- Options likely to remain open, but DCPS will not manage it [Options PCS mentioned]
- Vindicated on Options Public Charter School [FOCUS and Options PCS mentioned]
- D.C. State Board of Education Seeks Input on Feeder Pattern, Boundary
Options likely to remain open, but DCPS will not manage it [Options PCS mentioned]
The Washington Post
By Emma Brown
April 16, 2014
The District’s Options Public Charter School appears likely to continue operating at least through the end of the 2014-15 school year, but the city’s school system will not take over its management as previously hoped, D.C. government lawyers said in court Tuesday.
D.C. Public Schools officials had been in talks to run Options, a school for at-risk youths that faces possible closure after allegations that its former managers diverted millions of tax dollars meant for students.
But those negotiations broke down when officials could not find a legal way for Options to contract directly with the school system, D.C. government lawyer Jimmy Rock told D.C. Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe.
City and charter-school officials are seeking to keep Options running for at least another year under the oversight of Josh Kern, the court-appointed receiver who has been responsible for the school’s operations since the allegations of financial mismanagement surfaced publicly in October.
Closing the school earlier would make it difficult, if not impossible, to ensure a smooth transition for the nearly 400 students, many of whom require special services, according to Jonathan Stoel, Kern’s attorney.
In December, the D.C. Public Charter School Board voted to take the first steps toward closing Options for fiscal mismanagement. But the board has shown that it is willing to reverse that decision if Kern remains at the helm, according to D.C. government lawyers, who asked Iscoe to extend Kern’s term through the end of the 2014-15 school year.
Iscoe did not grant that request Tuesday, but he said he likely will do so by early next week. He said that he never intended for the school to continue under a court-appointed receiver for so long but that he has been convinced that retaining Kern — and keeping the school open — is in the students’ best interest.
“Schools should not be operated by judges,” Iscoe said. But he said Options students have been “far better served” under Kern’s oversight than they would have had the court declined to intervene.
Kern and the city charter board are drawing up an agreement for how the school would be run next year. Kern would still be responsible for financial oversight but would hire an executive director to run the school’s day-to-day operations, lawyers said Tuesday.
It’s not clear what would happen after the end of the 2014-15 school year. Options could continue to operate under another management organization or close.
The charter board is scheduled to have a hearing April 23 about the school’s future. A vote to keep the school open or move forward with plans to close it is scheduled for April 29.
Vindicated on Options Public Charter School [FOCUS and Options PCS mentioned]
The Examiner
By Mark Lerner
April 16, 2014
Beginning last November, when D.C. Superior Court-appointed Receiver Josh Kern first released his report on Options Public Charter School, I have argued that the students there would be best supported by keeping it open. I took this stand because I was highly impressed with the numerous improvements Mr. Kern successfully implemented at Options over an exceptionally short period. He has essentially created a road map for fixing administrative malpractice.
Over the six months that the financial problems at the school for disabled students were identified those watching the matter have sat in the backseat of a wild roller coaster ride of possible outcomes. First the D.C. Public Charter School Board voted to begin revocation proceedings. That course was scrapped in favor of a public hearing. Then PCSB executive director Scott Pearson reversed his position on permanently shutting the doors and announced that there was a plan for DCPS to temporarily run Options before an experienced charter operator was identified to take it over. All of this occurred while a prominent long-term local anchorwoman was taken off the air due to her involvement with the school, a well-respected previous employee of the PCSB was found to be entangled in the mess, and the head of Building Hope became Receiver of the two for-profit companies alleged to have directed public money belonging to Options to their firms. Now it appears the charter will be allowed to keep going with Mr. Kern at the helm.
Today, the Washington Post quotes D.C. Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe as remarking, “'Schools should not be operated by judges.' But he said Options students have been 'far better served' under Kern’s oversight than they would have had the court declined to intervene."
Apparently, the parties involved could not find a legal way to transfer Options over to DCPS. The strategy is for Mr. Kern to manage Options through the 2014 to 2015 school year with the hiring of an executive director. A hearing is now set by the PCSB for April 23rd with a decision to be made on April 29th. Perhaps then a final path forward for the school will be devised.
One matter that has not yet been broached is the reconstitution of the school's board of directors. Charter leaders believe their schools should be under the authority of non-profit boards. After all, there are 60 of these bodies overseeing 106 campuses here in the nation's capital. When the Options story first broke I offered Mr. Kern to become the new Options board chair. My idea would be to call in Charter Board Partners, FOCUS, and many of the other fine charter support organizations in this town to assist in creating a first class governing group. What an honor it would be as a volunteer to make a difference in the lives of these disadvantaged students. The PCSB should insist that the formation of an Options board of directors go forward now in plenty of time before Mr. Kern's term as Receiver expires.
D.C. State Board of Education Seeks Input on Feeder Pattern, Boundary Proposals
The Washington Informer
April 15, 2014
The District of Columbia State Board of Education is seeking public comment on the Deputy Mayor for Education’s feeder pattern and boundary proposals.
On Saturday, April 5, the Deputy Mayor for Education released three proposals to on how to revise feeder pattern and boundary proposals. After public input, a final recommendation will be transmitted to the Mayor. If adopted, the revised feeder patterns and boundaries will determine who gets to go to which school, where and how parents and students apply to school, what rights students have to remain in a school they have chosen, and what rights students have to transfer between schools. The Deputy Mayor for Education is engaging with the public to ensure that school choice and assignment policies result in clarity, predictability, and continuity for families.
The State Board is interested in hearing from the public about their views of the proposals and will submit those comments, along with recommendations, to the Deputy Mayor for Education.
In addition to this meeting, the Deputy Mayor will be holding additional community meetings.
Thursday, April 24 at Coolidge High School, 6315 5th Street NW, 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 26 at Dunbar High School, 101 N Street NW, 9 a.m.-noon
Saturday, April 26 at Anacostia High School, 1601 16th Street SE, 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
For more information on the feeder pattern and boundary proposals, please visit the Deputy Mayor for Education’s website at dme.dc.gov.
The public meeting will occur on Wednesday, April 23 at 5:30 p.m. at the 441 4th Street NW in the Old Council Chamber. All students, parents, and educators, and community members are invited to provide testimony.
Individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to comment at the meeting are asked to notify State Board staff in advance by phone at (202) 741-0888 or by email at sboe@dc.gov and furnish their names, addresses, telephone numbers, and organizational affiliation, if any, by the close of business the Monday prior to the meeting. They should also bring fifteen (15) copies of their written statements with them to the meeting and are encouraged to submit one (1) electronic copy in advance.
The meeting will air live on District Knowledge Network (DKN) Comcast Channel 99, RCN Channel 18, and Fios Channel 12.