ANC 8D Resolution 2008-04,

In Support of Public Input and Transparency, with Regard to the

Budget for the D.C. Public Schools

WHEREAS the Council of the District of Columbia, at the request of the Mayor, has introduced legislation (Section 4031 et seq of B 17-678) that would repeal D.C. Code 38-917;

WHEREAS D.C. Code 38-917, which was overwhelmingly approved by citizen initiative in 1987, requires DCPS and the Mayor to prepare a draft DCPS budget prior to submitting a budget to the Council, and to hold public hearings on the proposed DCPS budget - a DCPS hearing to be held at the start of the budget process, and a Mayoral hearing to be held after the DCPS draft budget has been submitted to the Mayor;

WHEREAS Ward 8 has the largest population of school age children and parents in the District of Columbia who will be affected by any proposed DCPS budgets;

WHEREAS for the past 20 years, DCPS budget hearings have served as an opportunity for parent and community involvement at critical junctures in the budget process;

WHEREAS major decisions pertaining to public schools should be made only with the full benefit of public input, with information released and input invited early in the decision-making process;

WHEREAS according to a recent Washington Post article, the U.S. Government Accountability Office's director for education urged DCPS at a Senate oversight hearing on March 14, 2008: to "Bring in stakeholders not just to comment or hear about plans but to be at the ground level developing the plans."

WHEREAS during the 2008 fiscal year, for the first time, DCPS refused to release a detailed proposed budget before the mayor's budget hearing, arguing that it is no longer required to do so;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, this 24^h day of April 2008, that Advisory Neighborhood Commission 8D (ANC8D) during our monthly meeting by a unanimous vote of elected Commissioners, approved this resolution to respectfully urges the Council of the District of Columbia to reject the Mayor's proposal to end Mayoral and Chancellor budget hearings for the D.C. Public Schools (Section 4031 of the Budget Support Act); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that ANC 8D respectfully urges the Council of the District of Columbia to enact the District of Columbia Public Schools Budget Submission Requirements Clarification Act of 2008, to clarify that the level of detail that had been required of the Board of Education's proposed budget is now required of the Chancellor's proposed budget and future submitted budgets.

Patricia Carmon, Secretary