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Testimony of
James C. Dinegar Before the District of Columbia City Council Bill 17-0001 District of Columbia Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 February 20, 2007 Thank you Chairman Gray, and Members of the Council. I am Jim Dinegar, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, here representing business interests throughout this region. We appreciate the opportunity to come before you and we applaud the Council's significant commitment to improving the District's school system for the students. You have created a climate for change and we commend you and the Mayor for doing so. The business community in this region is also committed to improving the schools - because we believe in the ability of education to empower and because we have good jobs to offer. These businesses employ a workforce that calls for an expanding use of math, science, language skills, and more. Keeping up with the demands for a qualified workforce calls for increased skills and knowledge. Unemployment in this region hovers near 3% and businesses are hard-pressed to find enough qualified individuals to hire. But in the District, at 6%, unemployment is almost double the region's average. There are plenty of jobs, but the shortage of qualified candidates has highlighted a growing gap that calls for the sense 0f urgency we see in the Mayor's plan. A new study to be released by the Greater Washington Initiative will show that the Greater Washington region has the highest concentration of knowledge workers per capita in the entire country. The study projects the region-wide demand for knowledge workers will grow an average of 26,000 jobs each year for the next 8 years. On top of this, each year the region will need an additional 23,000 workers to replace those leaving the workforce. Combined, our region will need almost 400,000 new workers between now and 2014. In that regard, please allow me t0 express encouragement for your attention to this issue and let me share a few comments on the specifics. The proposal includes a lot of reorganization, transfers of authority and shifts of responsibility - more than I can fully appreciate. We have expressed concern to the Mayor's office about taking 0n more than is absolutely necessary at this time and we are encouraged that consideration is being given to remaining focused on the most critical issues first. As you proceed, we ask that special attention be given to skills training and workforce preparation. Students need to know so much more today t0 be prepared for the pace and demands of the changing workplace. And the business community is prepared to assist in course development and skills training. We are also willing to assist in other ways. As the Mayor seeks to push decisionmaking out t0 the leaders in the schools, business leaders are willing to provide school principals with whatever assistance may be needed on management and budget skills. As you turn your attention to improving the facilities, the Board of Trade, and my colleagues on this panel, offer access to highly regarded experts in the fields of procurement, construction management, financial management, and more. Wherever the business community can assist in sharing best practices and lending expertise, we stand ready to help. In that regard, please allow me to express encouragement for your attention to this issue and let me share a few comments on the specifics. The proposal includes a lot of reorganization, transfers of authority and shifts of responsibility - more than I can fully appreciate. We have expressed concern to the Mayor's office about taking on more than is absolutely necessary at this time and we are encouraged that consideration is being given to remaining focused on the most critical issues first. As you proceed, we ask that special attention be given to skills training and workforce preparation. Students need to know so much more today to be prepared for the pace and demands of the changing workplace. And the business community is prepared to assist in course development and skills training. We are also willing to assist in other ways. As the Mayor seeks to push decisionmaking out to the leaders in the schools, business leaders are willing to provide school principals with whatever assistance may be needed on management and budget skills. As you turn your attention to improving the facilities, the Board of Trade, and my colleagues on this panel, offer access t0 highly regarded experts in the fields of procurement, construction management, financial management, and more. Wherever the business community can assist in sharing best practices and lending expertise, we stand ready to help. We also recommend consideration of a new section in the legislation to focus on results. Business abides by the maxim "what gets measured gets done" and we urge consideration of specific measurements, timelines, dates, goals, targets and deliverables as part of this comprehensive approach. This does not all have to be detailed in this proposal, but this Council and the citizens of the District need to know what to expect and when. With a timeline of achievement for all to see, people will know whether this plan is working. The public school system in the District of Columbia needs your attention. Something different, something urgent, and something significant needs to happen. Because this is such an important issue, the Board of Trade endorses the proposal to squarely place the responsibility, authority and accountability for DCPS with the Mayor. And we pledge to stand behind him and the Council to help this plan work so that all students in this city are given every opportunity to succeed. Thank you. |
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