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Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
3
Current
law
requires
uniform
funding
for
all
public
schools,
whether
DCPS
or
charter,
yet
this
Administration
has
attempted
to
undermine
charter
schools
at
every
turn.
It
has
given
DCPS
millions
of
dollars
outside
the
Uniform
Formula
to
cover
over-‐spending.
Facilities
maintenance,
crossing
guards,
and
legal
services
are
provided
to
DCPS
schools
at
the
government’s
expense,
while
charter
schools
have
been
left
to
fend
for
themselves.
While
public
schools
undergo
a
multi-‐billion
dollar
renovation,
charter
schools
are
forced
to
obtain
private
facilities
at
market
rates,
diverting
precious
resources
away
from
programs
to
cover
the
cost.
For
two
years
in
a
row,
the
Administration
made
drastic
cuts
to
the
facilities
allotment
for
charter
schools
and
continues
to
refuse
to
establish
a
transparent
process
where
charters
are
allowed
the
first
right
of
refusal
for
vacant
public
school
property.
As
Chairman,
Vince
Gray
has
been
a
champion
of
the
charter
school
movement
–
defeating
each
of
the
Administration’s
attempts
to
cut
charter
school
funding,
and
forcing
the
Administration
to
begin
working
with
charters
to
transition
vacant
public
school
property.
Vince
Gray
will
bring
an
end
to
the
days
in
which
charters
are
pitted
against
traditional
public
schools
for
precious
city
resources.
As
Mayor,
he
will
convene
a
Blue
Ribbon
Panel
of
national
and
local
experts
that
will
deliver,
within
three
months
of
taking
office,
a
blueprint
for
bringing
parity
to
the
way
in
which
per
pupil
funding
and
DC
agency
services
are
delivered
to
DCPS
and
charter
school
students
and
recommend
a
clear
and
transparent
process
for
the
transition
of
vacant
public
school
facilities
to
charter
schools.
A
HOLISTIC,
BIRTH-‐TO-‐24
APPROACH
TO
EDUCATION
Decades
of
research
indicate
that
intensive,
high-‐quality
early
education
can
close
the
achievement
gap
and
ensure
better
outcomes
for
all
children.
Indeed,
these
programs
have
proven
to
greatly
reduce
the
likelihood
that
kids
will
end
up
in
the
juvenile
justice
system
or
need
special
education
services
down
the
line.
The
logic
is
simple
-‐
when
we
invest
early,
the
better
our
children
will
achieve,
and
the
more
tax
dollars
we
will
save.
Vince
Gray
understands
this.
As
Council
Chairman,
he
began
to
implement
this
solution
–
by
enacting
a
bold
initiative
to
create
universal
pre-‐k
for
every
three-‐
and
four-‐year-‐old.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
institute
a
comprehensive
‘Success
By
Five’
initiative
whose
goal
will
be
to
ensure
that
children
are
prepared
for
school
and
life
success
by
the
time
they
reach
the
first
grade.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
Make
prenatal,
infant,
and
toddler
care
affordable
and
accessible
to
all
children.
Scientific
research
shows
that
high-‐quality
prenatal,
infant,
and
toddler
care
can
prevent
life-‐long
learning
delays
and
mitigate
developmental
disparities
among
children
from
varying
socio-‐economic
backgrounds.
High-‐quality
care
for
infants
and
toddlers
is
also
a
critical
life
support
for
working
families
and
can
help
enable
parents
on
welfare
to
go
back
to
work
or
acquire
critical
job
training.
Yet,
accessing
affordable,
high-‐quality
care
in
the
District
is
a
major
challenge
for
families
across
the
city
–
regardless
of
income
level
or
background.
Currently,
over
6,000
families
are
on
infant/toddler
care
waiting
lists
across
the
city,
and
the
cost
of
care
for
just
one
toddler
can
range
between
$10,000
and
$20,000
a
year.
As
a
result,
our
city’s
infant/toddler
care
crisis
forces
parents
to
choose
between
their
job
or
their
children,
and
means
that,
in
many
cases,
young
children
are
left
in
tenuous
childcare
situations.
Vince
will
take
several
steps
towards
making
early-‐childhood
education
more
affordable:
• Vince
will
make
sure
that
we
offer
comprehensive,
pre-‐natal
to
toddler
programs
with
strong
family
involvement
components
to
serve
families
with
special
needs
children
and
children
who
are
most
at
risk
of
developmental
delays
and
eventual
failure
in
school.
