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At the latest Youth Town Hall held by the Mayor, as the PCYLC councilmembers kept asking the Mayor questions about fair funding that he was dodging, one of the PCYLC asked Mayor Gray, “Mr. Mayor, why would you hold these events if you won’t listen to us?”
PCYLC councilmembers, clearly, are still challenging DC officials even after their testimonies in March’s public DC Council budget hearing. Beyond that, though, they’re also inspiring their public charter peers to seek higher education and advocate for public charter schools.
Last week, PCYLC councilmembers held a program at the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science, widely known as MS². The program’s goals were to show the students how important pursuing a college degree and becoming the voices of the public charter school movement are.
FOCUS Senior Director of Government Relations Michael Musante kicked off the event by commending MS² students for making MS² “one of the best schools in DC.” He encouraged them accordingly to maintain their phenomenal performance (to see for yourself, check out our SQD!) in spite of the lack of equitable funding between DCPS and public charter schools, adding that students from both school systems are equal even if they aren’t funded equally.
Next, after presenting a video highlighting their own college aspirations, PCYLC councilmembers simulated a game of LIFE onstage with two MS² student volunteers, with one obtaining a Bachelor’s degree and the other earning only her high school diploma. Naturally, it didn’t take long for students to realize that college degrees lead to higher income levels, which better prepare graduates for the expenses and obstacles one often encounters.
Councilmembers concluded the program with a panel including Nelson Greene of DC CAP and Shantae Edwards of College Summit to talk about their programs and how they help students pursue college degrees. In turn, a Howard University professor, Dr. Debyii Thomas, and a current Howard University student, Anique Hameed, also spoke about the expectations placed on students at the collegiate level. Overall, the panel’s advice was clear: in the words of the DC CAP representative, “success is your destiny… don’t let this graduation be your last.”
You can review pictures from the MS² event on our Facebook page. More importantly, if you’d like to follow the lead of our wonderful PCYLC councilmembers in supporting DC public charters, visit our Join the Movement page to find out how you can stay informed and get involved!