Re: [WardFive] Re: Grosso Introduces Bill to Allow for Neighborhood Preference in Charter Schools

Under the municipal laws that govern schools, DC public charter schools and DC public schools are not supposed to self select their enrollment.  David Grosso's Bill to allow neighborhood preference in charter schools will negate that responsibility.  Few District residents or lawmakers are publicly willing to acknowledge that charter schools are quickly becoming the preferred venue for the new residents of the District of Columbia to the exclusion of all children.  Grosso's Bill promoting neighborhood preference was first mentioned in an obscurely placed article in the Washington Post in 2012. According to the article, the idea at the time was to allow neighborhood preference as an "experiment" in selected Wards of the City.  Until now, nothing further has been mentioned.

 

Charlotte  Lewis

Ward 5 Resident   

-----Original Message-----
From: Bradley A. Thomas <b-ashton-thomas@verizon.net>
To: dcalhoun <dcalhoun@dccouncil.us>
Cc: wardfive <wardfive@googlegroups.com>; ward5 <ward5@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tue, Apr 9, 2013 2:47 pm
Subject: [WardFive] Re: Grosso Introduces Bill to Allow for Neighborhood Preference in Charter Schools

This is a good first step and I applaud Councilmember Grosso for introducing the legislation but my question is this:  Why does it need to be voluntary?  Why can't charter schools be required to maintain an enrollment that includes a certain percentage of neighborhood students?  These schools are being granted charters by the taxpayers of the District of Columbia.  As taxpayers, we should demand neighborhood accountability, not just offer to allow the schools to consider it as an option.  As I said at the outset, this is a good first step but we need to go much further. 

Bradley A. Thomas

 

On 04/09/13, Councilmember At-Large David Grosso<dcalhoun@dccouncil.us> wrote:

 

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For Immediate Release  March 9, 2013 Contact: Dionne Johnson Calhoun  (202) 724-8105      Grosso Introduces Bill to Allow for Neighborhood Preference in Charter Schools   Today, Councilmember Grosso (I-At Large) introduced the Public Charter School Neighborhood Preference Act of 2013 in an effort to make high quality charter schools accessible to students that live in the surrounding neighborhood. The legislation would allow newly opened chartered schools to voluntarily provide an enrollment priority for applicants who reside within a particular neighborhood cluster.   Currently, there are 13 states that allow for a neighborhood preference in the charter school enrollment process. In the District, forty-three percent of our students are enrolled in charter schools. "For far too long this government has tried to ignore the presence of Charter schools in our neighborhoods, resulting in a lack of coordination, haphazard growth, and an inability to really progress with our education reform efforts," Grosso said.   "I am extremely pleased to introduce this important piece of legislation today. One of my top priorities on the Council is to work with the Committee on Education, parents and the community to ensure that every child has a high quality education," said Grosso. "This bill simply provides a charter school the option to make an investment in a particular neighborhood of this city, if it so chooses. With proper oversight and safeguards, it my hope that this would improve access to quality schools for students who live in under-served neighborhoods. While this legislation certainly does not solve all of our issues, it is a step in the right direction."    ###   Dionne Calhoun Communications Director & Community Affairs Councilmember At-Large David Grosso 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 406 Washington, D.C. 20004 (202) 724-8105     Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.

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