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
4
• Vince
will
launch
a
local
supplement
to
the
Federal
Child
and
Dependent
Care
Tax
Credit
Program
and
broaden
eligibility
requirements
to
include
more
working
and
middle
class
families.
• Vince
will
then
incentivize
child
development
centers
to
expand
infant/toddler
care
in
high-‐
demand
areas
by
opening
up
access
to
small
business
tax
credits
and
increasing
the
child
care
subsidy
rate
for
infants
and
toddlers.
Continue
to
champion
voluntary
pre-‐k
for
all
children.
In
2008,
Vince
Gray
led
the
Council’s
efforts
to
enact
the
Pre-‐K
Enhancement
and
Expansion
Act.
With
almost
2,000
slots
opened
in
just
two
years,
we
are
nearing
our
goal
of
offering
free,
voluntary
pre-‐k
to
every
three-‐
and
four-‐year-‐old
in
the
District
of
Columbia.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
finish
the
job
he
began
as
Chairman
in
three
critical
ways:
• Finish
ensuring
universal
access
for
all
children;
• Ensure
all
new
and
existing
pre-‐k
classrooms
meet
the
highest
possible,
research-‐based
quality
standards;
• Ensure
all
children
successfully
transition
from
infant/toddler
programs
to
pre-‐k
programs
and
then
onto
Kindergarten.
COMMON-‐SENSE
STEPS
TOWARDS
CITYWIDE
HIGH-‐QUALITY
K-‐12
EDUCATION
Vince
Gray
is
proud
of
the
efforts
made
by
our
students,
teachers,
families,
and
schools,
which
have
led
to
steady
improvement
on
the
National
Assessment
of
Educational
Progress
(NAEP)
tests
since
the
late
1990s.
While
improved
standardized
test
scores
are
a
step
in
the
right
direction,
Vince
Gray
knows
that
this
cannot
be
the
sole
measure
of
success
for
D.C.
public
schools.
In
the
end,
we’re
not
looking
for
our
children
to
learn
to
take
standardized
tests.
We
want
them
to
learn
the
skills
they
need
to
thrive
in
the
real
world.
But
if
we
expect
to
give
our
children
the
tools
they
need
to
succeed,
we
need
to
give
our
schools
and
teachers
the
tools
they
need
to
help
them
get
there.
With
Vince
Gray
as
Mayor,
he
will
set
ambitious
citywide
transformative
goals
that
are
more
than
five
point
gains
on
the
NAEP
scores
and
focus
the
entire
energy
of
the
government
on
making
sure
that
our
schools
succeed,
and
that
our
children
excel.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
Hold
public
school
teachers
accountable,
while
giving
them
the
resources
and
respect
they
deserve.
Our
teachers
are
on
the
front-‐line
every
day,
making
sure
that
our
children
are
prepared
for
life
after
school.
We
need
to
both
respect
our
teachers
and
hold
them
accountable.
It’s
time
that
they
are
held
accountable
for
their
work
in
the
classroom,
and
treated
with
the
respect
they
deserve.
The
new
teachers’
contract
provides
an
excellent
opportunity
to
instill
a
new
era
of
accountability,
meritocracy,
and
collaboration.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
• Recognize
and
reward
high-‐performing
teachers;
remove
low-‐performing
teachers
from
the
system.
He
will
work
with
our
chancellor
and
teachers
to
ensure
that
the
pay
for
performance
negotiated
in
the
new
teachers’
contract
is
developed
and
implemented
in
a
way
that
results
in
success
for
our
students.
• Move
swiftly
to
implement
the
independent
evaluation
of
the
current
IMPACT
evaluation
system
as
required
in
the
new
teachers’
contract.
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
5
• Ensure
that
we
have
a
fair
and
research-‐based
evaluation
system
that
holds
our
teachers
accountable
but
also
provides
multiple
strategies
for
assessing
student
growth
(e.g.,
teacher
portfolios)
and
teacher
effectiveness.
• Use
student
achievement
as
a
component
of
teacher
evaluation
in
a
way
that
holds
all
stakeholders
accountable.
• Ensure
that
all
schools
have
equity
in
resources
based
on
fully
developing
the
certified
classroom
effort
referenced
in
the
new
teachers’
contract.
