buildings can be retained in public ownership. This approach is necessary due to the limited availability of District-owned land for public facility uses, and the need to retain such land to deliver quality public services and anticipate long-term changes in enrollment. 1208.13

Policy EDU-1.6.3: Preserving Sites Near Transit

Preserve school sites located near Metrorail and other locations well served by transit for educational use. 1208.14

Policy EDU-1.6.4: Public Charter School Reuse of DCPS School Surplus Space

Support public charter schools in gaining access to surplus or underenrolled DCPS school buildings. 1208.15

Policy EDU-1.6.5: Reuse of DCPS School Surplus Space

Continue to apply the following preferences in accordance with the Landrieu Act (118 Stat. 1349, Pub. L. 108-335) to determine the future use of DCPS schools that are deemed surplus :

• First preference to an existing public charter school tenant;

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• Second preference to (1) a high-performing and financially sound public charter school, or (2) an existing tenant that has occupied the excess school facility since December 30, 2008, and is a District nonprofit elementary or secondary school or District community-based nonprofit arts education organization whose programming includes youth classes; and
• Third preference to any other eligible entity.¹

Policy EDU-1.6.6: Adaptive Reuse

When a DCPS facility is no longer viable to house an institution with an educational mission, the District should promote adaptive reuse. The facility can be used to respond to local needs through adaptive reuse and/or dynamic reprogramming. Such new uses can include cultural incubators, job training programs, and affordable housing. A conversion to new non-school uses should be sensitive to neighborhood context and mitigation of impacts on parking, traffic, noise, open space and green space, and other quality of life factors. Provide for public review of potential new uses, and ensure that any issues related to prior jurisdiction over the site by the federal government are addressed.²

See also the Land Use Element for additional policies on the reuse of public school land.

EDU-2.1 Schools as Community Anchors³

Schools are a powerful expression of a community’s values and aspirations. In addition to supporting the academic needs of local students, they can reflect the social, educational, recreational, and personal needs of the broader community. Historically, the District’s schools have been anchors for the community at large, serving as neighborhood gathering places.⁴

The District has a history of collaborative arrangements with its school facilities. For years, Washington, DC’s schools have hosted recreational programs, public services, and even family services, such as health care. DCPS foresees many opportunities to establish mutually beneficial partnerships with District agencies and the nonprofit sector in the future to help sustain schools as community anchors. This principle was strongly supported by the 2013 DCPS MFP and is regarded as key to improving the emotional and physical health of neighborhoods. Schools can be leveraged as anchors and cultural assets for District neighborhoods—community hubs that can serve local needs beyond their core educational mission and use.⁵

DCPS accommodates wrap-around services at schools in low-income neighborhoods with the objective of enhancing their educational and community impact. Wrap-around services include family counseling and parenting programs, career education, behavioral health therapy, and

DCPS accommodates wrap-around services at schools in low-income neighborhoods with the objective of enhancing their educational and community impact. Wrap-around services include family counseling and parenting programs, career education, behavioral health therapy, and after-school enrichment programs.

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after-school enrichment programs. Implementation of these services at key campuses holds great promise for the District’s children and families. 1209.3¹

Policy EDU-2.1.1: Collaborative Arrangements with Community Service Providers

Continue to create partnerships among DCPS, public charter schools, District government, nonprofits, and other institutions to promote schools as the central focus of community activities. 1209.4²

Policy EDU-2.1.2: Wrap-Around Services

Where space is available, continue to accommodate wrap-around health and human services programs within schools to address the non-academic needs of students and families. Include affordable child-care services wherever feasible. 1209.5³

Policy EDU-2.1.3: Community Use

Keep school space accessible and available for neighborhood meetings, community gatherings, and other events that promote resident engagement and public service, while maintaining the school’s primary mission of educating the District’s children. 1209.6⁴

Policy EDU-2.1.4: Out-of-School Time Opportunities

Encourage and promote programs across District agencies, including DCPS and the Department of Parks and Recreation, that can provide out-of-school opportunities for District children. 1209.7⁵

Policy EDU-2.1.5: Shared-Use of Public Parks and Recreation Space for Public Schools

Continue to provide access to public recreational and athletic space for DCPS and public charter schools that lack such spaces. 1209.8⁶

Policy EDU-2.1.6: District Schools and Resilience

As part of the educational facilities planning process, explore the potential role that schools can serve for sheltering, gathering, and service provision during disasters and emergencies. 1209.9⁷

Action EDU-2.1.A: Shared Maintenance Facilities

Identify opportunities to share DCPS and District government operations, transportation, and maintenance facilities to reduce land and facility costs for both entities. 1209.10⁸

See also the Economic Development Element and the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Element for policies on joint-use agreements for public access to school recreation areas.

