Testimony and Letters

DME Response to June 21 letter below: 

Ward 4 Education Alliance

The Ward 4 Education Alliance brings together Ward 4 parents, students, educators, and community members to share information and advocate for continued improvement in the quality of education in Ward 4 DCPS schools.

                                                                                                                                                  June 21, 2024

Dear Mayor Bowser,

We appreciate your acceptance of the Advisory Committee’s recommendations and your statement that these recommendations will act as the city’s roadmap for the next 10 years. However, you note in your letter: because this is our second comprehensive boundary study, I have asked DCPS to review any Phase-in Policies from the first study conducted in 2014. Given the lack of clarity for affected families (particularly during and after the pandemic), any Phase-in Policies from 2014 will be addressed at a later time.

We request clarity on the exact review and rationale as well as for an exact end date to be put in place for phase-in policies from 2014.

What are the exact boundaries of the areas affected? Most of the phase-in policies from the study conducted in 2014 have been implemented.  Is the review DCPS will conduct on Recommendation 8 of the current Boundary and Student Assignment Study as noted below or does it include more?  Is it the area that will continue to have dual geographic rights to both their feeder school and Deal that is noted in the shading on this map? Could we have the exact boundaries? Does the indefinite delay also apply to Kelly Miller having dual rights to Eastern and Woodson?

March 2024 Study: DCPS shall, effective SY 2025-26, sunset the 2014 Boundary and Student Assignment revisions that extended the phase-in policy for families assigned to a new middle until 2022 (for instance, those neighborhoods that had extended phase-in policies maintaining rights to enroll at both MacFarland MS and Deal MS) as well as sunset the establishment of dual rights for 8th graders at Kelly Miller MS, removing their right to attend Eastern HS (by feeder right). This sunsetting ensures that every middle school attendance zone boundary will consist of the select elementary attendance zones designated to it, and no students will have multiple middle school geographic rights. [1]

Rationale for delay – With the reopening of MacFarland in 2016 and fully in 2018 and the opening of Ida B Wells in 2019 one reason for the delay has been addressed.  These schools are open and thriving.  The geographic dual rights were scheduled to end in 2022, that was extended to 2025 allowing for a phase in of 10 years.[2] What is the policy rationale for this second extension?

This carve out of a dual geographic right for specific neighborhoods was originally done in 1967 as part of the Hobson v Hanson court case to address segregation.  The demographics of the population in Crestwood and 16th Street Heights have  changed so that the children going across the park to Deal are no longer majority minority. [3]  This negates that reason, adds to the crowding in the Deal-Jackson Reed feeder pattern and does not support integration east of the park. The families living in this designated area are now an exception as the only ones in the city with a dual geographic right.  What is the rationale for no end date to this exception?

Our request is that you clarify the area, address any rationale for delay and establish a date certain for the end of this exclusive right when the August Implementation plan from DCPS is published. 

 A postponement of a year to 2026-2027 would permit information on sibling access and the phase- in it to be published in the My School Lottery and allow families and schools to plan.  With regard to Kelly Miller, since this was not a phase in, please clarify if this dual right, not based on program is ending and if not why? Kelly Miller is the sole feeder to Woodson HS

Establishing a definite date and abiding by it will give credibility to the difficult work of reaching consensus with lots of community input of the last two Advisory Committees on Student Assignment.  We look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Members of the Ward 4 Education Alliance including Cathy Reilly, Julie Lawson and Vanessa Rubio – who were Members of the Boundary and Student Assignment Study Group.

 Cc:

·        Chancellor Lewis Ferebee

·        Council Member Janeese Lewis George

·        SBOE Representative Frazier O’Leary

·        Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn

·        DME Director of Planning and Analysis Jennifer Comey

[1] https://dcgov.app.box.com/v/2023dcboundaryreport page 38

[2] https://dme.dc.gov/publication/boundary-and-school-assignment-tweaks-february-2015

[3]  https://www.niche.com/places-to-live/n/16th-street-heights-washington-dc/residents/

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

B25-0218 the Work Order Integrity Amendment Act of 2023.

 Testimony of Cathy Reilly Ward 4 Ed Alliance, SHAPPE October 12, 2023 

Thank you for this opportunity to testify. I facilitate the Ward 4 Education Alliance, C4DC and SHAPPE, the Senior High Alliance of Parents, Principals and Educators. This gives me the opportunity to attend many meetings and hear from many school communities. I am in full support of the B25-0218 the Work Order Integrity Amendment Act of 2023. 

