October 3, 2014

Dear Council Chair Mendelson ( also sent individually to every Council Member from DCpubliceducation)

We request that the Council hold a hearing quickly to fully understand all of the circumstances that led to the LEA Eagle Academy’s decision to close two public schools in late August, on the cusp of the 2024-2025 school year.  As a result of this decision, the parents of 350 children were given just a few days to find new schools for their children, and dozens of educators were suddenly left without positions. As one Ward 8 school employee noted: “Instead of putting the money into the schools that are already there and really need it, money is poured into new school developments... And then we must pick up pieces when things don’t work out.”  School takeovers, as indicated by the PCSB in their deliberations are not necessarily an answer, and the deeper underlying issues need to be investigated.     

The Committee of the Whole has legislative and budget oversight over the education sector.  This includes DCPS as well as the Public Charter School Board and the charter sector. The charter sector is funded by our tax dollars and operates over 134 schools.  They are the beneficiaries of $1.35 billion a year in D.C general funds. They have amassed $1 billion in revenue bond debt, which is secured by an annual facility allowance from the D.C. general fund which was $183 million in FY25.   Collectively, they educate almost half of the children in the public system.  

DC parents and families have students in both sectors and expect you at the Council to ensure stability and quality equally in any school they choose to send their children to. Eagle Academy families, indeed all charter families, deserve the same level of investigation and oversight as DCPS families.  While the PCSB has prized autonomy and takes pride in their identity as public schools, this autonomy has to come with responsible oversight by our elected officials. In exchange for the authority to experiment with new education models, these schools must be subject to the same rigorous oversight and democratic governance as all other schools.  A letter from the Council chair asking for an explanation does not meet the bar of good government in the case of a failing this large to families of public school children.

If Council does not schedule a hearing on the Eagle Academy closure, and the failures it has highlighted, they replicate the very lack of public monitoring which created the problem in the first place. A hearing should explore exactly what factors led to the closure of this public LEA. The former CEO/CFO and former accounting firm should be invited to share their understanding of the underlying issues that led to the school’s closure.  This hearing would also invite the public to discuss what the DC education system must do moving forward to protect other students, families, and educators. The PCSB followed their internal protocols; this failure indicates that there are deeper problems to be investigated.   

The closure of two public schools in late August deserves a public and transparent process to better understand all of the issues that led to this outcome.    At a minimum it should address: 

• The circumstances that led to the LEA Eagle Academy’s decision to close two public schools - what is the timeline and the history of the financial difficulties of Eagle Academy.   

• Did the system have the educational capacity to adequately serve these families, and have the schools they enrolled in been appropriately resourced?

• Stronger measures in place for the DC Public Charter School Board to ensure greater accountability. 

• The plans in place for the McGogney building previously occupied by Eagle Academy Public Charter School and owned by DC.

• Who is responsible for the $22 million dollar revenue bond against the school? 

What changes should be considered in response to what is learned?   The Council has a hearing on the DCPS budgeting and contracting processes scheduled for October.  Surely, it is your fiscal and ethical responsibility to grant to charter school families the same level of care and oversight this fall.  

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you on this.  

Sincerely, 

Eboni-Rose Thompson SBOE Ward 7 SBOE Representative, President

Jacque Patterson – SBOE At Large Representative, Vice President

Benjamin Williams SBOE Ward 1 Representative

Allister Chang, SBOE Ward 2 Representative

Frazier O’Leary, SBOE Ward 4 Representative

Robert Henderson, SBOE Ward 5 Representative

Carlene Reid, SBOE Ward 8 Representative

Representatives from the following:

Ward 2 Education Council (W2EC)
Ward 4 Education Alliance
Ward 5 Education Equity Committee
Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization (W6PSPO)
Ward 7 Education Council
Ward 8 Education Council  
21st Century School Fund
CARE Anacostia
CARE Brookland
DC Fiscal Policy Institute
DC LSAT Collective
Decoding Dyslexia DC
Empower Ed
Senior High Alliance of Parents Principals and Educators (S.H.A.P.P.E.)
Teaching for Change
Washington Teachers' Union
Education Town Hall
WE ACT RADIO
Educationdc.net

