District Schools Superintendent Clifford Janey and Board of Education President Robert Bobb are scheduled to announce today the first, $75 million phase of $2.9 billion repair blitz on city public schools.

Under the program, contractors will make repairs to specific systems in all 142 District public school buildings this spring. The first $75 million will go toward immediate problems in 70 schools, the first three of which are elementaries: Green, Hendley and Martin Luther King, where today’s announcement is scheduled.

Systems to be repaired include bathrooms, water fountains and lighting — all issues that have been identified as having the greatest impact on the students’ and teachers’ quality of life, Bobb said.

“What we said was this was the one thing we hear about frequently,” Bobb said. “Bathrooms don’t work, water fountains are broken, lighting. Some of the schools need cleaning.”

This story continues below
Advertisement

The announcement comes less than a week after Mayor Adrian Fenty announced two anti-violence initiatives in and around several District public schools. Fenty has proposed legislation for the Mayor’s Office to take over the school system that would scrap the school board; Bobb has countered with his own bill to address immediate academic concerns.

A majority of D.C. Council members already have expressed support for Fenty’s plan.

Bobb has pledged to continue to improve the schools undaunted.

This is a way of getting things done, Bobb said, “now, instead of later.”

cmabeus@dcexaminer.com