EDU-2.2 Schools in Community Planning ¹

School facility planning should be integrated with broader community planning efforts such as Small Area Plans and revitalization plans. The inclusion of schools in these plans can help promote parental involvement, improve school safety, and create connections between the school and the larger community around it. Coordinated planning also provides a means for residents to address land use, design, transportation, and physical planning issues associated with schools, and to voice opinions on the types of supplemental educational (such as libraries and arts and cultural spaces) and non-educational services that might be provided on school campuses. ²

Policy EDU-2.2.1: Intergovernmental Coordination

Coordinate DCPS facility planning efforts with District agencies to so that school modernization produces better education facilities for District children while also improving the neighborhood. ³

Policy EDU-2.2.2: Educational Facilities in Local Plans

Involve DCPS and DC PCSB in District government land use and transportation planning activities. Local principals, faculty, students, parents, and other local stakeholder groups should be invited and encouraged to participate in decisions that impact school facilities and their surroundings. ⁴

Policy EDU-2.2.3: Community Participation

Promote an open, public process when making school facility decisions, including decisions on school renovations, additions, and replacements; new schools; school closings and consolidation; the disposition of surplus schools and/or property; site selection; and school design. A School Improvement Team (SIT) for major capital projects includes parents, neighbors and members of the larger community and should be an important component of the public process. This team provides feedback throughout design and construction and helps disseminate information about the school improvement to peers and constituencies. Encourage student participation. ⁵

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EDU-3 Colleges and Universities ¹

Washington, DC has an extraordinary concentration of academic resources, including some of the country’s finest colleges and universities. Beyond their core role as educators and knowledge hubs, universities are jobs and cultural centers that can significantly contribute toward advancing equity goals through multi-sector partnerships and other efforts that can be focused locally. While it is essential to acknowledge these dynamic attributes, universities should also be good neighbors and develop compatibly with surrounding communities by updating and adhering to campus plans. ²

University campuses located within the District include American University, the Catholic University of America, Gallaudet University, Georgetown University, The George Washington University, Howard University, Trinity University, the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), and the National Defense University. For the fall semester of 2017[^2017], the federal Department of Education Database (IPEDS) indicated that these institutions enrolled approximately 84,040[^84,040] students. Map 12.4 shows their locations. These universities have a deep historic imprint on the District, serve as some of the largest employers in Washington, DC, and contribute significantly to local diversity. As examples, Howard University and UDC are Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Gallaudet University is chartered for the education of deaf and hard of hearing students. ³

In addition to the schools listed above, many non-local universities maintain Washington, DC campuses, largely due to the concentration of government-serving professional employment, such as foreign relations and diplomacy, public policy, technology, and law. Thousands of students from across the country attend Washington semester programs at these and local institutions, for study and internships. Washington, DC offers additional access to learning opportunities through a wide range of cultural and research institutions. ⁴

UDC is Washington, DC’s only post-secondary public educational institution, enrolling more DC public high school graduates than any other local university. The historically Black university is also the only urban land-grant institution in the nation. In 2009[^2009], the university established the Community College of the District of Columbia (CCDC) as a component institution. With multiple points of access to educational opportunity, UDC now offers certificate, associate, baccalaureate, and graduate level degrees that are tailored to meet the unique needs of the District. Available programs range from associate degrees in Nursing and Mortuary Science, master’s degrees in Cancer Biology Prevention and Clinical Psychology, to law degrees, as well as workforce training and professional certifications, among other offerings. Over 50[^p28-50] different programs of study are offered and are aligned with immediate and long-term District needs, including workforce training. ⁵

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Map 12.4:

Locations of Colleges and Universities ¹

⬚ figure

OPID0029336 (Source: OP, 2018)

UDC and CCDC serve a diverse population that includes students from over 80 different nations. CCDC has an open admissions policy that is particularly beneficial for non-traditional students. Together, these institutions provide an important opportunity for young adults and adult learners to gain a quality education at an affordable price.¹