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

See July 23rd Dr. Ferebee respons below this letter

July 12, 2024

Dear Dr. Ferebee and DME Kihn,

At C4DC our main focus is excellent and equitable District of Columbia Public Schools.  We are committed to this, DCPS is our public education institution of right. We are writing because we are concerned about the way decisions are made on DCPS swing space, and recommend that a clear and equitable process be put in place before final decisions are made for upcoming renovations.
As shown by the planned takeover of the field of Nalle for 7 years without engaging or communicating with that school community, as well as forcing Amidon-Bowen students to commute 3.4 miles one way (40 minutes by public transit) from their school during its FY27 renovation, there is not a clear and equitable process that involves communities from the beginning and sees them as partners.

 Although DCPS is now looking at more options and meeting with the Nalle community, all DCPS schools need much greater transparency and a new level of planning and engagement immediately. The Beers community has not been engaged concerning their proposed plan to be located on the Nalle field. 

 Right now, the DCPS facilities process is not set up to adequately and automatically ENGAGE with local school families, neighbors and other entities within DCPS that would be or already are in regular contact with school leaders and communities.  Engaging is fundamentally different than communicating and informing, which are important but not sufficient. Without engagement school communities are disenfranchised and disempowered. Not only does Nalle need to be made whole, but so does Amidon-Bowen: the far-away Meyer swing space for Amidon will weaken that community, driving local families toward other schools easier to access and undermining the hard-won progress of recent years in building a tight-knit, diverse community there.

 All of this speaks to a major failure in organization and management, with many decisions made in a silo and breeding inequity. In all of these cases, other DCPS offices were not involved (as they should have been) and the public was not engaged in a timely manner with clarity.  The lack of engagement and regard leaves DCPS families rightfully frustrated, disrespected and angry, undermining trust in their civil servants. Even with the requirement for a SIT (School Improvement Team), they are convened too late and do not include any discussion of swing space, ed specs for swing space, or MOA for shared space.  

We recommend the swing space issue be addressed system wide by:

—Expanding it. Mayoral control should open up more possibilities. For instance, other schools are accessing DPR space (Whittier) or even working with charters to share space. (There is an agreement with DC Prep to lease space).
—Involving all parts of DCPS offices that deal directly with schools in discussions of their renovations with their communities.
—Using the strength of being a system. Work with and support each school’s unique needs. Involve the neighborhoods, and all resources.  Each school should not have to take on the issue of swing space in isolation.
--SIT teams for ALL schools in the capital plan should be convened NOW so that discussions on swing space start early.
– A citywide group can be convened as well on this subject, so lessons learned and resources tapped in one community can be shared with all. We at C4DC can help you connect with ward education councils as well as expanded individual school communities.

Here is a resource that outlines the need as well as a process for engagement: https://www.21csf.org/uploads/pub/2_forgenerationstocome.pdf We look forward to engaging with you and improving this process.

 Thank you.

 Ward 2 Education Council (W2EC)
Ward 3 Wilson Feeder Education Network
Ward 4 Education Alliance
Ward 5 Education Equity Committee
Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization (W6PSPO)
Ward 7 Education Council
Ward 8 Education Council 
Senior High Alliance of Parents Principals and Educators (S.H.A.P.P.E.)
Washington Teachers' Union
CARE Anacostia
CARE Brookland
DC Fiscal Policy Institute
DC LSAT Collective
Decoding Dyslexia DC
Educationdc.net
Education Town Hall
WE ACT RADIO 
21st Century School Fund
Teaching for Change

Cc: Patrick Ashley
Drewana Bey
Chyanne Eyde
Jennifer Comey
Abraham Clayman

 Response from Dr Ferebee to July 12th letter on July 23rd

District of Columbia Public Schools
July 23rd, 2024

Members of the Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities,

Thank you for your advocacy on behalf of the district’s students. The mission of DC Public Schools (DCPS) is to ensure that every school guarantees that students reach their full potential through rigorous and joyful learning experiences provided in a nurturing environment. Through the Capital Improvements Plan (CIP), DCPS creates an opportunity for all students to learn in a healthy, equitable, and inspiring learning environment.

