A plan to modernize the District's school buildings is drawing fire from both the community and from city lawmakers. Mayor Adrian Fenty's $2 billion school revitalization plan is being criticized for being short on details.

The first of two hearings were held on the District's master school facility plan and while everyone agreed new schools are needed, a lot of questions were raised about the details of the plan. City officials say the current schools facilities plan is outdated. "Its objectives and goals were not being met. It was a 15 to 20 year plan," said Allen Lew, D.C. Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization.

In early September, Mayor Fenty proposed a new building plan, but an earlier review suggested it's not good enough. "My word for the plan, at least at this point, is incomplete," said Mary Cheh, Ward 3 D.C. Council.

Council members called it a nice draft, but many questions remain because neither school chancellor Michelle Rhee nor a representative from the mayor's office decided to appear at the hearing. "The absence of no one here to explain the question I have and the chairman has is disappointing," said Kwame Brown, D.C. Council.

The multi-billion dollar plan spends most of its money on renovating existing schools instead of building new ones. The idea is to modernize class rooms since students spend about 85% of their time there. But critics say details don't extend much further than that and there has been very little community input, despite a mayoral promise to involve citizens. "It is stunning actually, when its our money, our schools, its our communities, our neighborhoods that some how the community is thought to have so little value," said Mary Filardo, 21st Century School Fund.

District education officials did hold one community meeting previously to discuss the plan, but they only gave the community a few days notice and it was very poorly attended.