- Simmons: Post-Brown Council Must Revisit School Governance
- D.C. Budget Wish List Could Mean Millions More in Spending
- A School Choice Graduation Season [Washington Latin PCS is mentioned]
The Washington Times
By Deborah Simmons
June 10, 2012
In the days leading up to Kwame R. Brown’s resignation and guilty pleas in a most embarrassing set of criminal circumstances, the former D.C. Council chairman loosened his grip on economic development and housing, turned over jobs and workforce development to a newcomer and added the city’s real estate portfolio to Adrian M. Fenty supporter Muriel Bowser.
While those moves are newsworthy, Jeff Smith, a longtime council observer and education advocate, said lawmakers now have a golden opportunity to do what Mr. Brown should have done - take education out of the council’s Committee of the Whole.
The council used to have a separate education panel, but dismantled it when education governance was restructured to grant the mayor unprecedented control with the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007. Since then, said Mr. Smith, the voices of parents and the community at large have been further stifled.
He also cited another reason parents and the community are not heard in the education-policy discussion. Even the city’s pre-home-rule school panel, the Board of Education, quieted the public’s voice.
“We’re seeing fewer and fewer opportunities for parent engagement,” Mr. Smith said. “The mayor and council eliminated that [independent school board] body, and that exacerbates the problem. We removed not one, but two sources of accountability. Looking at minutes from [council] hearings, you’re likely to see no more than two council members when the chancellor is testifying.”
In addition to re-creating an education panel on the council, Mr. Smith also wants to see tougher oversight of public charter schools, which parents continue to favor as their neighborhood options for traditional schools continue to shrink.
“We need leadership on the conversation in [the] city about how many schools we have,” said Mr. Smith. “The charter [authority] board is opening five and six schools a year [but D.C. Public Schools] is closing schools. DCPS has no monopoly on mediocrity.”
The council has ample opportunity during the summer months to ponder the overall school-governance question. As it does, members should ask themselves, Mayor Vincent C. Gray and the public at large this burning question: Does it still make sense to have an elected school board operating under the political thumb of the mayor?
The school board was one of the first vestiges of D.C. democracy (granted by President Kennedy and Congress) and the primary elected body where parents and other residents went to have their voices heard.
With Mr. Brown out the door and his predecessor as chairman, Mr. Gray, facing his own storm clouds, the issue is timely and worth serious public deliberation.
Pro tempore
This is a pivotal week for the council, which has the opportunity to begin righting the not-quite-bulletproof ship of affairs at city hall.
The council is expected to vote Wednesday on who will become chairman - until a citywide election is held - and who will become chairman pro tempore, the No. 2 legislative position.
At-large Democrat Phil Mendelson is a safe bet for the former, and at-large member Michael A. Brown, an independent, is the likeliest choice regarding the latter.
The council’s current affairs are being run through council member Mary M. Cheh, Ward 3 Democrat.
Lawmakers must get this right, because if prosecutors sink another lawmaker’s - or the mayor’s - ship in rocky waters, the council chairman has to step in and the shuffling begins anew.
The Washington Examiner
By Alan Blinder
June 10, 2012
The District's budget for the coming fiscal year might get even bigger than the $9.4 billion the D.C. Council already has approved.
Alongside provisions for playgrounds and parking changes, the D.C. Council tucked in a wish list that could cost taxpayers tens of millions of dollars if the District takes in more money than expected.
The 27-item revenue contingency list is sweeping and could shore up programs throughout city government.
Special education programs could receive a sudden $5 million boost, the Department of Employment Services could receive a $10 million windfall for adult job training, and the city could spend $1.1 million to repeal the out-of-state municipal bond tax.
Ward 2 Councilman Jack Evans, chairman of the council's Committee on Finance and Revenue, said that even those priorities could shift.
"You can change the law, and that's what we do," Evans said. "If I could ever get myself seven votes, I'd lower taxes. ... Life can change."
But if 2013 evolves as 2012 has, lawmakers are likely to have extra cash to burn, even though they prepared a budget with an anticipated $172 million shortfall in mind.
So far in the 2012 fiscal year, District Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi has revised his increased his revenue estimate by $77 million.
The surplus dollars were what set off a contentious fight over a supplemental budget, one of the last pieces of legislation Kwame Brown pushed through as council chairman before his sudden resignation.
For months, legislators and Mayor Vincent Gray squabbled about how to spend the surprise $77 million, finally reaching a resolution last week. That package included a $22 million plan to pay city workers for furlough days they accepted last year, and millions for education, libraries and public buildings.
Although the wish list could shift, aides at the John A. Wilson Building said the document could shorten any midyear budget battles.
The contingency list the council signed off on isn't significantly different from the one Gray proposed when he rolled out his budget measure in March.
"There are things that you want to do that you sometimes just don't have the money to do," said mayoral spokesman Pedro Ribeiro, who added that the list "was to say that there are priorities that are out there that we think are important but didn't fit."
Ribeiro said Gray was still reviewing the budget lawmakers unanimously approved, but the mayor had not yet raised any significant objections.
"We need a little bit of time to look at it, but there's nothing in it that we see as a huge cause for concern," Ribeiro said.
A School Choice Graduation Season [Washington Latin PCS is mentioned]
DC Charter Schools Examiner
By Mark Lerner
June 11, 2012
Michele and I attended two events last week that made us extremely proud to be involved in public education in the nation's capital. I think we smiled for an entire 24 hours.
First, it was over to the Latino Student Fund's Showcase of Scholars, held at the beautiful Katzen Center for the Arts at American University. There we sat with about 100 students who participate in the organization's grant program and attend private school. The managers of the Latino Student Fund, Rosalie Miller, Maria Fernanda Borja, and Margaret Mountjoy were at the ceremony. These are three of the most important people in the world to us since they organize the Saturday morning tutoring sessions that my wife and I have been involved with for over four years. Tutoring through this group has been one of the best experiences we have had in our lives.
There were six graduating seniors. These young adults are going off to schools such as Catholic, Columbia, and Stanford Universities. Two of the new college students addressed the audience and credited their academic success directly to the help of the Latino Student Fund.
The next morning was time to attend the first high school graduation of Washington Latin Public Charter School. It was held at the spectacular Gaston Hall contained within Healy Hall at Georgetown University. 42 seniors received diplomas and 100 percent of the graduates have been admitted to college. Over $1.5 million in scholarship money has been awarded based upon academic achievement. They will attend a diverse group of schools, from Howard University in Washington, D.C. to the American University in Paris, France.
Matthew Boyd, the Upper School Dean of Students, gave a perfect address as the graduation speaker, detailing the responsibilities these kids have as representatives of Washington Latin. Head of school Martha Cutts gave a moving presentation that brought her and others to tears. All of the event's speakers, including me, graciously thanked the parents for placing their faith in Washington Latin Public Charter School before it had a track record of sending students off to college.
The ceremony included a passionate rendition of America the Beautiful from the school's chorus.
Scott Pearson and Audrey Williams of the Public Charter School Board were in attendance. Former Executive Director of the PCSB Josephine Baker also joined us. The Washington Latin Board of Governors filled a front row. In fact, the entire auditorium was filled to the brim with students, parents, and invited guests.
I, together with Martha Cutts and Public Charter School Board members Darrin Woodruff and Jackie Boddie, shook the hands of each of the graduating students. It was an honor I will remember for the rest of my life.
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