I have heard from the Nalle Elementary School community that they were not adequately notified or engaged in advance of the campus’ upcoming field construction and modernization. We apologized to the community for the lack of communication and have been actively working to improve the situation and the school’s access to recreational space.

In the future, DCPS commits to more effectively sharing information about swing space options prior to the selection of a finalized swing space, recognizing options are often limited. Currently, DCPS is evaluating ways to improve engagement and communication. School communities have clearly shared that more information and discussion is warranted, and we expect to release an updated approach to swing space selection, engagement, and communication during the 2024 – 2025 school year. That timeline will allow DCPS time to appropriately engage communities and to incorporate the new approach into our planning process for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 – 2031 CIP. I am happy to share that plan with you during the upcoming school year. I appreciate your suggestions and welcome your engagement in improving this process for school communities.

With respect to Amidon-Bowen Elementary School and Beers Elementary School, finalized swing space locations for both schools have not been set. Finalized swing plans are provided alongside the CIP announcement during the spring before the community-facing design year. This means that school communities will learn about finalized swing space plans approximately 18 months before construction begins. For Amidon-Bowen, this would be spring 2026. For Beers Elementary School, this would be spring 2028. Before this point, swing plans are tentative and can change due to significant modifications in student enrollment or additional projects being added to the modernization queue.

Currently, DCPS considers several factors when creating a CIP project proposal that identifies project scope and a potential swing sequence plan. These factors include:

• Availability of existing swing buildings: Swing space is based on what is available and currently existing in DCPS’s facility portfolio at the time that can meet the school, programmatic, and population needs. If DCPS determines a new swing space or modular campus is required, there must be a universal benefit for multiple schools within the CIP to justify the costs. Notwithstanding their limitations, modular campuses are a significant investment of funds, and due to total construction costs, DCPS prefers to use modulars for at least 6 years, or for 3 or more schools, once constructed. 1200 First Street, NE | Washington, DC 20002 | T 202.442.5885 | F 202.442.5026 | dcps.dc.gov

• Distance: DCPS makes every effort to minimize the distance between a school’s home address and swing site in response to community concerns around busing time and distance, ideally keeping schools in their home Ward when possible. • Size and Enrollment: DCPS works to ensure that sizes of swing sites can accommodate the student enrollments of the schools they will be hosting during the years of swing, per building capacity counts and program analysis. DCPS also conducts an in-depth data analysis of historical, current, and projected enrollment trends to understand the school’s program including the number of class sections per grade band, special education programs, and DCPS enrichment academic programs. • Programmatic needs: DCPS assesses programs that can be accommodated at swing buildings, matching programs to an appropriate facility where possible, and allocating centralized swing funding where necessary.

• Full utilization of the swing space portfolio: DCPS’s goal is to never leave swing sites unoccupied for more than 6 months to a year, as unoccupied buildings quickly fall into disrepair. Thus, DCPS’s swing plan attempts to keep swing sites regularly active without gaps. When modular campuses reach the end of their useful life cycle, typically 6-8 years after initial installment, these campuses are typically taken offline. This gives DCPS the consideration to establish a new modular site to service school communities in a different part of the district.

Additional information about DCPS’ approach to swing spaces can be found at DCPS’s facilities website at https://sites.google.com/dc.gov/dcps-facilities/resources-faqs. Thank you again for your continued advocacy and I look forward to working collaboratively with you in the future.

