An Appletree Grows on Capitol Hill?

I forgot to mention last week that D.C.'s Appletree Early Learning Public Charter School, (disclosure alert!) on whose board I serve, got some good news from the D.C. Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). Last year the Zoning Administrator denied Appletree a permit to build a school on a lot it owns near Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill. As Joe Williams has noted, gaming zoning rules has become a popular tool in the "ground war" against charter school growth. Last week the BZA granted Appletree's appeal of that denial. Appletree's still not in the clear--as yesterday's Examiner noted, neighborhood residents who oppose the school plan to continue fighting it--but this is good news for the school and for families struggling with the shortage of high-quality preschool and childcare options on the Hill. The Examiner also subtly notes the real source of neighborhood opposition to the plan: white, affluent Lincoln Park residents don't want the school bringing disadvantaged and minority students into their neighborhood.

btw: It's recently come to my attention that the Examiner runs a surprising number of articles focusing at a fairly granular level on various goings-on in public education in the District. The Examiner and the Post also tend to cover different stories in education, with the Examiner sometimes bringing more of a muckraking angle to education coverage in DC.