• Provide
high
quality
and
job-‐embedded
professional
development
to
ensure
that
our
children
are
being
taught
by
highly
trained
and
effective
teachers.
• Work
with
our
chancellor
and
the
union
to
fully
implement
the
new
teacher
induction
program,
referred
to
in
the
new
teachers’
contract,
to
ensure
our
new
teachers
have
the
support
they
need
to
be
effective,
and
want
to
remain
as
teachers
in
our
school
system.
A
key
goal
of
a
Gray
Administration
will
be
to
help
ensure
that
every
public
school
is
living
up
to
its
potential.
Under
his
leadership,
DCPS
will
provide
resources
to
those
schools
that
have
not
yet
benefited
from
school
reform.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
Conduct
a
school-‐by-‐school
assessment
of
the
impact
of
reform
strategies
that
have
already
been
implemented
in
an
effort
to
turn
around
our
low
performing
schools
and
see
what
has
worked
and
what
hasn’t.
Work
to
ensure
that
strategies
that
we
implement
to
improve
our
low
performing
schools
are
innovative
and
research-‐based
to
increase
the
probability
of
success
for
our
students.
Fully
implement
the
language
in
the
new
teachers’
contract
that
addresses
low
performing
schools.
Give
our
public
schools
the
same
flexibility
and
freedom
that
have
made
charter
schools
successful.
The
recipe
for
the
success
of
the
charter
school
movement
is
that
autonomy
provides
great
latitude
to
implement
creative
new
strategies
for
academic
success.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
empower
DCPS
and
the
Public
Charter
School
Board
with
increased
collaboration
and
resources
to
ensure
that
high
standards
for
academic
achievement
are
maintained,
successful
practices
are
shared,
and
struggling
schools
are
afforded
the
support
they
need
to
improve.
He
will
work
with
his
school
leadership
team
to
promote
greater
autonomy
for
public
schools
to
implement
creative
turn-‐around
strategies
and
make
decisions
that
are
responsive
to
community
and
parent
needs
–
in
exchange
for
rapid
school
improvement.
Finally,
competitive
grants
will
be
offered
as
incentives
for
top
performing
schools
to
provide
technical
assistance,
develop
ways
to
replicate
successful
models
and
assist
struggling
schools
in
improving
their
performance.
Work
to
ensure
all
children
are
reading
by
the
time
they
reach
third
grade.
The
primary
driver
of
school
success
is
a
child’s
ability
to
read.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
call
for
a
renewed
focus
on
reading
in
the
early
grades
and
work
with
schools
to
align
standards,
curriculum,
instruction
and
assessments
into
a
best
practice
Pre-‐K
to
Third
Grade
continuum
with
a
focus
on
the
prevention
of
reading
and
math
problems,
to
ensure
that
by
the
time
children
enter
third
grade,
all
children
will
be
on
grade
level
or
above
in
both
reading
and
math.
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
6
Offer
robust,
comprehensive
middle
and
high
school
options
in
every
segment
of
the
city.
We
have
allowed
a
massive
gap
to
emerge
between
our
specialized
selective
high
schools
and
our
comprehensive
middle
and
high
schools.
It
is
no
surprise
then
that
our
city’s
graduation
rates
have
stagnated
–
showing
only
mild
two
to
three
percent
fluctuations
in
the
past
decade.
The
current
administration
has
chosen
a
typical
photo-‐op
approach
to
the
problem,
using
fuzzy
math
to
quickly
claim
victory
over
a
three
percent
“jump”
in
the
graduation
rate.
Meanwhile,
they
perpetuate
the
two-‐
city
tale
for
secondary
education
by
proposing
a
new
arts
and
magnet
middle
school
while
whole
segments
of
the
city
lack
a
middle
school
at
all,
and
the
current
middle
schools
languish.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
• Ensure
that
the
secondary
school
funding
provided
by
the
Uniform
Formula
reaches
all
the
students
for
whom
it
is
intended.
• Leverage
the
social
and
human
capital
in
our
local
community
to
create
rich
school
partnerships
with
the
District’s
great
universities,
teaching
hospitals,
museums,
and
government
institutions.
• Partner
with
private
industry
and
foundations
to
bring
innovative
programs
to
our
middle
and
high
schools
in
all
segments
of
the
city
–
with
guidance
and
commitment
from
neighborhood
and
ward
communities.