Sincerely,

Lewis D. Ferebee, Ed.D. Chancellor District of Columbia Public Schools

C4DC Statement on PCSB request for Additional Funds for Charter Teacher Pay

April 25, 2023

This statement follows up on our letter in January (copied below) regarding the request by charter schools for additional funds as a result of the WTU contract.  (also see this letter from PCSB Executive Director forwarded from Council)

 Charter school families and staff have been told that the Mayor’s budget underfunds charter schools by 187 million dollars.  There is no breakdown for this figure nor is there public information on each charter to validate it.   The issue of teacher pay and retention in the charter sector is important, as it is with DC Public Schools.  However, we feel the families and staff have been misinformed by the Charter School Alliance with the claim that charter schools have been underfunded for this large amount.  

 Charter school communities have been asked to advocate directly to the Council to address this wrong.  Given the structure of DC’s governance with regards to charter schools and the education sector as a whole, a more apt ask would have been for educators, students, parents, and other stakeholders of our local charters to approach the governing board of their own charter school or LEA to find out the process and basis for teacher pay and their school’s budget. DCPS teachers negotiated with their LEA leadership on pay and working conditions.  Trying to apply a full retroactive pay increase to charter teachers based on a negotiated contract between the WTU and DCPS sets a problematic precedent as a way to address equity. The two sectors are not equal.  They have different responsibilities. DCPS serves all comers in their neighborhood schools. There is no equity within the charter sector on teacher compensation.  Some LEA’s awarded raises and have higher pay, others have much lower pay.   

Charter schools have fought to protect their autonomy and their right to govern themselves and to allocate each of their budgets as they see fit.  There are now 69 different charter LEA’s operating 135 public charter schools.  They all allocate their resources differently and at their own discretion. Each LEA chooses how many staff and teachers to hire, how much to pay their teachers, when to give increases, what the benefits are and what the working conditions are.  Except for Munde Verde, none of their teachers are represented by a labor union.  The District of Columbia does not have a minimum pay requirement for teachers.  

It is our position that the proposal of the Mayor to provide a process to charter schools to use public dollars to apply for retroactive pay for their educators is generous, especially in light of the District’s tight budget.  There are also funds for raises.  If the Council decides to go forward with any retroactive compensation and a pay increase for charter teachers, the following issues must be addressed:

• This should not be about funding the charter sector or the widely differing LEA’s but about addressing pay directly to educators.  Thus the retroactive  payment cannot be an addition to the UPSFF

• Many, but not all, charter school educators have comparatively low pay – this could be remedied by a Council required floor for educator pay. 

• The definition of an educator should be the same for both sectors.  

• The salary of every DCPS employee including teachers is a matter of public record and is in the schedule A.  Charters are public schools funded by public money.  The salary structure and scale should be public including starting pay, how raises are determined etc.  This should be a requirement for receiving any funds.

• Charter school educators should be allowed to organize for union representation if they wish without being threatened.  Thus, charter schools should be prohibited from spending money to intimidate educators or staff from organizing a union as required by the National Labor Relations Act.  

 Additionally, with regard to the Education budget, the Council needs to correct the misinformation in the recent letter to each of the Council Members from Michelle Walker- Davis that makes reference to the Facilities Allowance (FA).  “Many questions have surrounded the facilities allotment for public charter schools. As nonprofits, public charter schools are responsible for funding every aspect of their campus including facilities acquisition and maintenance.” 

In calculating facilities expenditures, the charter sector claims that the FA is meant to include both capital related expenditures (long term leases and major facility improvements) as well as annual operating and maintenance costs. This was never the case, as the UPSFF was always meant to include the cost of custodians, utilities, and regular maintenance and repairs.  This is why DCPS covers these costs with its UPSFF.  

In DC our public schools operate in a competitive market.  We urge the Council to be careful and discerning in how they evaluate equity and advocacy.

