Since taking over the as Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Councilmember David Grosso has been focused on putting every student in the best position to succeed. Part of this work includes addressing issues beyond the classroom that affect students such as trauma. On June 23, 2015, the Committee on Education held a public roundtable on “The Value of Investing in Trauma-Informed Public Schools and Support Services.” This report is a summary of that roundtable.
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After visiting dozens of D.C. schools and speaking with parents and community members, I know that D.C. residents are committed to eliminating the achievement gap as quickly as possible. As chairman of the D.C. Council’s education committee, I grapple every day with the question of how I can level the playing field after unfair policies and investments.
In light of the recent rise in crime throughout the District, Councilmember David Grosso sent the following letter to Police Chief, Cathy Lanier, regarding MPD deployment as students return to school on Monday, August 24, 2015.
Councilmember David Grosso announces the scheduling of a public roundtable of the Committee on Education on PR21-0216, the District of Columbia Board of Library Trustees Victor Reinoso Confirmation Resolution of 2015 and PR21-0280, the Public Charter School Board Ricarda Ganjam Confirmation Resolution of 2015. The roundtable will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2015 in Hearing Room 120 of the John A. Wilson Building.
Councilmember David Grosso announces the scheduling of a public roundtable of the Committee on Education on B21-0271, the Early Learning Quality Improvement Network Amendment Act of 2015 and B21-0295, the Higher Education Licensure Commission Amendment Act of 2015. The roundtable will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2015 in Hearing Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building.
Councilmember David Grosso announces the scheduling of a public hearing of the Committee on Education on B21-0115, the Public Charter School Fiscal Transparency Amendment Act of 2015. The roundtable will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 14, 2015 in Hearing Room 120 of the John A. Wilson Building.
The stated purpose of B21-0115 is to amend the District of Columbia School Reform Act of 1995 to define a conflicting interest transaction for public charter schools; allow an eligible chartering authority to require the production of financial books and records of certain vendors that contract with public charter schools; to establish violation of such conflict of interest provisions as fiscal mismanagement; and to define the circumstances under which a nonprofit corporation that operates a public charter school shall be involuntarily dissolved.
The Committee on Education recently held eight Town Halls between June 16 and July 11, 2015. Each meeting had over 60 attendees and gave residents, parents, students, and teachers an opportunity to discuss with the Councilmember their concerns with school modernizations, teacher retention, and the struggles their children face. The events lasted for two hours with brief presentations from Grosso and staff followed by questions from the public.
Thanks to the D.C. Office of Cable Television you can watch my Ward 7 town hall meeting from earlier in July.
The last of my education town hall meetings are this week, and thanks to the D.C. Office of Cable Television, you can see what they were like even if you weren't able to attend. OCT recorded my Ward 5 town hall, with Councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, Deputy Mayor Jennifer Niles, and others in attendance.
Immediately following the announcement of the $19.4 million settlement between the District and one of the food service contractors for D.C. Public Schools (DCPS), Chartwells/Thompson Hospitality, I met with DCPS officials, the Attorney General, the Inspector General, and the D.C. Auditor to better understand the circumstances that led to the settlement with Chartwells and what action has been taken since the launch of the 2012 contract to ensure that this does not happen again.
Today, Councilmembers David Grosso (I-At-Large), Kenyan McDuffie, and Council Chairman Phil Mendelson convened a joint hearing on the “Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2015.” Grosso introduced this bill in February, to strengthen existing law by increasing the standards of language access for all education and government services for all of our non-English proficient residents.
Today, Councilmember David Grosso issued the following statement on the recently announced $19.4 million settlement with the food service contractor for D.C. Public Schools (DCPS).
All hearings and roundtables will be at the John A. Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW.
June 22 –- PERAA Roundtable Part II -– 11am (Rm 500)
This is the continuation of a public roundtable on the summative evaluation of public schools in the District of Columbia as required by the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007. Please contact Christina Henderson at chenderson@dccouncil.us by close of business Thursday, June 18 to testify.
June 23 -- Value of Investing in Trauma-Informed Public Schools and Support Services –- 1pm (Rm 123)
The purpose of this roundtable is to learn more about the importance of trauma-informed schools and environments. How do we identify students affected by trauma? What exactly does it mean to be trauma-informed? What types of existing services and trainings are available to students and school-based staff in this regard? How can the District of Columbia better coordinate and improve mental health services for students? Please contact Christina Henderson at chenderson@dccouncil.us by close of business Friday, June 19 to testify.
June 29 –- Joint Education & Committee of the Whole Roundtable on Truancy -– 11am (Rm 123)
The purpose of this roundtable is to receive testimony from government witnesses and partners, including the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, the Child and Family Services Agency, the District of Columbia Public Schools, the Public Charter School Board, and the Justice Grants Administration regarding truancy in the District and the continued implementation of truancy reform initiatives. Please contact Christina Setlow at csetlow@dccouncil.us by close of business Thursday, June 25 to testify.
July 1 -– Joint Education, Judiciary & Committee of the Whole Hearing on B21-66, the Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2015 -– 11am (Rm 412)
The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on B21-0066, the Language Access for Education Amendment Act of 2015. Please contact Kate Mitchell at kmitchell@dccouncil.us by close of business Friday, June 26 to testify.
July 6 -– Hearing on B21-239, the Testing Integrity Amendment Act of 2015 -– 1pm (Rm 123)
The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on B21-0239, the Testing Integrity Amendment Act of 2015. Please contact Christina Henderson at chenderson@dccouncil.us by close of business Thursday, July 2 to testify.
July 8 -– Joint Education and Transportation & the Environment Roundtable on DGS Contracting and Procurement Practices for Constructing and Modernizing District of Columbia Public Schools -– 11am (Rm 500)
This roundtable is specifically on the Department of General Services contracting and procurement practices for constructing and modernizing facilities for DCPS. Please contact Aukima Benjamin at abenjamin@dccouncil.us by close of business Monday, July 6 to testify.
