Testimony Before the DC Council Committee of the Whole at the Budget Oversight Hearing on SBOE, OMB, OSA, DCSAA, DME, UDC, and PCSB

By Ariel Johnson, Executive Director of the DC Charter School Alliance

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson and members of the Committee. My name is Ariel Johnson, and I am the Executive Director at the DC Charter School Alliance, the local non-profit that advocates on behalf of public charter schools to ensure that every student can choose high-quality public schools that prepare them for lifelong success.

I want to start by sharing how proud I am of charter schools' work to improve academic outcomes for their students. Last year’s PARCC results revealed that charter schools presented some of the most significant growth in student achievement over the previous year. Eight out of the ten schools with the most significant growth in ELA were charter schools, and seven out of the ten schools with the most significant growth in math were charter schools. Additionally, OSSE’s School Report Card, which provides a holistic view of school performance, reveals that the top ten schools with the greatest improvement in attendance and the top five with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate for at-risk students are also charter schools. We’re also very proud of our schools’ hard work in developing, refining, and implementing teacher compensation systems to ensure they retain, recruit, and fairly compensate excellent educators, which is vital to student success.

None of this great progress would be possible without the District’s continued investments in the city’s education system. But there is still progress to be made to ensure all students are proficient in reading and math. Only 55% of DC students have an adequate command of content in reading, and 43% do in math. The gap to close is even wider for at-risk students and students with disabilities. 40% of at-risk students have adequate command of content in reading, and 28% do in math. 21% of students with disabilities have an adequate command of content in reading, and 16% do in math. Mayor Bowser’s historic proposed 12.4 percent increase to the UPSFF comes at a critical time, as schools will soon face a fiscal cliff with federal ESSER funds running out this year. Fully incorporating the ongoing costs of charter educators' raises and focusing on supporting the students most in need by increasing the UPSFF weights for students designated at-risk, alternative students, and adult students are key to ensuring our schools remain adequately resourced. However, I must note that the annual 3.1% charter facilities allotment increases are necessary to ensure schools keep up with rising costs to maintain and secure the world-class school buildings that our students deserve, as charter schools do not have access to capital funds for major facilities upgrades, including HVAC replacements and elevator installations. The proposed budget repeals this vital investment in schools and students. We urge the Council to support these investments in public education.

I also want to share our appreciation for State Superintendent Dr. Christina Grant for supporting our schools in the difficult job of ensuring strong academic achievement for students. Under Dr. Grant’s leadership, OSSE has engaged in crucial work to create, maintain, and improve systems vital to charter schools’ improvement strategies, including high-impact tutoring programs, robust literacy training, and the Advanced Technical Center (ATC) that offers cross-LEA career-focused classes. Ongoing funding for these important initiatives is critical and we strongly support Mayor Bowser’s proposal to open a second ATC in Ward 8. We look forward to continuing to work closely with OSSE to ensure the ongoing success of these important programs.

The Importance of an Independent Authorizer

We are fortunate to have a strong, independent charter school authorizer who collaborates effectively with agencies and partners across the District. Dr. Michelle Walker-Davis’ thoughtful partnership and the critical oversight, support, and services she and her staff provide to charter schools are invaluable. For example, the PCSB collaborated with the DC Alliance to transition to a new system supporting background checks for charter educators and other school staff and partnered with the DME to elevate charter school voices in the recommendations produced by the DME’s School Safety Committee.

It’s always essential to have a strong, independent authorizer. But that’s especially true as the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) implements a new accountability system for our schools and as OSSE transitions leadership. While our system isn’t always perfect, it’s helpful to look at cities comparable to DC that don’t have independent authorizers to understand why their absence hurts both charter and traditional schools. In places like Illinois, Massachusetts, or New Jersey, we see embattled fights for equity and fair access to resources that shift focus away from academic achievement toward political decisions that harm students. Additionally, accountability frameworks shift from year to year with little consistency, such that LEAs can never be sure of where the goalposts lie. Meanwhile, our neighbors in Maryland and Virginia continue to experience stifled growth of even the highest quality seats or there are no seats at all, limiting choice for all families, but especially the ones who need it most. In contrast, the Deputy Mayor for Education, OSSE, and PCSB are working collectively to build a strong education system in the District, ensuring that every student receives the support they need to thrive.

At the DC Alliance, it’s our job to provide support and tools for our schools to ensure they succeed. However, we firmly believe schools should be held accountable in situations where they may fall short of expectations. That’s why an independent authorizer is so critical.

How the DC Alliance Supports Charter Schools

The DC Alliance takes our school support role seriously. With 100% of DC’s charter schools as our members, we help maintain a high-quality sector by working closely with charter schools to identify challenges they face and provide resources to address those challenges. For example, last year, we launched a monthly collaborative learning community for student support leaders, an opportunity for directors, clinicians, and culture and special education leaders to come together and share best practices and strategies to address challenges with student behavior, chronic absenteeism, safety, and social-emotional health.

We also created and administered a program offering no-cost, one-on-one leadership coaching to more than 60 leaders from 39 LEAs last year, which was made possible through a unique collaboration with the PCSB and OSSE. And, we created a budget tool for leaders to help prepare their schools to manage the fiscal cliff from ESSER funding running out this year. Beyond offering training, sharing best practices, and providing tools, we also facilitate convenings and opportunities for leaders to brainstorm and problem-solve common challenges, including a monthly meeting to keep them informed of critical long-term and immediate issues that impact their schools and biannual Charter Leader Summits. Nearly 100% of leaders who responded to our most recent needs assessment find these tools, meetings, and programs valuable.

Additionally, while charter leaders have consistently worked to ensure strong educator retention and recruitment by offering competitive compensation, we heard your concerns last year about making sure these resources are consistently implemented across the sector. That’s why the DC Alliance commissioned a compensation study to accomplish two goals: 1) Ensure LEAs are implementing increases to charter educator salaries in accordance with OSSE’s guidelines while also considering long-term financial health, and 2) Provide comprehensive data on regional educator compensation for leaders to use as they incorporate pay increases and set competitive salary scales prior to the May 1, 2024 deadline. Through this compensation study, we’re proud to confirm that the median salary for charter educators in their first year is $64,268.

Finally, I also want to note that the DC Alliance facilitates meetings with our school leaders and DC agencies. We partner with the PCSB on bi-weekly calls with MPD, Metro Transit, and Safe Passage representatives, of which over 70% of our leaders have attended since they were launched in November. We also host monthly meetings between the DME and our Executive Committee, a group of leaders elected by their peers representing preschool, elementary, middle, and high schools, alternative, and adult schools. We use this opportunity to collaborate, navigate challenges, and uplift things that are working well on behalf of the sector.

Moving Forward

We appreciate our partnership with the District’s education agencies and the support they provide to our schools. We look forward to continuing our collaboration to ensure we provide the education every student deserves.

Thank you for your time and attention, and I welcome your questions.