Raising the Bar for DCPS School Facilities Best Practice in PK-12 Educational Facility and Capital Planning
A Facility Master and Capital Plan What can the Council do to ensure that OPEFM rapidly brings DCPS school facilities to 21st century building, educational and community standards within the DC budget constraints?
OPEFM Facility Master Plan First draft Elements to include in second draft plan specifics quality control community input
Plan Specifics What are existing conditions? What are projected enrollments and desired conditions? How will the District reach its desired outcomes?
Existing conditions Age and condition of buildings and major systems and components History of capital expenditures by school Facility condition index by school Educational adequacy and efficiency of school design and utilization Energy efficiency of school envelope and systems
Demographic Projections How will DC population continue to increase? Will DCPS reduce its drop out rate? Will DCPS retain and attract new 0-5 year olds? Will public charter enrollment continue to expand its share of public school students? Will affordable housing for families grow or decline?
Desired conditions 21st Century Building Standards 21st Century Educational Standards 21st Century Community Standards
21st Century Building Standards New code requirements Life safety Americans Disability Act (ADA) Fresh air standards (ASHRAE) Compliant with AHERA and LBP standards Sustainable design Energy efficient building systems and design Green schoolyards that contribute to the health of the environment
21st Century Educational Standards Specialized classrooms, support spaces and amenities for Early childhood Children with special learning and physical health needs Thematic programs and academies, including Career and Technical Education (CTE) Curriculum content—music, art, physical education, and science Integrated technology Healthy, safe, educationally enriching outdoor play, learning and athletic areas Administrative facilities Adequate administrative space and amenities for efficient and effective local school administration Adequate administrative and logistic space and amenities for efficient and effective District-wide administration—for DCPS and for OPEFM
21st Century Community Standards Public school facilities as community assets Providing space for school based social service providers Sharing school building and grounds with residents for recreation, meetings, and the arts Dedicating underutilized space within DCPS schools for other public purposes, particularly public charter schools Co-locating DCPS school with other community agencies Equity in the allocation of facility improvements Those in the greatest need will be first and secure the greatest investment All students will attend DCPS schools that meet a basic minimum standard for health, safety and good repair
OPEFM Draft Plan
A Plan to Implement The planned enrollments and square footages to be improved by school History of capital expenditures by school Cash flow by year, indicating planned schedule and escalated cost estimates Basic, but not generic description of the actual work to be done, not just the type
Project Specifics Peer review the plan by architects, estimators, project managers and contractors—is it realistic, is it adequate? DCPS and the public need to assess whether this plan adequately supports the guiding principles
Quality Control Data and information on which decisions were made need to be correct and complete Assumptions used to formulate project scopes need to be explicit Project scopes need to be specific Project specific estimates need to be clear Schedule proposed needs to be realistic
Community Input Local knowledge and experience with public schools as students, parents, teachers, administrators and neighbors will improve the plan and help DC avoid costly planning and design mistakes. Public participation brings support for the funding which needs to be sustained over many years. Transparency and community input ensures accountability for quality, schedule and budget