C4DC – Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities
http://www.c4dcpublicschools.org/ 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TO:  D.C. Council Members, Mayor Bowser, Deputy Mayor Kihn 
FROM: Coalition for D.C. Public Schools and Communities 
RE: Opposition to charter operators 12-17-22 funding request 
DATE: January 12, 2023 Dear Members of the DC Council, Mayor Bowser, Deputy Mayor Kihn,

We write on behalf of the Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities to object to the recent request by charter operators to receive additional funding, for the reasons listed in the paragraphs below.  The Washington Teacher’s Union (WTU) recently completed collective bargaining with the District of Columbia. Nearly 3,500 DCPS teachers and other WTU members approved a new contract that will increase pay. This new contract which goes through this year also provides WTU members with a 12% retroactive raise for the past three years including a 4% raise for the current school year.  To fulfil that contractual obligation, the District will allocate funds to DCPS which must be paid directly to the 5,674 members in the WTU. 

In a letter to the Council and Mayor sixty of D.C.’s sixty-eight charter operators requested that the Council and Mayor allocate an equivalent per pupil payment to charter LEAS.  The Mayor and Council should not make a payment to charter local education agencies (LEA) in 2023 based on the WTU retroactive payments to DCPS teachers because:  

There is no legal obligation to do so. DC Council has the legal authority under the Home Rule Act to decide to provide funds pursuant to the School Reform Act that benefits DCPS outside of the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF).  Although the Mayor and City Council provided additional funding to charter LEAs for retroactive funding tied to the 2017 WTU contract, they noted this was unprecedented.  The dismissal of the charter funding lawsuit in 2019 and the prior decision by the federal district court and the briefing in that lawsuit by the DC Attorney General, the General Counsel for the DC Council, and DC education advocates as friends of the court make clear that there is not a legal obligation for the City to do so.   

Charter teachers are not in the Washington Teachers Union. Each charter private non-profit Board of Directors sets the working conditions, pay, and benefits for their teachers. This is a significant difference between the two sectors, with the charter sector having explicitly fought for the right to operate as private nonprofits without unions.  The provision for retroactive pay is a benefit hard won by the WTU, and an important obligation of the District as a party to one of their most important labor contracts. The city will undermine its public sector employees and the organized labor sector if it pays union won retroactive benefits to charter LEAs that are not part of the union’s collective bargaining unit and therefore have no obligation to adhere to any provisions in the contract. 

The Uniform per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) will increase starting in FY2024 as a result of the WTU negotiation.  Charters will benefit in the future from the WTU contract, since it necessitates an increase in the UPSFF base formula funds that reflect the agreed upon higher pay that will go to every student in both sectors.  DCPS must pay the retroactive salary increases and bonuses directly to the teachers.  The amount is not an increase in the DCPS LEA budget, as it would be for charters, if the request in their letter is honored.  

Many charter LEAs have sufficient funds to give their teachers retroactive pay raises if they choose to do so. The charter LEAs as a group in D.C. had accumulated unrestricted cash assets of $420 million by the end of FY2021.  Unlike DCPS, a city agency, charters retain funds from year to year.   Operating revenues continue to increase more than operating expenses, according to the DC Public Charter School Board’s FY2021 Financial Analysis Report.  If charter LEAs want to give their teachers pay raises for 2019-2022, many have the funds to do so.   

The additional and significant payment requested by charter school LEAs is unnecessary and precludes providing funding for other important needs for young people, such as for mental health and safety supports, out of school time opportunities, digital equity, and music and art programs.  The request by charter LEA’s for a one time payment in FY23 should be denied.    

C4DC – Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities
http://www.c4dcpublicschools.org/ 

Dear Members of the DC Council,

December 8, 2021

We support the request from Dr. Betsy Wolf in her letter to many of you dated November 24, 2021.The request is for you to: 

• Require DCPS to provide immediate information about FY23 school budgets using the new budget model via either request or emergency legislation by Dec. 17, 2021. 

• Both this budget information and  the formulas on which the calculations are based, should be public now.

• The information you request should project the same detail as to the amounts that will appear in the budgets when they are sent to the schools.

The Council has pushed for greater transparency. DCPS has pledged greater transparency. Compliance with this request will enable adjustments to be made to the model prior to the release of the actual school budgets to school communities in February. This should be standard practice, especially when transitioning to something this consequential. 

