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Bobb, Laying Out Bold Plan, Says He Will Fight a Mayoral Takeover
Robert C. Bobb, school board president-elect, with D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School student Christian Juarez.
(By Michael Williamson -- The Washington Post)
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Bobb wants to introduce a citywide early learning program aimed at preparing children from birth to age 5 for school. The program would begin with getting city agencies, such as the Health Department, to ensure that pregnant women and new mothers and their babies are receiving proper care.
The schools, like D.C. Bilingual, would become community centers for the early learning programs and offer after-school programs for students up to age 18 and health services and job training for parents.
"If families are strong and parents are able to support their children, that will have an impact on how well the children will be able to do in school," said Beatriz Otero, president and chief executive of CentroNía, an organization that operates the charter school.
As with the recent crime emergency, Bobb said the city should declare a "reading emergency" to deal with the high illiteracy rate.
He wants city officials to find a way for Superintendent Clifford B. Janey to reduce the 15-year timetable for repairing the schools to seven to 10 years. Bobb also said he would seek to restore confidence in the board by requiring that it conduct more of its business in public.
"If it's a private, closed meeting, we need to notify the public and say what's on the agenda, and when it's over, say what happened," he said.
Board members who take office in January will serve for two years. A law that gave Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) temporary power to appoint four of the nine board members will expire in 2008; the board is then scheduled to become an all-elected body.
Given the short time frame, Bobb said he wants to push city and school officials to move quickly on school reforms.
"My mind is rushing so much," he said. "I just think we have to create a sense of urgency in the District of Columbia. It will require an all-out effort from all of us."