• Mandate
that
DCPS
work
with
each
local
school
community
to
offer
advanced
academic
and
other
special
programs
in
every
middle
and
high
school.
At
the
end
of
his
first
term,
we
will
see
comprehensive
middle
and
high
schools
in
every
segment
of
the
city
–
no
local
community
will
lack
robust
public
school
secondary
options.
Integrate
career
and
technology
curricula
into
all
DC
High
Schools.
Vince
Gray
understands
that
we
need
to
prepare
our
students
for
success
in
today’s
ever-‐changing,
global
economy,
whether
they
choose
to
go
straight
to
work
or
pursue
higher
education.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
work
with
the
business
community
to
build
rigorous,
high
quality
career
and
technical
education
(CTE)
programs
that
will
help
all
students.
The
new
CTE
will
give
all
students
the
strong
academic
foundation
they
need,
while
pairing
it
with
technical
and
occupational
skills
that
will
help
them
find
jobs.
Unlike
the
traditional
model,
wherein
“vocational”
programs
are
merely
segregated
into
separate
schools,
and
sometimes
unfairly
stigmatized,
the
new
CTE
programs
will
also
be
integrated
within
our
typical
“academic”
schools,
enabling
college-‐bound
and
technical
career-‐bound
students
to
benefit
from
both
types
of
curricula.
Students
will
have
the
opportunity
to
learn
employable
skills
such
as
CAD/CAM
design,
network
administration,
computer
security,
computer
systems
programming,
health
and
medical
sciences,
and
much
sought
after
construction
skills.
Balance
school
modernization
efforts
in
all
quarters
of
the
city.
In
some
areas
of
the
city,
school
modernization
projects
have
been
spared
no
expense.
In
other,
more
underserved
areas,
modernization
efforts
have
yet
to
come
to
fruition.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
not
only
complete
modernization
efforts
that
are
planned
and
in-‐progress,
but
he
will
ensure
that
school
modernization
is
envisioned
more
comprehensively,
inclusive
of
all
schools
and
communities,
and
meets
the
immediate
and
long-‐term
needs
of
school
communities.
Reform
special
education.
Finally.
Special
education
in
the
District
remains
a
national
travesty,
and
the
current
Mayor
has
failed
to
lead.
Costs
have
risen
$60
million
in
the
last
three
years
alone,
and
we
waste
tens
of
millions
of
dollars
paying
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
7
for
legal
fees,
transportation,
and
private
education
for
our
special-‐needs
kids
outside
District
boundaries.
Instead,
we
should
serve
their
needs
successfully
inside
our
own
system.
Vince
will:
• Work
to
build
capacity
to
meet
special
education
needs
in
local
schools
• Invest
in
early
intervention
services
to
target
and
address
these
needs
early,
while
they
are
less
severe
and
less
expensive
to
treat.
• Serve
children
with
developmental
delays
in
mainstream
pre-‐k
and
infant
and
toddler
programs
in
order
to
mitigate
the
consequences
of
these
delays.
• Work
to
foster
a
climate
of
trust
and
avoid
the
need
for
expensive,
often
contentious,
litigation.
• Work
to
establish
fixed
rates
for
special
education
providers
to
regulate
costs
and
produce
immediate
savings.
• Reinvest
the
dramatic
savings
that
can
be
achieved
by
providing
special
education
within
the
city.
Provide
a
safe
learning
environment
for
our
students.
Our
students
cannot
enjoy
a
quality
learning
environment
if
our
schools
are
constantly
plagued
with
safety
issues,
and
teachers
spend
25%
or
more
of
their
time
addressing
disciplinary
issues
in
the
classroom.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
Work
with
the
chancellor
and
teachers
to
fully
implement
the
Behavior
Management
and
Disciplinary
programs
that
are
contained
in
the
new
teachers’
contract.
Provide
those
students
with
chronic
behavior
issues,
which
interrupt
teaching
and
learning,
the
kind
of
intervention
and
support
they
require
to
address
their
needs
and
become
successful
learners.
ENSURE
EVERY
DISTRICT
HIGH
SCHOOL
GRADUATE
IS
COLLEGE
BOUND
AND
JOB
READY
Only
one
in
ten
graduates
of
District
high
schools
complete
college.