Even without the Mayor’s mark, DCPS has had to run simulations to gauge how it will work. The information you receive will be on the model and on how it will work. DCPS switched to the comprehensive staffing formula in order to solve problems with the student-based budgeting model (Weighted Student Formula). Unless there is greater care those shortcomings will be repeated. We understand that this work is difficult. It is our belief that it cannot be done well without more public input. 

The DCPS presentations to date do not address important questions. There is no particular provision for custodial or security personnel. Most funds, including those for librarians or programming outside of the particular ones listed, fall into the flexible funds category. Will these positions end up competing with providing adequate teaching staff or administration?   

In years past, neither LSATs nor the general public has had sufficient time to review school budgets, leading to confusion, frustration, and mistrust. We would like to see the Council hold DCPS and the executive to a timeline with 3 weeks for LSAT’s to be able to adequately consult with their communities. This will be especially important as everyone will be adjusting to a new model.  

An understanding of the new budget model prior to the release of the exact budgets is essential. If the public does not embrace the new model or the process by which DCPS has adopted it as fair, it will fall to you to do the engagement and repair work necessary. Now is a far better time to do this in partnership with DCPS.  

Sincerely,

Ward 2 Education Council
Ward 3 Wilson Feeder Education Network
Ward 4 Education Alliance
Ward 5 Education Equity Committee
Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization
Ward 7 Education Council
Ward 8 Education Council
21Century School Fund
DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Decoding Dyslexia
EmpowerEd
In the Public Interest
Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators
Teaching for Change
Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
Washington Teachers Union
Education Town Hall Radio
WE ACT RADIO
Educationdc.net

C4DC Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communitieshttp://www.c4dcpublicschools.org/
https://www.facebook.com/c4dcpublicschools

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

July 19, 2021

Dear Council Chair Mendelson,

We appreciate your continued support for stabilization of the DCPS school budgets and your understanding that schools cannot do their jobs without predictability. Education is built on relationships; known and valued teachers and administrators are not easily replaceable. 

We are deeply concerned that the commentary in the  COW July 1 BSA Recommendations title IV-A on page 135 and 136 misconstrues the law on the subject of the District’s authority to make equitable changes in the School Reform Act (SRA), including funding.  Charter advocates brought a lawsuit in federal court claiming the DC Council did not have authority to make any changes in the SRA or funding formulas, but their arguments were rejected by the federal District Court.  On appeal to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, the federal appellate court dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction, stating that there was no federal issue because the SRA is a local DC law that should be construed by DC local courts.  Significantly, the charter advocates never re-filed their case in DC Superior Court.

In the federal court litigation, the Council rightly supported dismissal making the compelling case for District authority. See here. Of course, the Office of the Attorney General also strenuously opposed the claimed limitations on District authority.  The Council clearly has such authority and has modified the law and made equitable funding adjustments in the SRA dozens of times since its enactment, often at the request of charter advocates.

Indeed, the Council taking the position even in this Committee commentary that it may not deviate or modify the SRA represents a breathtaking, unnecessary concession of Home Rule rights even as we passionately pursue Statehood. 

At the heart of this is the idea that all operational funding of DCPS and charter school must flow through the UPSFF. 

While the Committee supported the Executive’s eventual move to make school budgets whole, the Committee is concerned about the Executive potentially providing future stabilization or other funds to DCPS schools outside of the UPSFF. By law, the District is required to provide equivalent funding through the UPSFF to both DCPS and the charter sector, and if operating funds are provided outside of the UPSFF, the Executive is required to fund and provide funding to the charter sector. These same funds were provided to the charter sector. Thus, the Committee recommends limiting the stabilization authorization to provide stabilization funding outside the UPSFF to Fiscal Year 2022 to ensure that the School Reform Act is not violated. 

But that has never actually been the case, nor is it required.  Both DCPS and the charter sector receive funds outside of the UPSFF for operations.  This has been the case for many years, including in the current budget.  Meanwhile, far from being victims of the system, the charter sector has accumulated net assets of over $500 million $350 million of which is held as cash.  See Table 1 here.  Those net assets grow by $40 million to $50 million a year.

