Anthony Bowen Elementary School is a successful neighborhood school.

“The principal cares passionately about the children and has created a community, a family-type environment for them,” says neighbor and school volunteer Thelma Jones.

“Teachers are committed, caring, and concerned about making a difference in children's lives,” says Jones, and some teachers have remained on staff long enough to teach parent and child. “There's roots here, connection.”

In a neighborhood where there isn't a lot you can count on -- where heaven and earth were moved, homes and businesses destroyed, to make room for a ballpark, where grown-ups know their families can be evicted with thirty days notice, where children see their low-rise public housing of care-worn brick dwarfed more and more by shiny towers of glass and steel, Bowen has been a source of stability in the lives of children and their families, many community members say.

“They are doing everything they're supposed to do,” says Christine Spencer, a graduate of the school, parent of a graduate, and lifelong resident of the school's Southwest neighborhood.

Although the school has not made “adequate yearly progress” (AYP) over the last four years, test scores have improved steadily. Almeta Hawkins, the school's principal, has mobilized neighborhood resources -- bringing in tutors from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Coast Guard and other nearby institutions; establishing a mentoring program; working with community members to address a variety of issues that impede learning; fostering family relationships with the school.

In addition to the school itself – which currently serves 232 students, 216 of them receiving free or reduced-cost lunch – the Bowen building, at 1st and M streets, SW, houses the Metropolitan Police Boys and Girls Club #4.

PTA President Irene Washington had been hoping to bring parents into the school for adult and family education, when the news came that Bowen was slated to consolidate with nearby Amidon..

Consolidation Concerns
Although nearly everyone agrees that both Bowen and Amidon -- which serves 284 students (214 of whom receive free or reduced-price lunch) at 4th and I streets, SW -- are great schools with great principals and good community relationships, the Bowen community has specific concerns about consolidation:

Safety. According to the Washington Post's “Fixing DC's Schools” database (SY 05/06 - 06/07), Bowen reported 22 crimes (five violent), while Amidon reported 62 crimes (28 violent). Jefferson Middle School – forming a “high-tech campus” with the consolidated elementary school -- reported 120 crimes (56 violent).

Other safety concerns include the long walk to Amidon from some areas, such as Syphax Gardens. As a result of Bowen's closure, more than 200 children will be farther than the half-mile “walkability” from the nearest school, according to DCPS statistics.

In addition, many children must pass ill-tended vacant buildings as well as the long-term construction site at the former Waterside mall. Many will need to cross M Street without a crossing guard.

Learning and Space. Ron McBee (ANC 6D03) testified to the ANC's concern for the Boys and Girls Club at the DCPS hearing on Jan. 17. “Every bit of space is needed at this time for the tutoring program,” Blossom Athey testified “I am concerned for that space and how the tutoring program will work here at Amidon.”

“There is no way the Chancellor will allow something that works to be dropped,” said Mafara Hobson, Chancellor Michelle Rhee's spokesperson. Coordination will be required, to ensure that programs are not duplicated, however, she said. And it is unclear whether the promise to find space extends to non-DCPS programs.

Amidon Principal John Goudeaux believes the consolidation will be a “win-win” for both populations. He adds that his teachers “own the classroom,” only during the school day and are used to sharing in the afterschool hours. He notes, as well, that “the building will be completely full to its capacity,” the additional enrollment helping to fund “counselors, a health care worker, math and reading specialists.” Bowen parents worry, however, that the school will be too crowded and that staff and faculty will be serving twice as many students in the new school.

At present, Bowen's student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, while Amidon's is 16:1. DCPS guarantees only that class-size will not exceed union-established limits (20, in elementary school).

Another concern is the effect of the consolidation on the schools' status under NCLB. Bowen is currently in “Corrective Action,” while Amidon is in “Needs Improvement-Year 2.” Neither principal knows yet how the combined school's status will be reckoned or what extra resources, if any, will be available to help their struggling students after the consolidation.

Disruption and Loss.  “When I was a School Board member, I was concerned about geography,” says Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells. “But I learned that Syphax, Greenleaf, and James Creek families are already choosing Amidon. Distance is not an issue.” (191 students inbounds for Bowen attend Amidon; 110 students inbounds for Amidon attend Bowen.)

But the equation is not so simple, some argue.

“You get a job,” begins Gloria Hamilton of Syphax Gardens Residents Council, “Make your arrangements. It's not easy, but you've got it under control. Finally. You're working, and your child is thriving....”

“If you don't have a uniform, they'll get you one,” Washington contributes. “If you don't get discipline at home, you'll get it at school. They have clubs and games. Good teachers. Love. Children look happy there....”

“They get them to a peak academically, then the school closes – and they break 'em down,”  Hamilton concludes. The parent has to adjust to a new environment and make new relationships, along with the child.

“Closing Bowen would close a lot of people's hearts,” Washington adds.

“It's hard to get inside a child today,” points out Marcella Williams, also of the Syphax Gardens Residents Council. “And just when they're getting into.... they snatch it away.'

Lessons Learned
Moreover, Hamilton argues, the closure says to Bowen students, “if  they can snatch our school, they can snatch our homes.”

The general feeling from the neighborhood, says Hawkins, is one of anxiety.

Wells says he understands the neighborhood fears, but he supports the closing – in fact, he says, he's “surprised that more schools were not closed in Ward 6. We have fewer DCPS children in Ward 6 than in Ward 5, where more schools were closed,” he says. Wells calls Amidon the “better asset” for the community, citing the building's capacity and fields, among other amenities, and argues that “DCPS chose which school to close based on children's needs.

But some in the community wonder.

“We protested when Syphax Elementary was closing,” explains Angela West, another officer of the Syphax Gardens Residents Council. But Bowen's closing seemed like a done deal from the start.

Hearings were held, residents say, but word was already out that a police station was moving into Bowen. In fact, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that he'd found a “potential relocation site for MPD's First District Station at Bowen Elementary School, a school identified to close its doors at the end of the school year,” just two days after the initial consolidation “proposals” were released.

And some say Wells' December community meeting cemented the idea that Bowen was closing, regardless of community input.

“The parents have certainly spoken out,” Hawkins says. “But from what I'm hearing, it's a done deal.”

“You just feel sad,” she adds. “But we are adjusting – And now Mr. Goudeaux and I just want everyone to feel welcome and have a smooth transition.”

Many – like McBee -- who opposed the closing are now also working toward the transition.

But Washington thinks the community has yet to hear the last word on Bowen Elementary School.

“It just won't work,” she declares confidently. ” If you do things for ugly reasons – especially if you hurt a child – it won't work out like you think.”