April 14, 2008, Letter from Lisa Raymond to Councilmembers

Dear Councilmember:

I am writing to voice my opposition to Mayor Fenty's proposal to the
DC City Council to eliminate two school budget hearings that are
required by law to be held before submitting the District of
Columbia Public Schools' budget to the Council. As the DC Board of
Education member elected to represent Wards 5 and 6 and the parent
of two DC public school children, I am concerned greatly by this
action. I ask that you work with the Mayor, the Chancellor, and the
broader DC community to reach a compromise that balances the
authority of the Chancellor with the rights of public school parents
and other concerned residents to weigh in on this important
process.

This proposal, according to an April 9th Washington Post
article, "Plan to Cut Hearings on School Budget Irks Activists," is
part of an effort to "have the school system treated the same as
other city agencies." I appreciate that DCPS is similar to other
agencies in that it provides a vital service upon which many of us
rely. As a parent, however, I have an enhanced right and
obligation to scrutinize the operations of an agency that is
responsible for the education and safety of my children for more
than 30 hours each week. But I and other parents cannot do that if
we cannot see detailed information about what the Mayor is proposing
for our schools.

If we are to effectively reform our schools, parents and other
community stakeholders must be part of the process. At the same
time, we should not place restrictions on the system that will slow
operations and prevent policymakers from advancing true reform.

The benefits associated with parent and community engagement are
well established. Through the DC State Board of Education, the
public has been involved in everything from shaping the District's
first-ever health standards to establishing rules for homeschooling,
greatly enhancing the quality of our work. Indeed, the federal No
Child Left Behind law recognizes this by requiring "adequate
opportunity" for parents and teachers to develop and comment on
plans to "restructure" chronically low-performing schools -- of which
DCPS currently counts 27.

The Mayor's proposal provides us with an opportunity to create a new
vehicle for community participation, as opposed to defending past
practices simply because "that's the way it's been done." I do not
believe that we should insist upon hearings just for the sake of
hearings, but work to ensure that we are accomplishing our true
goal: thoughtful, effective parent engagement that results in
higher achievement for our students.

The budget is the blueprint for how the Chancellor will implement
her vision and a crucial piece of the school reform puzzle. But as
with other efforts, it will be much more successful with relevant,
timely input from parents and other stakeholders, including
advocates upon whom many of us rely when we lack the time to digest
vast amounts of technical information.

The Chancellor has stated that she is willing to seek community
input in the budget process. However, without an agreed-upon
definition of what information the community will receive, and when,
this process is likely to be ineffective and result in continuing
frustration on both sides, further hindering DCPS's fight to keep
its current students and attract new families. And, unless citizens
can view actual line items, promises of new programs, such as art
and physical education, ring hollow.

For reform efforts to be successful, we must ensure a transparent
process this next budget cycle, with opportunities for full
engagement of the community. As an elected representative, I hope
that you will ensure that all parents and other concerned residents
can participate in a meaningful way.

Sincerely,

Lisa Raymond
Vice President, DC State Board of Education
Wards 5 & 6