Washington, DC—The D.C. State Board of Education (State Board) will hold its monthly public meeting on  Wednesday,  September  20,  2023,  at  5:30  pm.  The  public  meeting  will  be  held  in  person  in  the  Old Council Chambers in the Marion S. Barry, Jr. Building (441 4th Street NW) and streamed live via District Knowledge Network (DKN). Materials for the State Board meetings can be found on our website.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will work on updating the DC School Report Card  this  fall  and  is  looking  for  public  feedback  on  how  the  DC  School  Report  Card’s  data  and  design should be improved. In addition to releasing a survey in the coming weeks, OSSE will collaborate with the State Board to host engagement sessions to provide multiple pathways for residents to provide feedback and hear from as many voices as possible. The State Board invites a panel of experts to share their insights on the changes to the DC School Report Card and make recommendations to improve its impact. Confirmed guests include:

• Brennan McMahon Parton, Vice President, State Policy and Advocacy, Data Quality Campaign
• Dr. Jonathan Schwabish, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
• Dr. Betsy Wolf, Education Research Scientist and Local Public School Parent

Bylaws of the State Board govern how the agency operates and are periodically reviewed and amended with improvements. The State Board voted to create committee appointments, which created the ad-hoc Bylaws Committee to revise existing State Board bylaws and establish formal standard operating procedures. The State Board will consider a resolution establishing the Bylaws and Standard Operating Procedures Working Group which will establish a final set of bylaws and standard operating procedures to be voted on by the State Board at the January 17, 2024 Public Meeting.

D.C.  has  a  robust  sports  history  and  a  rejuvenated  passion  for  sports  in  schools—an  important component  for  a  well-rounded  education  and  students’  development  of  long-term  fitness,  nutrition, health, and teamwork skills. In 2022, the Office of the Deputy Mayor of Education (DME) sponsored a High School Sports Review Study, the purpose being to significantly upgrade DCPS interscholastic sports  programs  and  improve  the  quality  and  competitiveness  of  D.C.  high  school  sports.  Findings suggest girl wrestlers are underrepresented, growth in the sport is inhibited by a lack of gender-specific teams, and girls’ wrestling coaches’ pay should align with that of coaches in neighboring counties.The State Board calls on DCPS, DCIAA, and DCSAA to officially sanction and fully fund wrestling as a sponsored  girls’  interscholastic  sport  in  all  DCPS  middle  and  high  schools  that  sponsor  wrestling, starting in the 2023-24 season.

The School Safety Enhancement Committee, which is currently being formed by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education, will investigate cross-sector policy, determine budget needs, and identifies solutions to persistent challenges to positively impact the D.C. youth safety landscape. The School Safety Enhancement Committee is seeking representatives who are knowledgeable about youth safety, can adopt a District-wide lens, are long-time District residents with an understanding of historical community violence in the District, live and/or work in safe passage priority areas, and have experience navigating District public schools—as a student or parent/guardian. The State Board will consider a resolution to select Daniel Davis, a District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) alumnus, a Ward 7 resident, and the Chief Student Advocate of the Office of the Student Advocate (OSA), to serve as a representative on the School Safety Enhancement Committee. 

Public Meeting Agenda
Please note that the agenda may be altered, modified, or updated without notice.

1. Call to Order  
2. Announcement of a Quorum  
3. Approval of the Agenda and Minutes  
4. Comments from the President of the DC State Board of Education
5. Comments from the State Superintendent of Education 
6. Panel on Updating the DC School Report Card Data and Design
   1. Brennan McMahon Parton, Vice President, State Policy and Advocacy, Data Quality Campaign
   2. Dr. Jonathan Schwabish, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute
   3. Dr. Betsy Wolf, Education Research Scientist and Local Public School Parent
   4. Written Testimony
      1. Ashley Carey, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Massachusetts Lowell School of Education
      2. Dr. Jack Schneider, Dwight W. Allen Distinguished Professor, University of Massachusetts Amherst
7. Public Comment
   1. Live Testimony  
      1. Maya Baum
      2. Brittney Henderson
      3. Rachel Hargreaves
      4. Mei Miles
      5. Raynalle Rouss
      6. Karley Sessoms
      7. Parag Bhuva
      8. Rian Reed
      9. Gabrielle Dubose
      10. Caroline Pryor
      11. Kelley Ukhun
      12. Carey Francis
      13. Jackeline Peña
      14. Alison Rice
      15. Kelsey Salvo
      16. Dieter Lehmann Morales
      17. Dallas Cherry Jr.
      18. Sarah Cole
      19. Laura Fuchs
      20. Scott Goldstein
8. Administrative (VOTE)
   1. SR23-9 Establishing Bylaws and Standard Operating Procedures Working Group
   2. SR23-10 Supporting D.C. Athletic Associations’ Sponsorship of Girls’ Wrestling
   3. SR23-11 Selecting Daniel Davis as a Representative to the School Safety Enhancement Committee
9. New Business  
10. Adjournment

 About the DC State Board of Education

The DC State Board of Education is an independent agency within the Government of the District of Columbia  that  advises  the  Office  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Education  (OSSE),  the  District’s  state education  agency.  The  State  Board  is  made  up  of  nine  elected  representatives,  each  representing  their respective  wards,  with  one  member  representing  the  District  at  large  and  four  appointed  student representatives. The State Board approves statewide education policies and sets academic standards, while OSSE  oversees  education  within  the  District  and  manages  federal  education  funding.  More  information about the SBOE can be found at sboe.dc.gov.

The Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education serves as an external, impartial resource for current and prospective school students and their parents or guardians in the resolution of complaints and concerns regarding public education in a way that furthers the students’ best interest. The Ombudsman’s Office uses conflict resolution strategies, including coaching, facilitation, and mediation, to assist families and schools experiencing disagreement or conflict.

The Office of the Student Advocate supports  students,  parents,  and  families  in  their  advocacy  through parent education, one-on-one coaching, resource supports, and trainings to amplify the voices of families and  communities  in  processes  and  decision-making;  to  provide  avenues  for  access  to  resources  and understanding systems; and to support power families and communities already possess. Contact the Office of the Student Advocate Monday through Friday at (202) 741-4692 for questions or support with charter and neighborhood schools.