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Promises Kept, Promises Broken

When D.C. schools Chief Executive Julius W. Becton Jr. and the appointed board of trustees took over a year ago, they promised a complete overhaul of the city's troubled public school system. Here is what they have and have not accomplished:

Opening schools on time: Becton postponed the start of the school year by an unprecedented three weeks after a judge refused to let contractors finish roof work -- which didn't get underway until late summer -- while students were in the buildings.

Crumbling buildings: Sixty-two roofs have been repaired or replaced and six new boilers have been installed, at a cost of about $50 million. An additional $80 million in work is planned this school year. The recent settlement of a lawsuit over fire code violations means the work can proceed without relocating students. But the contracts are being audited because of cost and other concerns.

Counting students, employees: With past student and employee counts dismissed as unreliable, school officials say they now have accurate rosters of their approximately 10,000 employees -- who they are and where they work. A student count was conducted Oct. 30 but won't be made public until it is cross-checked with other records to eliminate errors.

Under-used schools: Trustees voted in April to close 11 schools. Two of the dozens of previously closed schools have been sold, and trustees have proposed selling six others. This would raise $7 million to $10 million for repairs to existing schools.

Teacher pay raise: A 5 percent raise for teachers, principals and assistant principals is in the 1998 budget. Administrators and union officials are still negotiating whether raises will be retroactive to Oct. 1.

Student testing: Students last month were given a nationally recognized and more rigorous achievement test. Some were tested in May, and they scored far below the national average in reading and math. School-by-school comparisons, promised by September, have not been released.

Poor principals: One principal was fired for cause, and the contracts of eight others were not renewed. Some of those eight retired, but others were given other administrative jobs. Officials have pledged to scrutinize principals more vigorously this year -- using test scores, parent surveys and site visits.

Textbooks and supplies: The school system saved money by submitting all textbook orders together in April. Officials say 97 percent were delivered by the first week of school. This was an improvement over last year but fell short of Becton's pledge that all books would arrive on time. Also, court-ordered and other temporary closures at 10 schools this fall left students without basic supplies and equipment at makeshift facilities.

Promotions: Starting this year, students in second, third and eighth grade will have to perform well on standardized tests and in class, or face mandatory summer school, to be promoted.

Substitute teacher shortage: Daily pay was increased from $56 to $80, comparable to surrounding jurisdictions. But many substitutes were hired as full-time teachers to fill last-minute vacancies, and others were eliminated after background checks showed they had criminal records. As a result, the substitute pool has shrunk from about 200 to fewer than 20. School officials hope to boost the substitute pool by removing former teachers from administrative jobs and getting the go-ahead to let retired teachers substitute without forfeiting part of their pensions.

Special education: The school system has signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education to correct deficiencies in programs for the disabled within three years. Becton hired a management consultant to make improvements, but critics say hearings and testing are more backlogged than ever. Newly hired deputy academic chief Eloise Brooks was given special responsibility this fall for special education.

Language minority students: Becton's new director of multicultural affairs has won praise from Latinos and Asians. Becton also has formed a multicultural task force and hired dozens of bilingual teachers, but community leaders say more must be done to help students for whom English is a second language.

Security: Becton boosted the number of walk-through metal detectors in the city's 19 high schools and placed the machines in all junior high schools and middle schools as well. He placed at least one security guard in every D.C. school and established an automated system to track security problems.