Vision for District IV and Wards 7 & 8

What do you feel is the most urgent issue facing District IV and the children and families living East of the (Anacostia) River in Wards 7 & 8?

Without a doubt, the most pressing issue facing Wards 7 & 8 is lack of equity. We do not get our fair share when it comes to education programs, facilities, staffing and fiscal resources. In terms of education programs, we lack specialty and small school programs and resources that schools West of the Park, like Banneker, School Without Walls, and McKinley Tech, receive.  Available data on staffing indicate that, generally, District IV schools suffer fewer certified teachers and teachers assigned to subjects outside their expertise.  Further, District IV students have had to contend with a disturbing lack of stability in school leadership: in the past 4 years, Woodson has had 2 principals, Anacostia 3 principals, and Ballou an unprecedented 4 principals.  Finally, in District IV, we lack equity in access to vocational education programs, and we do not receive the same level of prioritization within the modernization program. 

 

Why should voters elect you?

Voters should elect me because I possess the needed experience and I am accountable. I have served as Vice President of the Board of Education, balanced three consecutive budgets, and headed the development of the Master Facilities Plan.

I have the experience, I am committed, and I am accountable to the children and families of District IV.

 

What qualifications do you bring to the office you are seeking?

I am an educator who brings over 25 years of dedicated, committed public service to District IV and the communities of Wards 7 and 8. As a District IV resident, I know the people—they’re my family and neighbors, and I know the challenges they face. I listen, I am accessible, and I dialogue with community members and stakeholders through regular community meetings. I have the skills and know-how to bridge community needs & issues with resources in order to develop effective policy that benefits all our children.

 

What is the most important thing you want the Board of Education to accomplish during your next term on the Board?

I want the Board of Education to approve standards for all subject and content areas with curricula and assessment instruments; have all teachers certified in their content areas; have all principals certified and licensed; and improve the conditions of our facilities.

 

Do you believe that the Board of Education should be an advocate for the District of Columbia Public Schools, and if so, how should this advocacy be carried out?

Of course, the Board of Education should be the advocate for the DC Public Schools. The responsibility of the Board of Education is (and should remain) to set policy and have oversight authority over DC Public Schools; hire, evaluate, and terminate the Superintendent of Schools; hold public hearings to engage public participation; and maintain transparency throughout the development of policy.

 

What can and should the Board of Education do to ensure that the $3.2 billion school modernization program is completed on time and within budget?

The Board of Education should establish a standing committee that would have:

  • oversight responsibility over the modernization process
  • work with the public sector group established by the City Council to monitor and make recommendations to the Board of Education on
    school construction projects
  • establish a policy that would penalize construction management companies that do not complete projects on schedule and within budget and
  • establish a policy that would penalize construction management companies that do not comply with the First-Source Agreement, the DC Apprenticeship Program and the LSDBE Program

 

What can and should the Board of Education do to ensure that DCPS is fully prepared for the opening of the 2007–2008 school year?

The Board of Education has tasked the superintendent with establishing a process that ensures that all schools open on time, have sufficient textbooks and teachers, and that all facilities are clean and safe for student and staff occupancy.  The Board receives weekly updates beginning in August to ensure the readiness of schools’ opening.

 

What are your views on public charter schools?

I propose placing a moratorium on chartering any new schools until an analysis can be conducted of the overall impact charter schools have had on public education.  I believe that instead of duplicating efforts, public charter schools should only provide programs that are not traditionally available in regular public schools.  I would work with charter school leadership to perform a needs assessment to reveal exactly what types of charter school programs are needed to enhance and support the traditional public school system and provide additional options for parents and students in the District of Columbia.

 

What is your plan for the DCPS and the children and families of District IV?

Specifically, I pledge to

  • Ensure that national and local curricula are standardized and match the intensive educational mandates and needs of our children (It is important that no child be left behind, but national requirements have to keep in step with local needs while, at the same time, local efforts have to prepare children to be able to compete and succeed nationally.)
  • Build better curriculum expertise in reading  (Reading is fundamental to survival in the Information Age we live in.)
  • Increase teacher training and testing in reading so our teachers become even more highly qualified and effective in the classroom and learning lab
  • Provide appropriate and relevant professional development with measurable assessments for value. (Teacher and administrators need up-to-date support that actually helps them do their jobs better. No one wants to go to meetings and trainings just for the sake of meeting.)
  • Institute workforce development curricula, courses, and programs—for Carnegie Unit (CU) credit—in each and every school (Let’s truly prepare students for the workforce they are going to face when they graduate, and let’s make courses they take count toward graduation.)
  • Address the inadequate funding for personnel, facilities, and resources that cripples public education and leads to poor student outcomes
  • Introduce policy-level initiatives that increase accountability system wide
  • Create Carnegie Unit (CU) credit requirements for foreign languages that are standards based (Students should not only take foreign language classes in order to graduate; they should be able to use what they learned by demonstrating that posses certain basic foreign skills.)