Last month, DC education analyst and advocate Mary Levy died, after a protracted battle with cancer. To say Mary’s work in education was essential to our city is an understatement. As others have noted, she was a fixture at practically every DC council education budget hearing for decades, patiently explaining how school budgets work; why … Continue reading A Brief Note On An Extraordinary Washingtonian: Mary Levy

--In March, parents of students with disabilities filed a lawsuit against DC for transportation problems around buses that DC’s office of the state superintendent of education (OSSE) runs for disabled students. The buses have been legendarily bad. This month, a judge ruled that OSSE has to cough up a transportation plan for disabled students for … Continue reading The Long, Hot Days Of Summer . . . Gather No Moss*

[Ed. Note: The following was sent by me via email on July 18, 2024 to the chair of the DC council, Phil Mendelson, and DC's deputy mayor for education, Paul Kihn. AFAIK, no DC media outlet has covered the fiscal distress and possible closure of Eagle Academy. That stands in contrast to the fiscal distress … Continue reading No Oversight, No Coverage, No Justice

Major studies around DC public education were recently published, which may influence policy, budgeting, and facilities going forward. (Or not, given that the recent first budget vote by the council included restoring the 3% annual increase in charter per pupil facilities funds (for $17M) despite one of the studies showing that DC charters are annually … Continue reading In Brief: Recent Studies of DC Schools

As the DC council prepares to take its first votes on the budget, let’s plunge into some recent developments around our schools: --For much-needed swing space, DCPS is leasing the (presumably soon-to-be vacated) Anacostia Elementary building owned by DC Prep at 1409 V Street SE. The fiscal grotesquery could not be greater: Recall that DC … Continue reading As The Budget Turns

Back in March, I wrote about a DGS FOIA production covering 2021 through 2023 that showed that most DC charter schools do not pay rent for the former DCPS schools they lease from DC—all the while the production also made clear that DGS had no records or receipts for sublet proceeds due DC and no … Continue reading DGS Budget Oversight (Or, About That Charter Leasing Of Former DCPS Facilities)

On April 3, the mayor got her budget out—and the next day, budget oversight of DC’s education system began, with a hearing for public witnesses for the office of the state superintendent of education (OSSE), the deputy mayor for education (DME), and DCPS. That April 4 hearing started at about 9:22 am, about 20 minutes … Continue reading Survivor 2024: Budget Oversight Edition

According to a new DGS FOIA production, of 12 former DCPS school buildings for which DC charges rent to 10 charter leaseholders, only half of those leaseholders have paid rent owed between 2021 and 2024. In addition, DGS has granted charter leases for $0 rent for the rest of former DCPS buildings leased to charter … Continue reading Most DC Charters Pay Nothing For The Former DCPS Schools They Lease From DC–By Design

This year, instead of one massive council performance oversight hearing for all DC education agencies arising from committee of the whole oversight (RIP council education committee), we were treated to three (slightly less massive) hearings covering oversight of >$2 billion in taxpayer funds: --An 8-hour hearing on February 27 for public and government witnesses for … Continue reading Brief Recaps: Performance Oversight 2024

[Ed. Note: In 2022, Ward 8 residents harmed by a charter school development petitioned the zoning commission (ZC case 22-26) to have DC charter schools—all of which are private businesses--declared private for land use and development, thus ensuring better public oversight through the BZA (board of zoning adjustment) process. DC’s office of planning (OP) created … Continue reading The Undue Burden Of Charter Development On DC Residents