The commentary in BSA Subtitle COW-G is wrong on the law, unnecessary and reflects a dangerous concession of Home Rule rights.  Striking it need not change anything about the allocation of funds in the proposed budget.  It should be struck. 

To be sure, the questions about the law here and the best ways to ensure that all our schools, DCPS and charters, are fully and fairly funded are challenging.  As we emerge from the pandemic crisis, it is time to undertake a serious review of our approach.  We look forward to working with you on just that issue in the coming year.  In the meantime, please do not suggest in the BSA that the citizens of the District of Columbia cannot control how $2 billion of their tax dollars are spent or the approaches taken to the quintessentially local issue of how their children are educated. 

Sincerely,

Ward 2 Education Council (W2EC)
Ward 4 Education Alliance
Ward 5 Education Equity Committee
Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization (W6PSPO)
Ward 7 Education Council
Ward 8 Education Council  

21st Century School Fund
DC Fiscal Policy Institute
Decoding Dyslexia DC
EmpowerEd
Senior High Alliance of Parents Principals and Educators (S.H.A.P.P.E.)
Teaching for Change
Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

Educationdc.net

Cc:

Council Member Christina Henderson
Council Member Elissa Silverman
Council Member Anita Bonds
Council Member Robert White
Council Member Brienne Nadeau
Council Member Brooke Pinto
Council Member Mary Cheh
Council Member Janeese Lewis George
Council Member Kenyon McDuffie
Council Member Charles Allen
Council Member Vincent Gray
Council Member Trayon White
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

January 17, 2021 Reopening Letter

Dear Chairman Mendelson,

While we are glad to see a Council roundtable on the Term 3 reopening of DCPS on January 21st at noon, we are concerned about the practice of limiting the witness list and its cost to our democratic process.  For the previous roundtable hearing on this topic in December 2020, a number of us signed up to testify and were not chosen.   We had worked in our wards to advertise the opportunity to testify and expand the range of other voices in the public discourse to the process.  A number of our neighbors who then registered were also not selected to speak and weren’t notified by the Council that they did not make the witness list.  This kind of experience diminishes confidence in the process and makes it especially difficult for us to draw in new voices to testify. 

On the notice for the January 21st Committee of the Whole meeting on the DCPS reopening, there is also this caution: "The number of public witnesses will be limited.” As representatives of the ward education councils and other citywide education-focused groups, we have been reaching out to our communities to enlist their participation  and we have these concerns:

We believe that there should not be any limit on the number of people who testify before you in person/via virtual conferencing. In the past, the Council has often extended a hearing or roundtable to another time if there were too many people to testify in the time allotted. As the COVID pandemic challenges our civic processes on many fronts, maintaining democratic voice is more critical than ever.  Please explain what the limits are and why they have been instituted.

We believe the idea of choosing which members of the public get to testify is antidemocratic and should never be used by elected representatives holding public hearings. Please explain what criteria are being used for choosing who will testify and, if inclusion in oral testimony is not based on the order of registration, please explain the basis. 

We believe public education hearings should be scheduled to optimize the participation of students, teachers, parents and school staff. These stakeholders have the most important voices as they are most directly impacted by school re-opening. Breaking up the testimony hours (e.g. ~2hours in the morning then resuming in the late afternoon) can facilitate maximum participation. Please explain how you intend to do that or, if not, a reason for not doing so

We value keeping you informed and the important role public hearings and roundtables have in our public process. Along with giving voice to the community, they create a record.

We look forward to working closely with you on education issues this year and to your answers to our questions, thank you

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

January 11, 2021 Technology

The pandemic has highlighted the need to provide equitable technology access for all students as part of a 21st-century education. While DC made some progress last year in expanding computer and internet access, the city still lacks a multi-year plan and dedicated funding source to ensure that students and families have long-term access to technology and high-speed internet. 

