|
Government of the District of Columbia
Executive Office of the Mayor
Office of Communications
Tony Bullock
Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2004 |
Tony Bullock
202-727-6846
202-368-4831 (cell) |
Mayor Williams Vetoes Council School Governance Bill
Will Continue to Press for New Governance Structure
(Washington, DC) Mayor Anthony A. Williams today vetoed Bill 15-723, the Council-passed "Omnibus Board of Education and DC Public Schools Restructuring Act of 2004."
In his veto letter to Council Chairman Linda Cropp, Mayor Williams cites two principle concerns. He notes that the legislation does not promote a streamlined and transparent system of accountability for public education in the District. "This legislation does not address the fragmented nature of our system of governance," wrote the Mayor, "nor does it provide the Superintendent increased autonomy over the management and operations of the DC Public Schools."
"We must adjust the responsibilities of the Board to reflect the changing educational landscape and the critical needs of our entire education system," the Mayor said. "We must develop a means to accommodate state-level functions that will equitably serve DCPS and charter schools and address the increasing demands for improved student achievement."
Mayor Williams concluded by saying that the bill "embraces the status quo, which should be unacceptable to the Council and plainly is so to the citizens of the District. He continued, "it is critically important that we as elected leaders exhibit the courage to truly reform our education system now."
In February, Mayor Williams submitted a comprehensive bill to reform DC public schools. He will continue to work with the Council on the issue of school governance to develop legislation that will attract a first-rate chief executive to run our schools and rebuild confidence in the District's public education system.
Back to top of page
May 28, 2004
The Honorable Linda W. Cropp
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004
Dear Chairman Cropp:
Pursuant to my authority as Mayor of the District of Columbia under Section 404(e) of the Home Rule Act, I hereby veto Bill 15-723 the "Omnibus Board of Education and D.C. Public Schools Restructuring Act of 2004." I have two major concerns with Bill 15-732 that prevent me from supporting its passage.
First, as it is currently structured, Bill 15-732 does not promote a streamlined and transparent system of accountability for public education. Under the current model, the Superintendent, the Board of Education, the Mayor, the Council and the Congress of the United States are all responsible for various elements of education ( i.e., policies, budget, operations), yet no one is ultimately accountable to the citizens for educational outcomes. To successfully reform our education system, a Superintendent or Chancellor must be empowered with clear direction and cross-agency support. This legislation does not address the fragmented nature of our system of governance, nor does it provide the Superintendent increased autonomy over the management and operations of the DC Public Schools.
Second, this legislation fails to address the major challenges in the Board's current oversight of the DC Public Schools, which includes a history of fiscal mismanagement, micromanagement of the Superintendent's operational authority, and a lack of urgency regarding educational reform. These shortcomings are in part related to my earlier point regarding the diffuse nature of our system. Moreover, Bill 15-723 does not address the inherent conflict of the Board's dual role as both local and state education agency. Under the current structure, the Board would continue to establish state-level policies and monitor its own compliance with such policies. We must adjust the responsibilities of the Board to reflect the changing educational landscape and the critical needs of our entire education system. We need a comprehensive and objective approach to addressing state-level functions that will equitably serve DCPS and charter schools and address the increasing demands for improved student achievement.
I share the Council's goal of making this city's school system second to none, but it is my opinion that Bill 15-723 will not achieve this goal. This bill effectively embraces the status quo, which should be unacceptable to the Council and plainly is so to the citizens of the District. It is critically important that we as elected leaders exhibit the courage to truly reform our education system now. We cannot with good conscience leave this monumental task to our successors.
As you know, I previously submitted legislation under the same title which would: 1) allow the Mayor and Council to be directly accountable for the programmatic and fiscal oversight of DCPS through the appointment of the Chancellor and 2) allow the Chancellor to devote time and energy to taking on the critical task of education reform rather than navigating an inherently flawed and overly complex governance system. I remain committed to working with the Council to create a system that will not only attract and support an extraordinary administrator, but also build citizen confidence in public education.
Given the critical importance of this issue and the pending sunset of certain provisions of the School Governance Charter Amendment Act of 2000, I hope that we can reach resolution on this matter in the timeliest manner.
Sincerely,
Anthony A. Williams |