To
attend
and
complete
college,
our
young
people
often
have
to
go
out-‐of-‐state
or
pay
exorbitant
tuition
rates
at
private
universities
because
our
city’s
public
university
lacked
the
resources
to
support
their
needs.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
make
it
easier
for
District
high
school
graduates
to
go
to
college.
He
will
mobilize
the
District’s
entire
higher
education
community,
including
private
institutions
and
UDC,
to
offer
the
support
District
high
school
graduates
need,
and
he
will
work
with
the
public
university
system
to
ensure
robust
options
are
available
throughout
the
city.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
Place
a
college
degree
and/or
career
opportunity
within
reach
for
every
District
resident.
• Vince
will
double
the
number
of
guidance
counselors
across
all
high
schools,
and
mandate
that
they
work
with
every,
single
high
school
senior
and
their
family
to
develop
a
“College
Bound
and
Job
Ready”
personal
action
plan.
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
8
• Vince
will
charge
the
Deputy
Mayor
for
Education
with
developing
and
offering
citywide
senior
summer
and
first
year
college
preparation
programs
to
high
school
seniors,
at
low-‐cost,
to
bridge
the
gap
between
a
high
school
diploma
and
what
is
required
at
the
first
year
of
college.
• Vince
will
work
with
private
institutions
and
the
business
community
to
launch
a
“College
Bound
and
Job
Ready”
Financial
Aid
and
Support
Program.
In
exchange
for
years
of
community
service
during
or
after
high
school
or
financial
need,
hard-‐working
high
school
graduates
will
be
rewarded
with
on-‐going
support,
loans
and
scholarships
through
their
job
training
or
college
experience.
Ready
our
workforce
for
the
jobs
of
the
future.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
work
with
DC’s
higher
education
and
business
communities
to
become
the
first
line
of
training
for
students
preparing
for
careers
in
Green
Energy,
Health
Informatics,
Biotech,
and
Nanotech
industries.
Through
technology
incubation
and
a
strategic,
21st
century
economic
development
programs,
we
can
help
our
young
people
attain
these
jobs
in
proven,
emerging
industries.
And
he’ll
continue
to
be
a
leader
in
ensuring
that
residents
have
access
to
higher
education
and
workforce
development,
including
leading
the
charge
to
make
the
former
Backus
Middle
School
an
integral
part
of
the
community
college
and
a
place
where
residents
can
get
the
workforce
training
they
need
to
compete.
Provide
post-‐secondary
opportunities
for
residents
no
matter
where
they
live.
Vince
Gray
believes
that
people
need
to
have
education
options
in
their
neighborhoods.
Vince
worked
closely
with
the
University
of
the
District
of
Columbia
to
launch
a
new
Community
College
that
will
eventually
ensure
our
citizens
are
able
to
compete
in
a
21st
century
economy.
Vince
has
challenged
CCDC
to
have
a
presence
in
each
ward.
Vince
envisions
CCDC
partnering
with
local
businesses,
community
organizations
and
District
government
in
providing
specialized
workforce
training
and
continuing
education
that
enhance
people’s
lives.
Cities
like
San
Francisco,
London
and
Tokyo
are
on
the
cutting
edge
of
innovation
and
workforce
development.
The
District
can
transform
itself
into
a
city
that
leads
in
developing
ideas
and
in
providing
workers
to
create
a
21st
century
city
of
innovation.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
convene
a
Community
of
Learning
Conference
which
brings
together
local,
regional
and
national
leaders
to
examine
how
the
District
can
transform
itself
into
a
community
of
learning
where
lifelong
education
is
sustained,
is
located
where
residents
live
and
will
provide
people
with
the
education
they
need
to
adapt
to
workforce
needs.
TRANSPARENCY,
ACCOUNTABILITY
AND
SOUND
MANAGEMENT
Education
reform
can
be
successful
only
if
managed
effectively.
That
has
sadly
not
been
the
case
under
the
current
Administration.
We’ve
seen
too
many
cases
of
inefficiency,
budget
mismanagement,
taxpayer
dollars
squandered
on
failed
projects,
and
missed
opportunities
at
receiving
federal
dollars.
Vince
Gray
will
bring
sound
management
and
accountability
to
education
reform.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will:
Bring
sound,
financial
stewardship
to
the
education
system.
Annually,
the
District
invests
billions
of
dollars
in
the
education
of
its
children
and
young
people
through
early
childhood
education,
DC
public
schools,
public
charter
schools,
the
University
of
the
District
of
Columbia,
and
the
modernization
of
school
facilities.