EDU-3.1 UDC²

Continued political and financial support for UDC is essential if it is to fulfill its mission as a viable educational option and path to career advancement for District residents. Creation of UDC campus locations across the District has been a priority of UDC to better serve residents’ needs. As shown on Map 12.4, UDC continues to expand offerings, with campuses at 801 North Capitol Street, NE; Bertie Backus at 5171 South Dakota Avenue, NE; PR Harris at 4600 Livingston Road, SE; Shadd at 5601 E. Capitol Street, SE; and United Medical Center, at 1310 Southern Avenue, SE.³

Policy EDU-3.1.1: Sustaining and Advancing UDC

Sustain, promote, and advance UDC as Washington, DC’s only public institution of higher learning and continuing education for District residents.⁴

Policy EDU-3.1.2: Strengthen Training and Career Programs

Strengthen CCDC as an important pathway to economic opportunity. Continue to educate students through more seamless paths to baccalaureate programs at UDC, and to build practical career skills that prepare students for current and future employment.⁵

Policy EDU-3.1.3: Economic Clusters and Universities

Encourage economic cluster development in areas surrounding university campuses, with a focus on entrepreneurship, mentorship, and business development.⁶

Action EDU-3.1.A: UDC Campus Locations

Maintain a distribution of campus locations that serves residents of all eight wards, helping advance goals of UDC’s Equity Imperative – 2022 Strategic Plan.⁷

Action EDU-3.1.B: Housing Archival Documents at UDC

Explore synergistic opportunities for UDC to house archival documents of Washington, DC.⁸

EDU-3.2 Educational Partnerships ¹

The array of learning institutions is vitally important to Washington, DC and its residents, particularly its youth. Institutions of higher learning are involved in a myriad of community and educational partnerships to improve access to education, economic opportunities for residents, and investment in the community at-large. Partnerships between institutions of higher learning and DCPS and its students, have and should, continue to provide educational opportunities and advantages for the District’s children. ²

Policy EDU-3.2.1: University Partnerships

Encourage partnerships among the District’s colleges and universities, anchor institutions, and K-12 schools to create additional pathways to learning for students, young adults, and lifelong learners. Support schools of continuing studies to remain open. ³

Policy EDU-3.2.2: Corporate Citizenship

Support continued corporate citizenship among Washington, DC’s large institutions, including its colleges, universities, hospitals, private schools, and nonprofits. This should include a continued commitment to high-quality architecture and design on local campuses, expanded use of green building methods and low impact development, and the adaptive reuse and preservation of historic buildings. ⁴

Policy EDU-3.2.3: Workforce Development

Strengthen connections among educational programs, skills training, and workforce development initiatives to support development of career pathways and prosperity for all. ⁵

Policy EDU-3.2.4: Universities as Community Partners

Encourage universities to expand service-oriented partnerships that connect students with local communities and that can strengthen town-gown relationships. ⁶

Policy EDU-3.2.5: University Research Partnerships

Encourage universities to conduct research in a manner that partners students and faculty with members of the local community to help inform thinking on community-driven topics. ⁷

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Policy EDU-3.2.6: University Offerings for Older Adults

Encourage universities to expand low-cost access to courses and other university offerings to older adults who reside in Washington, DC beyond zip codes that directly surround the university. ¹

See also the Economic Development Element for additional policies on education and workforce development.

EDU-3.3 Colleges, Universities, and Neighborhoods ²

The growth of colleges and universities, while supported by the District, has generated concerns in some Washington, DC neighborhoods. Most of the universities have limited land area for expansion and are located immediately adjacent to residential neighborhoods. While neighborhood concerns relate to impacts such as traffic and parking, and to broader issues about the changing character of communities where universities are located or expanding, universities contribute unique offerings to their host neighborhoods, such as access to educational, cultural, and recreational opportunities. These opportunities include access to campus green spaces, culturally enriching offerings (including concerts and lectures), and a variety of programs for continuing education and very low-cost programming for seniors. ³

Zoning regulations require the preparation of campus plans that show the location, height, and bulk of present and future improvements for all colleges located in residential zone districts. In addition to serving as physical site plans, the campus plans set floor area ratio (FAR) limits for the campus as a whole and, in some cases, establish enrollment and employment caps. Campus plans are subject to approval by the Zoning Commission. ⁴

