Nikki D’Angelo
Community Organizer
Democrats for Education Reform DC
Good morning Chairman Mendelson and DC Council Committee of the Whole:
My name is Nikki D’Angelo, and I am a Ward 5 resident, DCPS parent, former DC charter school teacher, and former DCPS central office employee. I am testifying on behalf of Democrats for Education Reform DC (DFER DC), and I am testifying in opposition to Bill 24-80, the DC State Education Agency Independence Amendment Act of 2021, and Bill 24-101, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education Amendment Act of 2021. I hope that this testimony offers a unique and helpful perspective.
Considering that our schools are focused on finally educating students in person, the DC Council should not contemplate these bills during the COVID Pandemic. Since March 2020, our education community in DC has been stunned and traumatized by the impact of COVID-19. As a single, working parent, I can’t begin to explain the pressure that was relieved once our students were able to go back to in-person learning. However, as the DC Council has heard from DC residents at length, our school communities continue to battle with the impact of COVID-19. Each school community has a unique set of challenges ahead of them. Still, there are a few issues I’ve seen come up District-wide: the vast need for facilities improvement, the need for accelerated learning, mental health supports for many students just returning to school, COVID testing at schools, and general logistical issues like school lunch. Considering the challenges schools face right now, OSSE should be entirely focused on supporting schools during these unprecedented times, not adjusting to a new structure.
Additionally, DC has experienced much-needed progress in education, as recently reported by Mathematica. In this report, findings concluded that since education reform efforts began in the 1990s until 2017, DC schools are improving outcomes for students – NAEP scores for math and reading in grades 4 and 8 have seen steady rises during the last few decades of dedicated school reform efforts. We should be building on that progress by driving educational equity and expanding access, targeting resources, and providing enhanced support to students “at-risk” and students with special needs. We have a massive opportunity to continue progress and right structural wrongs by investing in systemic change that directly improves outcomes for students who have been historically ignored – this should be our focus.
Concerning Bill 24-80 especially: the operations and work at OSSE is very important and works best with a narrow, direct connection to the Office of the Mayor. An additional layer to OSSE’s role does not benefit children and will pull the Superintendent and her staff in many different directions. Further, significant oversight of OSSE as an agency already occurs via the elected members of the DC Council. An OSSE under the State Board would subject the agency to the management of both elected bodies, which is burdensome and distracting. Concerning Bill 24-101, independent agencies are designated as such because they have responsibilities that should specifically remain separate or oversight requirements that are inherently separate from the executive. By definition of the broad array of duties and responsibilities at OSSE, it is not independent but interconnected by nature.
Like many educators believe, every day is an opportunity to make a change – let’s focus our efforts on making improvements for our children so we can continue equitable progress for decades to come.
Thank you for allowing me to testify in opposition to these two bills.