Advisory Committee Draft Proposal and Boundaries - June 2014 for web

A Coherent System of High Quality Public Schools
Better Planning Within and Across Public School Sectors
A consistent theme throughout this process – both in public meetings and Advisory Committee meetings
– has been the need to consider the role of charter schools in citywide planning efforts around student
assignment. There was widespread recognition that devising student assignment policies for DCPS
without taking into account the environment created by DC’s charter sector would lead to policies that
do not realistically address the need to foster predictability and access to high quality schools close to
home for families across the District.
Concern about accountability and growth in the charter sector was widely shared by community working
group participants, many of whom expressed a preference for a citywide cap on charter enrollment. At
the same time, participants did not want to undermine the basic educational autonomy of individual
public charter LEAs.
Moreover, concern about planning was not just about the lack of coordination between sectors, but
was also about the lack of internal DCPS planning capacity for decision making on school boundaries,
school closings, and capital planning for DCPS school facilities.
The proposals to improve the District’s planning within and across public school sectors seek to:
• Create conditions for a more sustainable and equitable allocation of city resources and opportunities
for families.
• Promote an informed, transparent, and publicly vetted process for identifying challenges and possible
solutions for school supply/demand issues, determining school sites, and student assignment
policies.
Proposals for Educational Facilities Planning
27. In 2022, and every ten years thereafter, the city shall undergo a comprehensive review of student
assignment policies, including school boundaries and feeder patterns.
28. The Chancellor shall ensure parity in specialized and selective programs within each DCPS high school
feeder pathway.
29. The Chancellor shall ensure that specialized and selective programs are developed and supported in
every one of the comprehensive high schools as part of their educational plans.
30. The city and relevant stakeholders should address key issues related to information sharing and
coordination between the two public school sectors such as:
• Public school openings and expansion, closings, relocation, co-location.
• Capital program investment.
• Alignment of grade configurations.
• Distribution of “at-risk” students in public charter schools.
• High rates of student transfers between schools during the course of the school year.
31. The city should revise DC Municipal Regulations (DCMR) to ensure that the same public notice and
engagement requirements for boundary changes are required for changes in feeder patterns.
Ensuring Adequate DCPS Capacity in Support of by Right Schools
Child population decline or growth falls most heavily on DCPS as the municipal system of right. All
compulsory education students, no matter their location, needs, or when they arrive in the school year,
must be served by DCPS. In order to meet this obligation, the District needs to develop a plan that
responds to current and projected population needs and aligns with the DCPS capital plan. With current
and projected growth in child population, it is particularly important that DCPS be prepared to respond
to increased demand for schools of right.
Advisory Committee on Student Assignment | DRAFT Proposal
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