Today, the D.C. Auditor and the National Academy of the Sciences published a summative evaluation of the progress made in D.C. public education since the 2007 Public Education Reform Amendment Act, which fundamentally transformed education in our city. You can read and download the report below, and watch the hearing held by the Committee on Education on the report.
Councilmember Grosso provides a brief video update on the Fiscal Year 2016 budget that the D.C. Council passed on May 27, 2015. You can read more about the budget in Grosso's press releases and see the details of the Committee on Education's budget in its report. Grosso also invites community members to education town hall meetings over the next month and a half.
Please join Councilmember Grosso for community town hall events between June 16 and July 11, 2015. The Councilmember will hold a meeting in each Ward to hear from residents, parents, students, and education stakeholders about public education in the District of Columbia.
For Immediate Release
May 27, 2015
Contact: Dionne Johnson Calhoun
(202) 724-8105
D.C. Budget Passes with All of Grosso’s Priorities
Washington, D.C. –- Today, the D.C. Council voted on the bills that comprise the D.C. fiscal year 2016 budget–-the “Budget Request Act of 2015” and the “Budget Support Act of 2015.” Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large) worked closely with his colleagues to ensure inclusion of his top priorities in the budget.
“This particular budget and vote is significant as it is my first while chairing the Committee on Education. For this Council period, education and housing were designated as the Council’s two top priorities. I am pleased that a comprehensive budget to benefit District of Columbia residents was developed in the areas of education, workforce development, transportation, and health and human services, with historic investments for a strategic pathway to end homelessness,” said Grosso.
Grosso’s Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Victories
Education
Under Grosso’s leadership, the Education Committee approved a $2.4 billion budget that reversed proposed cuts to the library system, supported modernization of the Martin Luther King, Jr. central library, and brought a new, objective approach to determining capital funding for D.C. Public Schools, based on equity and data, not politics. In the coming months, the Committee will hold town hall meetings in every ward to share the analytical framework for determining school modernization priorities. Grosso allocated $1.6 million for a new literacy intervention program, targeted at 3rd grade reading success. Equipping these young students with the basic building blocks of learning—reading and writing—will ensure that they are on track to succeed throughout their academic careers. Grosso transferred $760,000 to the Committee of the Whole to restore funding to the University of the District of Columbia that the Mayor had proposed to cut. Grosso also allocated almost $700,000 to DCPS to make up for funding losses at schools such as Wilson and Ballou High Schools, and $450,000 to restore funding for SAT and ACT test preparation courses for D.C. high school students. Grosso included language in the Budget Support Act that broadens the scope of the Bullying Prevention Taskforce and extends its term until August 2018. Grosso also allocated $266,000 to expand the Community Schools program, which supports students and their families by providing wrap-around services. New language in the Budget Support Act also strengthens the program and expands the pool of potential applicants to include middle schools. Meeting the needs of these students and their families in a comprehensive way is part of Grosso’s vision to put every student in the best position to learn and achieve.
The Arts
As a world class city, Grosso believes we must plan and develop strategies to sustain a thriving artistic and creative sector. To that end, Grosso identified and transferred $200,000 to the Committee of the Whole to fund a comprehensive, citywide cultural plan. This plan, housed in the Office of Planning, will enable the city to identify the current level of service for cultural groups in each neighborhood; detail the feedback from community outreach; establish a strategy to meet the specified needs of each community; quantify the economic impact of arts and culture; and ultimately put forth a targeted approach to increase cultural activity citywide.
Food Security & Recreation
Grosso believes a sustainable food system encourages local food production and distribution that makes nutritious food accessible and affordable to all D.C. residents. For this reason, he introduced the D.C. Urban Farming and Food Security Act of 2014, which became official law on April 30, 2015. Grosso worked closely with the Committee of the Whole to ensure that the intent of the legislation was preserved and funded to move urban agriculture efforts forward in the city. The funding allocated for the D.C. Urban Farming and Food Security Act enables residents using their property for urban agriculture purposes to take advantage of a 90% tax abatement program. Additionally, the legislation enables those tax exempt entities that allow farmers to grow and sell produce on their property to maintain their tax exempt status.
An additional program that has proven its value and has Grosso’s support is the Produce Plus Program, which is a farmers market incentive program designed to increase access to healthy and nutritious food options for low-income D.C. residents. The final budget includes $350,000 for this program to ensure that all our residents can afford to eat healthy.
Health & Human Services
As a strong supporter of reproductive and sexual health and rights, Grosso has worked to support programs such as peer-led sex education in schools and in this budget allocated $300,000 to the Committee on Health and Human Services for teen pregnancy prevention programs. This funding will help fill the gap left by the end of activities of a private foundation that supported such programs locally.
Throughout the budget process, Grosso has also been a vocal proponent of stepping up to the plate to end homelessness in D.C. He is very pleased that the Council’s approved budget builds on the Mayor’s proposed increases in homelessness and human services in line with the strategic plan developed by stakeholders.
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Below please find the full and final Education Committee Report and Recommendations on the Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request and Budget Support Acts. The report and recommendations were unanimously approved by the Committee on May 14. Please note that all information contained here is subject to change prior to the full D.C. Council votes on the budget on May 27 and June 16.
The $2.4 billion budget for the city’s public education system, including public schools, charter schools, and libraries, next goes to the full Council for a vote.
By Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post, April 29, 2015
D.C. Council member David Grosso proposed new rules Wednesday that would govern the council’s decisions about how to fund school renovations in the future, aiming to make more efficient and equitable use of the resources the city spends to improve public school facilities.