On June 29, 2020, the DC Public Charter School Board (DCPCSB) voted to fully approve a 15-year charter for the Social Justice School, effective July 1, 2020. School officials have attended several ANC 5A meetings over the past year to inform residents about plans. The school will be located at 5450 3rd Street NE. The school has a three year lease agreement with Rocketship Public Charter School to co-locate at the site, with a one-year option to extend. Construction to renovate the old warehouses at this location to house school facilities is ongoing.

According to documents on file, Social Justice School will operate a middle school serving grades 5 through 8. For its first year of operation in school year 2020-2021, the school has a target enrollment of 65 students–maximum 75 students–in grades 5 and 6. Its goal is to grow the student population to a total of 300 students in grades 5 through 8 by school year 2023-2024. On June 16, 2020, the day after the school enrollment deadline, the school had 41 enrolled students. Because enrollment lags target, the DCPCSB required the school to develop a contingency budget. See the contingency budget here and the contingency budget narrative here. The DCPCSB determined that the school will be financially viable with an enrollment of 41 students and that the school will have sufficient resources to deliver its programs:

Based on the review of the contingency budget, DC PCSB staff concludes that, at an enrollment of 41 students:
● The school will be financially viable. The budget shows a positive net income of $59,558 and 112 days of cash on hand. To help offset decreased revenue, Social Justice PCS has secured a $500,000 credit enhancement from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) and a $250,000 loan from CityBridge for facilities-related costs if required. Also, NewSchools Venture Fund has promised an additional $160,000-grant pending its full charter approval (see Attachment B).
● The school will have sufficient resources to deliver its program. The budget maintains appropriate levels of staffing, including one English language arts teacher, one math teacher, one science/wellness teacher, and one liberatory design thinking teacher. Some key personnel positions have been reimagined. For example, the executive director will assume the responsibilities of the principal, while the previously identified principal will serve as the founding math teacher. Also, the director of student supports with [sic] oversee both case management and service delivery for the projected four English learners and nine students with disabilities.

It is still too early to know what school will look like for DC students in the fall. If in-person classes are scheduled, with Rocketship, AppleTree, and Social Justice School at the campus at 3rd Street and Kennedy Street NE, we will have quite a few new students in this corner of the neighborhood.