Testimony

Testimony of Dr. Michelle Walker-Davis, Executive Director 

Public Hearing on Distance Learning 

Committee of the Whole and the Committee on Education

Testimony of Rick Cruz, Board Chair 

DC Public Charter School Board 

Hearing on the Expanding Equitable Access to Great Schools Act of 2020; the Child Enrollment Preference Amendment Act of 2020; and the African American and Cultural Studies Inclusion Amendment Act of 2020 

Committee of the Whole and the Committee on Education

The COVID-19 public health emergency resulted in all DC public charter schools physically closing and implementing distance learning programs. As such, DC PCSB will cease collection, aggregation, and publication of academic data for school year (SY) 2019-20 and will not produce a School Quality Report (also known as the Performance Management Framework, or PMF) for SY 2019-20.

Schools may choose to replace their charter goals and student academic achievement expectations with the Performance Management Framework(s), as amended over time, for the grade levels they serve. Upon a school’s request, review and renewal language and an improvement clause will be added to its charter as an amendment, which will be approved by DC PCSB's Board.

On March 27, 2020, My School DC released the results of the SY 20-21 lottery. The results show that more families seek a seat at a Tier 1 PK-12 public charter school. According to DC PCSB staff analysis, waitlists across all public charter schools totaled 24,700 students, with 10,771 individual students on waitlists to attend one or more PK-12 public charter schools in SY 20-21.  

The Fiscal Year 19 Budget Support Act requires DC PCSB to submit a report on how each LEA plans to spend at-risk funds for students in grades PK-12.  Learn how schools spend the funding below.”

Testimony of Scott Pearson on the Critical Risk Rate School Funding Designation Act of 2019

The District of Columbia Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB) seeks proposals from independent certified public accountants or accounting firms to be selected for an Approved Auditor List (AAL). Pursuant to the DC School Reform Act (SRA), D.C. Code 38- 1802.04(11)(B)(ix)(2001) as amended, each DC public charter school (PCS) is accountable for its use of public and private funding through an annual audit conducted in accordance with Generally Accepted Auditing Standards. The SRA further requires that each PCS’ annual financial audit be performed by an auditor on an approved list developed by a committee (the Auditor Review Committee) consisting of representatives from DC PCSB, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO). As such, each PCS will be required to select an auditor from the AAL to fulfill its requirement of an annual financial compliance audit for the fiscal year 2020.