By Bill Turque
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 3, 2008; B04

City officials said yesterday that they will halt renovations of 14 schools slated to receive students from schools that have been closed because the D.C. Council has not approved funds to continue the work.

Most of the schools on the list are being converted to pre-K-8 and are designated to receive students from buildings that have been shuttered.

Preliminary work has been done in anticipation of the contracts being approved. But in a letter to Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D), school construction chief Allen Y. Lew said the council's failure to approve the funds meant he will have to issue immediate "stop work" orders on the jobs.

The 14 schools are West, Lasalle, Raymond, Powell, Truesdell, Brightwood, Noyes, Whittier, Cleveland, Shaed, Burroughs and Langdon elementaries and Francis and Browne middle schools.

Gray has held up approval of the contracts until Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and Deputy Mayor for Education Victor Reinoso provide more information on the need for the conversions. A spokesman for Gray said he will hold a hearing on the matter as early as next week.

Lew and Rhee warned in earlier letters to Gray that the council's inaction threatened the city's ability to open the schools as planned next month. But both officials appear to have retreated from that position. In yesterday's letter, Lew said only that the situation will have "far-reaching impacts" on the city's relationship with construction contractors and architects.

Rhee, who said in a Friday letter to Gray that "a successful and timely school opening will be put at substantial risk," took a less urgent tone in a brief interview yesterday evening.

"I'm confident we're going to be able to work through this," she said.