It has been a consistent complaint over years that work is reported as completed and there are immediate issues like the leaks in a new Whittier roof. We have heard stories over the years from multiple schools on this issue. This effort on your part CM Lewis George working with Delano Hunter as DGS head to add this layer of accountability and local connection is appreciated and welcome. 

Primary for the high schools is the Woodson elevator. This is a three story school building where DCPS serves disabled students, it cannot be without an elevator at the start of school. Hard to stress this enough. 

Many of the modernized buildings have more complicated systems and this includes the locks (CHEC) and the HVAC systems (Roosevelt), they actually require more maintenance, and more training. With high staff turnover, Salesforce training and support in all DCPS schools has to be constant. 

For Start of school the new Raymond building is beautiful and the community is thrilled and grateful. Truesdell is now in 2 swing spaces one on site and one at Sharpe shared with Dorothy Height. They are grateful or the accommodation on swing space but still working on it all working smoothly. There was no provision made at the Truesdell site for staff parking. This site is where students are bussed from and return to for after school programs. The parking spots at Raymond are also limited. I support the District’s effort to reduce emissions and encourage public transportation. We just are not there yet. 

The neighborhood parking program will help but it is not enough. I know Roosevelt STAY forwarded a list to you, just putting on the record their requests as well. Top among them would be the necessity for Smart Boards, the timeline on starting the work to get the elevator and childcare center construction started. Basketball hoops are a small item that could be taken care of quickly.

 In closing, I want to acknowledge that the start of school this year was really smooth and while this hearing brings to the fore issues that need to be addressed. So much was done and the whole DGS team deserves thanks and an acknowledgement of that. 

PR25-285, the “Director of the Department of General Services Delano Hunter Confirmation

Resolution of 2023”

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Testimony of Cathy Reilly

Ward 4 Education Alliance

Thank you CM Lewis George for this opportunity to testify on the nomination of Delano Hunter to be Director of DGS. I do not know Mr. Hunter nor have I worked directly with him.  I appreciate that he is a District native with deep ties to this community and a lot of management experience in our city. 

Being the Director of DGS is a difficult job.  It is hard to be the government. We need qualified, skilled and committed people to work together on our behalf.  Your visits, CM Lewis George to the DPR and school sites illustrated how both complicated and essential the responsibilities of managing this agency are.  Given the wide ranging issues of school front doors not being secured to construction closing documents and work orders not being closed out properly, a lot is at stake.  The work of DGS affects the daily lives of our city’s children profoundly. 

In Ward 4 Ed Alliance meetings a high percentage of the issues raised involve DGS from security to rodent control to HVAC, water, mold and roof leaking problems.  This moment needs to represent a change in the way DGS operates.  I have never seen it noted that work orders are completed in an average of 30 days as noted in the responses submitted.  It may be that of the thousands the rate is improving, but this is contrary to all experience.  I hope that Mr. Hunter, if confirmed will commit to a high level of transparency, so that even if the numbers are bad, they are trusted numbers so the problem can be confronted. I believe the Council can conduct oversight in a way that is constructive.

DC may get a lot of awards for our LEED and net zero buildings, however they are definitely more difficult and costly to repair and maintain. There is a need for quality training of onsite people conducted often and with support. 

Along with management experience, knowledge of construction and maintenance issues is vital for the director. This has to be demonstrated.  Mr. Hunter, if he is confirmed has to know the price being paid is in the ballpark of appropriate.  We have to be able to trust that architects and contractors are not running things; that we have an able and qualified owner’s rep in our director. 

I was disappointed to read that DGS and DCPS may not participate in the school readiness walk through meetings that the Council members conduct.  These are not meant to be “gotcha” events but rather a collaborative informative time to ensure that schools are indeed ready with the partners present to make that assessment. While schools are just part of the inventory – ensuring that an agreed upon check list will be accomplished before opening day is essential. 

It is not always clear to see what belongs to DCPS and what belongs to DGS and this has been very frustrating.  This can be cleaned up so that it is not a blame game.  There are DGS pools in DCPS buildings, the equipment installed at the modernization with warranties should be tracked and it should be clear who has them, who needs to follow up and who has the budget to repair if they are out of warranty.  The lines of responsibility and budget need to be clear so that everything is included – now there are sometimes items that neither DCPS nor DGS claim.  Thank you!