The campus plan requirement provides a formal process for community input on a range of growth-related issues. They are an important tool to proactively address issues that may be of concern to the neighborhood and limit campus expansion into residential areas. However, most of Washington, DC’s colleges and universities are engaged in ongoing discussions with the communities around them. Frequently raised issues include the need for student housing, the loss of historic buildings, the compatibility of proposed campus structures with nearby residential areas, and the loss of taxable land associated with university growth. Campus plans have responded to these concerns in a number of ways, such as increasing building intensity on-site to avoid the need for land acquisition, development of new dormitories, and implementation of numerous programs to manage parking, traffic, noise, and other environmental impacts. ⁵

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The post-secondary student population is significant, and local colleges and universities are powerful drivers of employment and innovation, as well as significant contributors to making Washington, DC one of the nation’s leading technology hubs. As a tech hub, the District is uniquely positioned to generate innovations that can help spawn new companies, create new jobs, and increase its economic competitiveness within and beyond the greater capital region. The District should continue to explore ways to help universities and their students meet their needs while encouraging compatibility of campus development with surrounding communities. Graduate students in particular play a vital role in university research and in helping universities to secure federal grants. 1214.4¹

Looking forward, the development of satellite campuses is strongly encouraged to relieve growth pressure around existing campuses. In addition to accommodating university growth, satellite campuses can provide new job and educational opportunities for District residents and help revitalize local shopping areas. Continued efforts to improve the campus planning process and promote an open dialogue between colleges and the neighborhoods around them should be strongly supported. 1214.5²

Policy EDU-3.3.1: Satellite Campuses

Promote the development of satellite campuses to accommodate university growth, relieve growth pressure on neighborhoods adjacent to existing campuses, spur economic development and revitalization in underinvested neighborhoods, and create additional lifelong learning opportunities for District residents. 1214.6³

Policy EDU-3.3.2: Balancing University Growth and Neighborhood Needs

Encourage the growth and development of local colleges and universities in a manner that recognizes the role these institutions play in contributing to the District’s character, culture, and economy, and that is also consistent with and supports community improvement and neighborhood conservation objectives. Discourage university actions that would adversely affect the character or quality of life in surrounding residential areas. 1214.7⁴

Policy EDU-3.3.3: Universities as Large Landowners and Campus Plan Requirements

Continue to require campus plans for colleges and universities located in residential and mixed-use zone districts. These plans should be prepared by the institutions themselves, subject to District review and approval, and should address issues raised by the surrounding communities. Each campus plan should include provisions that respect neighbors and neighboring property and ensure that potentially objectionable impacts such as noise, traffic, number of students, or other similar conditions are addressed. 1214.8⁵

Satellite Campuses

The development of satellite campuses is strongly encouraged to relieve growth pressure around existing campuses. In addition to accommodating university growth, satellite campuses can provide access to new job and educational opportunities for District residents and help revitalize local shopping areas. 1214.5a⁶

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Policy EDU-3.3.4: Student Housing

Encourage the provision of on-campus student housing in order to reduce college and university impacts on the housing stock, especially the affordable housing stock, in adjacent neighborhoods. Consider measures to address the demand for student housing generated by non-District institutions with local branches. 1214.9

Policy EDU-3.3.5: Transportation Impacts of Colleges and Universities

Support ongoing efforts by colleges and universities to mitigate their traffic and parking impacts by promoting ridesharing, carpooling, shuttle service, bicycling, scooters, skateboarding, and other transportation demand management measures. The provision of adequate on-site parking for institutional uses also should be encouraged. 1214.10

Policy EDU-3.3.6: Faculty Housing

Support faculty and staff housing within campus plans. Encourage the housing to be created through partnerships and dedicated university programs. Provide program opportunities to persons from a wide range of incomes. 1214.11

Policy EDU-3.3.7: Inter-University Partnerships

Support partnerships and development of facilities that can enable sector-based innovations, such as inclusive incubators, which are technology incubators that offer enhanced opportunities for historically underserved residents. 1214.12

Policy EDU-3.3.8: Innovative Approaches for Augmented Educational Opportunities

Support the growth of the District’s learning landscape, including, but not limited to, that of universities, museums, and public facilities that offer innovative approaches for providing learning opportunities to augment in-classroom education. 1214.13

Policy EDU-3.3.9: Educational Facilities and Large Site Development

Explore the role educational institutions can play in activating targeted large sites in a manner that can catalyze growth, fulfill place-based physical and economic development goals, and expand educational access to District residents. 1214.14

