Testimony Before the Council of the District of Columbia Committee of the Whole at the Hearing on Oversight of Education for Students with Special Needs

By Tameria Lewis

Good afternoon Chairman Mendelson and members of the Committee. My name is Tami Lewis, I’m the Senior Director of Government Affairs at the DC Charter School Alliance, the local non-profit that advocates on behalf of public charter schools to ensure every student can choose high-quality public schools that prepare them for lifelong success. I’m also a 25 year resident of Ward 5, the proud mother of a remarkable young woman with autism educated in DC schools, and I’ve spent much of my career working to improve opportunities and outcomes for students with disabilities.

Thank you for holding this hearing on the critical topic of supporting students with disabilities. When I testified before this Council last year, I shared concerning data about academic outcomes for students with disabilities in our city. Unfortunately, one year later, while we saw some improvement in both ELA and Math, overall only 11.9% of students with disabilities are proficient in ELA and only 9.1% are proficient in Math. In the last two decades these rates have slowly improved, but still nearly 90% of students with disabilities are not academically proficient, imperiling their opportunities for self-sufficiency and stability in adulthood.

The persistent achievement gap between students with disabilities and their peers demands our urgent attention. This gap persists both nationally and in the District, where students with disabilities consistently score more than 20 percentage points lower than the citywide average when measuring those who approached, met, or exceeded grade level expectations.

We will only truly move the needle for students with disabilities when all stakeholders come together to surface challenges, set ambitious goals, and recommit to solutions. We need bold leadership and a shared vision for lifting outcomes for students with disabilities across the District. This should include specific plans to improve outcomes for students in each disability category and professional development programs targeting areas of common challenges, informed by feedback from school leaders and educators.

The good news is that, within the charter sector, graduation rates for students with disabilities are steadily increasing and we're seeing real momentum in many schools.

● BASIS PCS, Washington Latin PCS, and Washington Yu Ying PCS are among the highest performing LEAs for special education at all levels and subjects and Washington Latin also had the highest overall growth.

● Mary McLeod Bethune PCS is among the highest performing LEAs in special education and consistently has one of the smallest gaps between special education students and their peers.

● Early Childhood Academy PCS achieved double digit growth in both ELA and Math.

● St. Coletta Special Education PCS continues to be a nationally recognized leader in providing transformational educational opportunities for our highest-need students with intellectual disabilities and autism.

A major barrier to further growth for many schools is the difficulty in recruiting qualified special education teachers. OSSE's UDC apprenticeship program that helps train paraprofessionals to become special education teachers is a great start but its reach is limited. The city must invest in expanding this and similar programs to expand the pipeline of highly effective special educators. Likewise, OSSE’s special education micro-credential and endorsement initiatives have assisted schools in expanding their capacity. 

Recommendations 

We offer three recommendations that will advance special education in DC:

First, OSSE should lead the development of a shared vision and ambitious goals for rapidly lifting outcomes for students with disabilities across the District, including programs to grow the pipeline of special educators, targeted professional development, and family supports.

Second, it’s critical that the Mayor and Council continue investments in the UPSFF, including providing all teacher pay funding through the formula. This will enable schools to recruit, hire, and retain highly qualified special education teachers and related service providers.

Third, we must implement and fully fund the new Level 5 weight for students with disabilities as recommended by the 2025 UPSFF Working Group. If that is not immediately possible, commit to the interim alternative of increasing the Special Education School weight from 1.17 to 1.9. This would equip schools like St. Coletta to meet the needs of students who require both full-time specialized instruction and dedicated aides and nursing services.  

Moving Forward

The students we're talking about today deserve so much better than the outcomes we're currently delivering. They deserve schools equipped with the resources, training, and support necessary to help them thrive. The path forward is clear: we need bold leadership from OSSE, adequate funding from the Mayor and Council and a collective commitment to making special education a true priority in this city.

Thank you for your time and attention to this urgent matter. I'm happy to answer any questions