On Jan. 11 a coalition of parents, educators and other education advocates, organized by Digital Equity in DC Education, sent a version of the letter below urging Mayor Muriel Bowser to follow through on her Empowered Learners Initiative’s commitment to provide a 1:1 student-to-device ratio and technology supports for DC Public Schools.

Dear Mayor Bowser:

As you finalize your fiscal year 2022 budget proposal, we urge you to prioritize investment in robust technology supports and infrastructure for DC Public Schools to address the digital divide that is leaving behind students, especially DC’s most vulnerable students. 

The pandemic demonstrated that technology learning tools, training and supports are critical to a 21st-century education and will continue to be integral to teaching and learning both inside and outside of the classroom as we enter the recovery period. Next school year our schools will face the difficult task of helping our most vulnerable students recover from learning losses and trauma experienced during the pandemic. It is incumbent on the city and DCPS to remove education roadblocks and allow our educators and students to focus on this herculean task. To position our students for success, we ask you to commit to additional funding and planning in the four areas outlined below: 

1. 1:1 Student-Device Ratio and a Computer for Every Teacher. We urge you to complete your commitment to a 1:1 student-device ratio for DCPS and ensure that all students begin next school year with a computer that is compatible with the DCPS learning platform and applications. Like student computers, the purchase of teacher computers should be centralized, and every teacher should receive a reliable, up-to-date computer. It is unconscionable that teachers are not guaranteed basic tools to do their job.

2. Staffing for IT Support and Asset Management. DCPS currently funds 70 technicians who provide IT support for almost 60,000 technology users (including students, teachers, staff and administrators). This staffing ratio of one technician per 857 users is completely inadequate for day-to-day support and is significantly below industry standards. Until DCPS and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer develop and fund a robust tech support staffing plan, the burden for supporting and managing technology will continue to fall on school staff who do not have adequate training and already have full-time jobs. Users must be able to access tech support through multiple channels. The city has already demonstrated the ability to stand up an accessible support model for DC’s 311 nonemergency service line, which residents can access via mobile app, text, Twitter, phone and online chat. A similarly accessible support model would allow students, teachers and parents to rapidly submit tech requests.

3. Digital Literacy Skills. Basic computer skills and knowledge of online learning platforms vary widely among DCPS students, their families and school staff. DCPS’ training webinars and videos are not sufficient for families and staff who need more practical, hands-on training at various skill levels. In some cases, schools have stepped up to provide additional technical training and assistance; however, each school’s level of service is unique to its staff capacity and knowledge. This is not simply a money issue; DCPS and the DC government must design training that is informed by user needs and learning styles.

4. Tech Infrastructure. The DC government has yet to make adequate investment in the infrastructure of individual schools that is needed for a 21st-century learning environment.

   • Internet connectivity in schools. While some schools have received infrastructure upgrades to improve connectivity and reliability, others have not. Internet bandwidth issues will be exacerbated when we return to in-person learning with instruction and testing that is heavily reliant on technology.

   • Smartboards and other classroom technology. The supply and condition of classroom technology varies by school and is often dependent on the ability of a school to access donations, participate in pilot programs, or be at the front of the line for modernization. DCPS must create a comprehensive, funded plan to consistently maintain and update classroom technology for all schools.

Looking forward, the city must prioritize sufficient technology support and replacement funding as a part of the annual operating budget. Reliance on one-off, ad hoc investments is not a cost-effective way to support the school system’s long-term technology needs. 

Universal Broadband Internet 

Lastly, DC still lacks a long-term citywide solution to ensure that every DC resident has high-speed home internet to fully access educational, employment, civic and telehealth services. Given the variety of potential options for citywide internet, we ask that you commit to developing a road map (with milestones and dates) to universal broadband that would ensure adoption of high-speed, reliable home broadband service across all wards. 

The asks we have outlined are consistent with DCPS’ core value of equity and also consistent with your mission to provide a fair shot to all DC residents. We urge you to consider and act on our recommendations. 

Sincerely, 

Digital Equity in DC Education

C4DC – Coalition for DC Public Schools and Communities
http://www.c4dcpublicschools.org/