[The following is a letter, dated today, addressed to Mayor Bowser from all eight ward-based education councils and education advocacy groups, offering a way for better schools planning. The deputy mayor for education is in the process of forming a task force to look into schools planning city-wide. The groups signing here want to ensure … Continue reading City Education Groups Offer the Mayor a Way to Better Schools Planning
Deadline to Apply for Student Advisory Committee: 9/14/15
[This below is just in from the state board of education--note the deadline is September 14! Go to the website to apply. Also, it appears that several different sites within the state board of education give varying information as to how many students will be included on this panel. VJ] The State Board of Education … Continue reading Deadline to Apply for Student Advisory Committee: 9/14/15
Data, Data Everywhere–and Not a Number to See
A constant refrain in the wake of the recent report by the National Research Council (NRC) on mayoral control of DC public schools (the 2007 PERAA law) is problems with data. But really, it’s the public that is the problem. As in: the educational data DC residents get (or not) for their tax investment in … Continue reading Data, Data Everywhere–and Not a Number to See
Where Have All the 4th Graders Gone?
The start of the school year at Tyler Elementary School found my daughter’s 5th grade class with four fewer students than they’d had in 4th grade. Her four classmates had left Tyler after 4th grade to attend a public charter school. I wanted to find out if something similar was happening at other DCPS elementary … Continue reading Where Have All the 4th Graders Gone?
Public Schools and Private Money
DC public school charity has become a summer news item. In May, the DC Public Charter School Board released its annual financial audit, which contained data about donations. The DC Fiscal Policy Institute (DCFPI) analyzed the audit, in a report released at the beginning of August. Then, in late August, the Post published two stories … Continue reading Public Schools and Private Money
Collaboration & Community with School Buildings
One of the great hopes for the new cross sector task force for collaboration between charters and DCPS is that school building use will be rationalized across the district. Ideally, duplicative programming in adjacent schools can be avoided—and new schools created with community input that reflects community needs and desires. Examples abound of the urgent … Continue reading Collaboration & Community with School Buildings
Education Committee Fall Agenda: Charter Fiscal Transparency, School Food Services
The education committee of the DC council is holding hearings this fall for a variety of things, including for a bill for charter school fiscal oversight and transparency (Oct. 14); public vetting of a new charter school board member (Sept. 17); school food services (Sept. 30); and, possibly, summer modernization work. But none of those … Continue reading Education Committee Fall Agenda: Charter Fiscal Transparency, School Food Services
School Renovations: The Once and Future of the DC Auditor’s Report
In June, the DC auditor released a scathing report on modernizations of DCPS schools, noting that two mayors and DGS (the city agency overseeing DCPS modernizations) failed to comply with the School Modernization Financing Act of 2006 in a variety of ways, including best practices, cost savings, and value. In July, DC's city council held a … Continue reading School Renovations: The Once and Future of the DC Auditor’s Report
How about using settlement money from Chartwells for DCPS libraries?
Peter MacPherson, an activist for DCPS libraries, penned the following appeal (below) last week. The idea is to use the $13.7 million that a court ordered Chartwells (the former DCPS food vendor) to pay to DC for not providing value in school meals for supporting DCPS libraries, whose collections have languished for years with outdated … Continue reading How about using settlement money from Chartwells for DCPS libraries?
Deputy mayor for education sets up task force for coordinating charters and DCPS schools; sign up NOW
[Ed note: The following is an email I received from the deputy mayor for education regarding a new task force for coordinating charters and DCPS schools. VJ] Dear Education Stakeholder, I am excited to announce the launch of the DC Cross-Sector Collaboration Task Force! The Task Force is charged with developing a report for the … Continue reading Deputy mayor for education sets up task force for coordinating charters and DCPS schools; sign up NOW
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