Policy EDU-3.3.10: University-Community Task Force

Encourage universities and communities to establish a Task Force comprised of college and university representatives, neighborhood representatives, local businesses, and other non-university community stakeholders to address a range of physical planning issues relating to the college or university’s growth and operation. Among other topics, the Task Force should address community concerns regarding the enforcement of campus plans and monitoring procedures, university concerns regarding enrollment and employment caps, modifications or further processing related to the approved campus plan, and potentially, proposals for amendments to the zoning regulations as they relate to campus plans and higher education facilities. 1214.15

Policy EDU-3.3.11: Access to Recreational, Educational, and Cultural Opportunities

Support continued access by local neighborhoods to university offerings, such as concerts and lectures, campus green space, continuing education, and low-cost programming for older adults. Encourage residents to learn about and appreciate campus culture. 1214.16

EDU-4 Child Development Facilities ¹

OSSE, under the DME provides support for and collaborates with other public and private child- and family-serving advocacy organizations to provide services and care for District children up to five years of age. OSSE also provides access to before- and after-school services for eligible children up to age 13² or 19 years of age if the child has a disability. It also manages a subsidized child-care program for eligible children and families. Waiting lists for child care reflect a growing demand for services that support parent employment and job productivity, and provide healthy, safe, and positive learning environments for children. Child-care needs are also significant for parents who are employed in the District but live elsewhere. 1215.1

EDU-4.1 Child Development Facilities ³

According to 2017 population estimates, 45,065 children under the age of five reside in Washington, DC. OSSE reports that, in 2017, the District had 378 licensed child development facilities (258 centers and 120 homes), all of them run by private operators that were for-profit, nonprofit, or faith-based. The licensed capacity in these child development facilities for children birth to age five is 19,067; the licensed capacity for infants and toddlers (36 months and younger) is only 7,962, with approximately 28,203 infants and toddlers living in Washington, DC. However, this capacity only meets about 28 percent of residents’ needs, and does not include the needs of families outside of DC who work in the District and seek or use District child care programs. 1216.1

Child Care as Child Development

Recognizing that learning begins from the earliest age, OSSE now uses child development as an umbrella term that includes child care. Therefore, references to child development facilities in this section are used to refer to facilities that deliver child care and other uses relating to child development. 1216.a

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Washington, DC outranks all other states in access to PK programs, with an estimated 70 percent of three-year-olds and 84 percent of four-year-olds enrolled. Of the estimated 16,753 three- and four-year-old children in the District, 12,910 were enrolled in public PK programs in FY16. PK services are provided at 156 sites, and of these sites, 77 are DCPS, 59 are public charter schools, and 20 are child development facilities. The majority of students are served in DCPS or public charter schools. These facilities and programs collectively are likely to contribute to increased employment of women in Washington, DC. ¹

As a result of funding for the PK Enhancement and Expansion Act of 2008, as well as other quality of life improvements, more families are choosing to raise their families in the District, resulting in an increased demand for child development facilities that serve children six weeks to three years of age. ²

The District is also focused on expanding the use of District-owned facilities by private child development facility operators who are expanding the availability of infant and toddler care to District residents. Additionally, as of 2017, OSSE is partnering with a private philanthropic partner to increase the supply of high-quality seats in Wards 7 and 8 by 750 over the next five years. ³

Policy EDU-4.1.1: Incentives Expanding Access to Child Development Facilities

Provide incentives for new and rehabilitated residential and commercial developments to set aside on-site space for child development facilities. ⁴

Policy EDU-4.1.2: Expanding Allowable Spaces for Child Development Facilities

Allow new and expanded child development facilities and uses in all residential, commercial, and mixed-use areas and in community and District-owned facilities to provide access to affordable, quality child development facilities throughout the District. Locations should be accessible to public transit, when possible. ⁵

Policy EDU-4.1.3: Child Development Facilities

Recognize the importance of early childhood education and related programs to the well-being of children and youth and support the development of appropriate facilities for these programs. ⁶

Policy EDU-4.1.4: Co-location of Work and Child Development Centers

Encourage major institutional employers, including District government agencies, to provide on-site child development facilities for children of employees and encourage the opportunity to expand education, training, and research for human development professionals. 1216.8

Policy EDU-4.1.5: Continuing Education and Certification for Child Development Center Professionals

Support existing and new programs that help continuing education and certification of child development center professionals. 1216.9

Policy EDU-4.1.6: Partnerships

Explore collaborations with other District agencies educational and business partners that can help to increase the availability of quality early childhood education, child development, after-school, and pre-school programs for all residents, especially low-and middle-income households, and families of children with disabilities. 1216.10

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