Bill Myers and Scott McCabe, The Examiner
2006-09-15 09:00:00.0
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WASHINGTON -

D.C. Schools Superintendent Clifford B. Janey Thursday revealed his plans for a massive overhaul of the city’s failing schools and sent a message to presumptive mayor Adrian Fenty: hands off.

“All the stars are aligned,” Janey said in a news conference to announce a plan that would close or consolidate some 28 schools and cut out 3 million square feet of under- or unused buildings.

Fenty won the Democratic Party primary on Tuesday. Given the teeming Democratic majority in the District, the victory makes him a lock for the city’s next mayor.

He’s announced that his top priority will be the city’s schools. And he’s also announced that he’d like more control over the ailing system.

But in announcing his 15-year plan to remake the city’s school system, Janey said that there was too much momentum behind him for Fenty to stop the plan from being implemented.

Janey’s plan would affect a drastic change, at least in how the school system looks. Among other things, he wants to build “cluster schools” in neighborhoods, where instead of being in a single building, a high school would be in a several-building campus spread out across a green.

Fenty said that he hadn’t seen Janey’s plan yet, but he would meet with the superintendent on Tuesday.

Janey would also move the school’s administrative offices from their complex at 825 North Capitol St. to Hine Junior High School, 335 Eighth St. SE.

The schools are paying $6 million per year to rent the space on North Capitol Street, schools Chief Business Operations Officer Tom Brady said.

Janey’s plan won provisional support from Kathy Patterson, the outgoing chair of the District Council’s Education Committee.

“I think so far, so far good,” Patterson said.

bmyers@dcexaminer.com