Suzanne Wells Council Testimony on 12-5-2024 on Eagle Academy Closing

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Thank you Chairman Mendelson for agreeing to hold today’s hearing on Eagle Academy PublicCharter School, and for allowing interested members of the public the opportunity to testify.Since Eagle Academy closed in August 2024, one important issue has been resolved. TheCouncil initiated a request to reprogram $13.6 million from DCPS capital funds to DGS to pay offthe loan Eagle Academy had on the McGogney school which DC leased to Eagle Academy. Thisallow McGogney to stay in the DCPS inventory with the presumption that it will be used as swing space for upcoming DCPS renovations in Wards 7 and 8.

There should be a full public accounting of the closeout of the finances of Eagle Academy. Atthe August 2024 Public Charter School Board (PCSB) hearing, there were many unansweredquestions about Eagle Academy’s finances. I found it odd in August, and I find it odd today, thatthe key people involved in the financial management of Eagle Academy, i.e., the formerCEO/CFO and the former accounting firm have not been questioned. So little publicinformation is available about Eagle Academy’s finances that it is impossible to know the fullextent of any financial mismanagement. I encourage the Council to request the PCSB provide afull, public accounting of the closeout of Eagle Academy’s finances including 1) loans the school received from the CEO/CFO and whether these loans were legal, 2) all outstanding debts theEagle Academy has, and 3) what happened to the July 2024 UPSFF that was given to Eagle Academy.

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Cathy Reilly 12-5-24 Hearing on Eagle Academy

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I am Cathy Reilly of SHAPPE, Ward 4 Ed Alliance and C4DC.  This is an abbreviation of my full testimony

As authorizer the PCSB is interested in providing increased exciting school options and protecting autonomy and independence.  As the trade organization and advocate it collects dues from the charter schools. As a regulator it has to look at financial compliance. These three roles are not compatible. This is evident, looking at the timeline and story of Eagle’s founding, decline and then costly closure. 

To demonstrate: The PCSB passed Eagle in the 20-year review in Jan of 2023, approved another 5 years of operation and then in June 2023 they placed Eagle on a financial monitoring list.  It then went through extensions and approvals and a little more than a year later a closure. Valerie Jablow in Educationdc has this fully documented.

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Valerie Jablow testimony at 12-5-24 Council hearing on Eagle Academy Closing

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My name is Valerie Jablow. I am testifying about charter oversight that has failed DC citizens—very notably with Eagle Academy. My testimony is based on my work following DC publicly funded schools as publisher of educationdc.net.[i]

Many DC government actors knew Eagle’s fiscal and other problems since at least 2017. As my written testimony details, residents documented and presented those problems to Eagle; the charter board; DC agency personnel; ANCs; the council; and the prior attorney general.[ii]

Yet it wasn’t until 2024 that Eagle was subjected to much greater scrutiny by the charter board. In fact, as I pointed out to Chairman Mendelson and COW staff, the charter board repeatedly misrepresented its actions and oversight in its September 9 response to Chairman Mendelson’s August questions around Eagle.[iii]

The bottom line is that oversight of DC charters is poor; obfuscating; and actively excludes the public. The charter board’s fiscal oversight processes omit important data and are not publicly centered, essentially requiring DC citizens to act as forensic accountants to track problems while no one is conducting real oversight of our charter sector.[iv] And while having another LEA take over Eagle seems better than closure, that doesn’t address that what happened with Eagle is largely because many DC actors obfuscated and ignored serious problems--and continue to do so.

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BASIS Expansion Proposal Suzanne Wells

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Thank you for the opportunity to testify this evening.  My name is Suzanne Wells, and I am a resident of Ward 6.

In making a decision on the BASIS expansion proposal, the PCSB has a responsibility not only to consider the merits of the school’s application, but also to consider the impact of the BASIS expansion proposal on surrounding elementary schools and the overall sustainability of the DC school system. The PCSB assessed the number of already approved charter school seats with the projected student population growth through 2030.  Based on updated population growth data, the PCSB has already approved charter school growth for more students than DC anticipates having over the next 10 years[1]. Approving another elementary school will only make this situation worse.  In short,  a new elementary school is not needed in DC. 

 

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Testimony submitted to Council on WTU Contract for 2023-2-1 Hearing

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We support the Council approving the negotiated WTU contract to better support their members- the DCPS teacher corps. ……..

For now, we stand by our memo of January 12th.  We do not believe that the retroactive funds in the WTU contract allocated specifically for DCPS teachers (as described in the contract) should be disbursed to the charter LEAs. UPSFF funds going forward for both sectors will be part of the FY24 budget discussions and will thus apply to all LEAs. 

Pay and benefits in the Collective Bargaining Agreement that cover 2019 through this year are for specific individuals and were negotiated by one of 69 LEAs - the publicly managed DCPS. Whatever you decide, it has to be specific to LEA, aligned with demonstrated facts on salary, raises, and existing resources as it is for DCPS, and by teacher not enrollment.  

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Mary Levy and Eboni Rose Thompson respond to Post Op Ed

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It has been said, “statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.” This perfectly describes the OpED Poor children are still left behind in DCPS schools” (December 8, 2019).  The authors suggest charters are winning the battle of closing the achievement gap for our children. What it conceals is significant omissions, exaggerations, and factual errors.

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Letter to the Editor by C4DC Member Venola M Rolle

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Ward 7 Education Council Member Venola Rolle commenting on the opening and closing of charter schools: “I am not a fan of charter schools by any stretch of the imagination, but I do believe that, if we have to endure them in the District, they ought to be of the order of this one Monument Academy— created to serve students the traditional public schools are unable to serve effectively. “

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