Despite
what’s
at
stake,
the
decisions
over
how
public
education
dollars
are
invested
increasingly
have
been
made
with
no
feedback
from
the
broader
community
and
(in
many
cases)
even
the
Office
of
the
Chief
Financial
Officer.
We
now
see
the
folly
of
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
9
this
backroom
budgeting.
Hundreds
of
millions
in
cost
overruns
for
facilities
modernization,
tens
of
millions
taken
from
local
school
budgets
to
pay
for
central
office
costs,
and
general
confusion,
even
at
a
local
school
level,
about
where
dollars
are
really
spent.
Three
years
after
mayoral
control
was
implemented,
the
system
is
still
fragmented,
and
confusion
still
reigns.
Vince
believes
the
best
financial
reform
is
an
open,
transparent
process
-‐-‐
one
that
will
force
public
officials
to
become
accountable
for
their
actions.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
transform
the
Office
of
the
Deputy
Mayor
for
Education
into
the
lead
agency
responsible
for
managing
the
city’s
“educational
investment
portfolio.”
Vince
will
mandate
that
the
Deputy
Mayor
lead
a
comprehensive
forensic
audit
of
the
entire
education
system
to
identify
clear
budget
controls
to
protect
taxpayers
and
cut
waste.
Stop
raiding
local
school
budgets
to
fund
over-‐spending
elsewhere
in
the
budget.
Last
year
(FY
2009),
the
administration
froze
local
school
spending
and
took
$32
million
out
of
local
school
budgets
to
cover
over-‐spending
on
other
functions.
This
year
local
school
budgets
are
among
the
functions
to
be
cut
in
order
to
fund
teacher
raises.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
protect
local
school
budgets,
and
oppose
any
attempt
to
use
local
schools
to
pay
for
over-‐spending
in
other
areas
of
the
budget.
Finally
get
our
education
data
systems
working:
“SLED”.
The
District
has
got
to
know
where
its
students
are
physically—where
and
when
they
are
in
school,
or
not
in
school—in
real
time.
We
must
know
how
they
are
doing
academically
and
how
well
specific
programs
and
teachers
are
performing.
We
need
to
track
their
performance
daily
and
not
wait
for
the
test
scores
in
the
Spring,
after
an
entire
school
year
has
passed,
before
we
take
action
to
correct
under-‐
performing
classrooms.
Our
solution
is
to
successfully
develop
the
State
Longitudinal
Education
Data
Warehouse
(SLED),
a
computerized
system
that
shows
where
students
are,
alerting
our
administrators
that
a
student
left
one
school,
but
is
not
now
enrolled
in
another.
SLED
will
enable
educators
to
measure
growth
of
a
student
within
a
school,
classroom
or
program
and
will
support
instructional
decision-‐making.
It
will
also
enable
systematic
evaluation
of
teacher
performance.
Yet,
almost
four
years
into
our
reform,
the
current
administration
has
spent
$6.9
million
of
federal
and
local
monies,
and
still
we
have
no
data
system.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
turn
around
this
failing
project.
He
understands
the
importance
of
SLED
in
monitoring
student,
school
and
teacher
performance
and
in
meeting
federal
requirements.
He
will
employ
capable
professionals
who
will
meet
the
deadlines
and
standards
needed
to
get
the
system
up
and
running
ASAP.
Tell
the
public
where
DCPS’
money
goes.
For
years,
the
D.C.
Code
has
required
that
the
public
be
informed
in
how
DCPS
is
spending
its
money.
Unfortunately,
this
hasn’t
happened.
Likewise,
budget
submission
resolutions
have
required
much
more
specificity
than
DCPS
provides.
Current
submissions
are
scanty,
inconsistent
from
year
to
year,
and
sometimes
misleading.
Financial
reports
are
no
longer
posted
on
the
internet
and
changes
in
the
budget
are
not
announced,
despite
a
mandate
to
do
so
under
the
DC
Freedom
of
Information
Act.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
mandate
that
DCPS
publish
for
the
public
an
accounting
of
how
it
spends
its
money
–
how
much
to
schools
and
direct
services
to
children,
how
much
to
central
bureaucracy,
how
much
for
programs
such
as
career
and
technical
education,
special
education,
early
childhood
education,
etc.
