| Page 2 of 2 < |
The Nuts and Bolts of the District's Educational System
The D.C. public school system is considered, and operates as, a state education agency. Under that arrangement, the D.C. Board of Education is the state board of education, and Janey is the chief state school officer.
As the state education agency, DCPS makes sure that all public schools and public charter schools comply with performance standards of the federal No Child Left Behind law. It also receives federal money to give to "local education agencies," defined as the DCPS and individual public charter schools.
As both a local and state education agency, the DCPS is responsible for policing itself on how it spends federal money and meets federal education requirements. The Senate D.C. Appropriations subcommittee recently raised concerns about that hierarchy and wants the DCPS to research ways to change it.
There's also a State Education Office . W hat's the difference between that and a state education agency?
The State Education Office falls under the mayor's office and was created in 2000 by the D.C. Council as a new "state" education body to address public education issues. It runs free and reduced lunch and summer feeding programs and administers the District's three financial-aid grants for higher education: the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant, the D.C. Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program and the D.C. Adoption Scholarship. It also verifies student enrollment and residency and calculates how much money should be spent per student. The office runs the federally funded Office of Public Charter School Financing and Support, which helps charter schools get loans and credit from banks to buy and renovate facilities.
City politicians often talk about improving education. What role do the mayor and D.C. Council play in education?
The mayor and the D.C. Council fund education by providing an annual operating budget for the DCPS and individual public charter schools. The mayor and the council also grant the DCPS an annual capital budget and give public charter schools an annual facilities allowance, drawing on money that comes from the city's operating budget.
The mayor controls school buildings that the D.C. Board of Education has declared to be surplus. The mayor appoints four members of the Board of Education and all members of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, in consultation with the D.C. Council. The D.C. Council provides oversight on education matters through its Committee on Education, Libraries and Recreation.
What about these school oversight boards -- why are some members appointed and others elected?
The D.C. Board of Education is an 11-member panel made up of five elected members, four members appointed by the mayor and two nonvoting student members. The School Governance Charter Amendment Act of 2000 established the combined elected-appointed board. That will change in 2008, when D.C. residents will elect all members of a nine-member board, one from each ward and an at-large board president. Those board members will take office in January 2009.
The D.C. Public Charter School Board is a seven-member panel appointed by the mayor from a list of 15 nominees submitted by the U.S. secretary of education, according to the 1996 School Reform Act. That board is operating with five members and has two vacancies.
How do I find out who represents me on the D.C. Board of Education?
Each of the four elected school board members represents two districts, which correspond to the city's eight wards. District 1, made up of Wards 1 and 2, is represented by Jeff Smith. District 2, made up of Wards 3 and 4, is represented by Victor Reinoso. District 3, made up of Wards 5 and 6, is represented by Tommy Wells. District 4, made up of Wards 7 and 8, is represented by William Lockridge. The board president, elected at large, is Peggy Cooper Cafritz. The appointed members are Carolyn N. Graham, Robin B. Martin, JoAnne Ginsberg and Carrie L. Thornhill. The two student representatives are nominated by teachers and elected by the Student Advisory Council, a citywide group of student leaders. Veronica Ferrell, a rising senior at Spingarn Senior High School, and Brittany Clark, a rising junior at Cardozo Senior High School, will serve a one-year term this year.
I have more questions. Where can I get more information?
Citizens have access to several kinds of information, including school test results and filed charter school applications. For DCPS, call 202-442-5635, e-mail callcenter@k12.dc.us or visit http:/
Sources: D.C. Board of Education, D.C. Council, D.C. Public Charter School Board, D.C. State Education Office, Friends of Choice in Urban Schools.
