If you want an idea of how bad the city’s educational infrastructure is, consider this — it’s going to take the equivalent of the Marshall Plan to bring it up to snuff. The D.C. Council’s Committee on Finance and Revenue recently passed legislation that would direct $200 million a year to much-needed school modernization, capping a months-long campaign in and out of the council to improve the state of the city’s schools.

But education activists are hardly sitting around waiting for the full council to endorse the funding proposal. The D.C. School Modernization Campaign, a coalition of parents, teachers, and activists, is planning to lobby members of the council this Friday, ahead of next Tuesday’s first vote. Towards that end, they are seeking 5,000 residents to sign a pledge stating that they will work towards ensuring that the school modernization plans move forward.

And in related news, D.C. for Democracy is focusing on the city’s schools at this month’s meetup, taking place on Wednesday, February 1 at Ben’s Chili Bowl.