Vince
will
also
require
DCPS
to
post
its
local
school
budgets,
budget
changes,
and
financial
reports
on
the
Internet.
Re-‐open
DCPS
budget
formulation
process
to
parents
and
community.
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
10
In
most
school
districts,
budget
formulation
is
an
open
process.
The
Superintendent,
often
after
preliminary
public
hearings,
prepares
a
proposed
budget
made
public
in
late
fall
or
early
winter.
The
public
has
opportunities
to
comment
and
advocate
for
changes.
The
school
board
then
votes
on
the
budget.
If
the
District
is
fiscally
dependent,
the
budget
goes
to
a
city
or
county
council,
which
again
has
hearings
and
other
opportunities
for
public
input.
After
the
budget
is
adopted,
it
is
reconciled,
if
necessary,
to
the
amount
actually
appropriated.
The
budget
is
published
“as
adopted.”
DC
suburbs
follow
this
schedule
and
process,
and
DC
used
to.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
re-‐open
the
DCPS
budget
process
to
parents
and
the
community,
with
dialogue
beginning
in
the
preceding
fall
and
continuing
through
mayoral
decision-‐making.
From
FY
2000
through
FY
2008,
local
school
budget
allocations
were
determined
by
a
formula
based
on
the
recommendations
of
a
group
of
principals,
teachers,
central
administrators,
and
parents,
and
it
was
clear
why
each
school
received
the
amount
it
did.
As
Mayor,
Vince
Gray
will
re-‐establish
the
parent-‐
community
working
group
that
participated
in
setting
the
basis
for
local
school
budget
allocations,
and
make
the
basis
for
these
budgets
clear
again.
Since
the
Board
of
Education
is
no
longer
involved
in
these
decisions,
it
is
increasingly
important
that
those
in
the
school
community
be
given
opportunities
to
be
involved.
CONCLUSION
Vince
Gray’s
plan
for
quality
education
is
comprehensive.
It
will
continue
aggressive
education
reform,
focus
on
education
at
all
life
stages,
engage
the
community,
and
restore
accountability
and
sound
management
practices.
It
is
an
education
plan
that
will
redefine
success
and
provide
greater
opportunities
for
our
students.
And
it
is
a
plan
that
the
people
of
D.C.
can
trust
on
a
number
of
measures:
• D.C.
residents
can
trust
Vince
Gray
to
move
the
reform
forward,
and
continue
to
reject
the
incremental
approach
of
the
past
–
just
as
he
has
as
a
member
of
the
D.C.
Council.
•
D.C.
public
school
parents
can
trust
that
Vince
Gray
will
partner
with
a
strong,
aggressive
chancellor,
to
keep
us
moving
in
the
right
direction.
• Charter
school
parents
can
trust
that
Vince
Gray
will
support
high
performing
charter
schools
and
work
toward
parity,
just
as
he
has
in
the
past.
• Parents
of
young
children
can
trust
that
Vince
Gray
will
continue
to
build
the
early
childhood
education
programs
he
has
championed
all
his
professional
life.
• Parents
of
DC
teenagers
and
young
adults
can
trust
that
Vince
Gray
will
ensure
there
are
strong
middle
and
high
school
options
in
every
segment
of
the
city.
• High
School
graduates
and
their
families
can
trust
Vince
Gray
to
make
college
and
career
and
technical
training
affordable
and
accessible
to
all
students
so
that
they
can
compete
for
jobs
in
a
21st
century
economy.
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
11
• D.C.
residents
can
trust
that
Vince
Gray
will
appoint
a
strong
Board
of
Trustees
for
our
public
university
system
to
generate
desperately
needed
additional
support
for
public
higher
education.
• Parents
of
special
needs
children
can
trust
Vince
Gray
to
give
their
children
opportunities
for
learning
in
their
own
communities.
• D.C.
Taxpayers
can
trust
Vince
Gray
to
work
to
bring
maximum
return
on
their
education
investment
through
smart
budgeting,
research-‐based
programs,
maximum
use
of
federal
monies,
efficient
planning
for
facilities,
and
restoring
accountability
for
reform.
• People
across
the
District
can
trust
that
Vince
Gray
will
focus
on
education
reform
benefiting
every
community,
not
just
a
few.
Ensuring
a
Quality
Education
for
All
Children
Vince
Gray’s
Plan
for
D.C.
Schools,
Page
12