Renée Bowser, DC Statehood-Green Party Candidate for
Ward 4 City Councilmember
September 12, 2000 Primary
Parents United for the D.C. Public Schools Questionnaire
August 2000

I would approve persons whose records upon examination show that they have been dedicated to some area of public service and have developed expertise in the area of public service in which they have been involved or a parent of a public school child who has been involved with his or her child's school. In addition, I would make sure that persons with roots in Wards 7 and 8 are represented on the appointed side of the School Board since nearly 60% of the public school children are from Wards 7 and 8 and these Wards have suffered a diminution in representation with the selection of the hybrid Board- Further, I also would appoint members who recognize that they represent all the public school children of the District. Moreover, I would approve School Board members who know the importance of smart loss sizes and small schools and who want to restore art, music, summer school, and sports programs for all children in order to spark within them the love of learning. Finally, I would make sure that the appointed members are residents of the District of Columbia.

I would not approve appointed members associated with corporations or organizations who have or seek contracts with the city or to acquire school property for business use, as I believe they have a stark conflict of interest with the objective of advancing of public school education. For example, persons who established a charter school without books in order to train District youth for unskilled service jobs to supply the hospitality industry would not be suitable candidates for the District's School Board. I also would not approve candidates who believe that public schools should be subjected to the same type of competition as businesses, as 1 believe that comparison of running a business to educating children arid youth is a specious one. In a business, the owner can discontinue product lines or shifts, reduce the cost of production, and obtain well-heeled investor(s). Public schools are required to provide education to every child regardless of the cost and the challenges of educating the child and without the bent of infusion of investment. Quality public schools are one of the few institutions that are required by law to serve poor children on the same level as wealthy children and those of alt incomes in between. That children who enter public schools are not widgets with uniform characteristics, backgrounds, and opportunities belies the endeavor to treat public education as a business.

2. What is the difference between oversight and micro-management of the school system? What Is the role of the Council with respect to public schools since some members of the School Board now have a relationship with the Council? Now will you assure that the Superintendent is accountable to the School Board rather than pulled between the Mayor, Council, and School Board?

Many times, characterization of whether an action is oversight and micro management depends on who is making the characterization.

The Council should publicly commit itself to not pitting the appointed members against the elected members. The Council should carry out its obligation to ensure that the public schools are properly funned in order to fully repair schools and replace al! schools where necessary to ensure modem, safe schools, to obtain the optimal small schools for producing a commune! feeling, to cut class sizes in half, to fund art, music, sports, and other creative programs, and fund summer schooling not limited to failing students. The Council also should establish a collegial relationship with the School Board and confer with the Board concerning school issues with which the council is concerned. The Council should hold joint hearings with the School Board and treat the Board as a respected arm of the District government. In joint hearings, the Council and School Board can question the superintendent and his/her professional staff.

3. What steps would you take to see that the school system's operating budget and capital budget are adequately funded to meet students' needs for a high quality educational program? Please include comments on financing for new school construction and rehabilitation and for funding high quality occupational training/career development opportunities which do not now exist.

The Council needs to decide that funding for public school children takes priority over sports arenas such as the MCI Arena and the sought for baseball stadium and Olympic facilities. In connection with such policy, the Council needs to approve a level of funding adequate for capital projects to build new schools and add to existing schools over the term of many years. The Council should support the establishment of a commission with significant involvement of parents, community residents, union representatives, education experts, organizations such as the Twenty First Century Fund, and architects to provide creative plans for the type of schools which enhance the seaming environment. Schools such as Bruce Monroe and Brookland schools, open space schools which are not In Ward 4, would require replacement under this policy. The Council also needs to establish general levels of funding for summer schooling, for both failing and non-failing students, arts, music, sports, and tutoring programs. The Council should support efforts to systematize volunteer efforts and utilize parents and volunteers to enhance education within the schools.

4. Our older students have such low achievement levels that [they] will not graduate with competitive skills unless they receive additional support. What are you willing to do to help achievement at the high school level? Would you accept differentiated diplomas so that students who do not pass requirements and test receive a diploma that is different from the diploma for students who do pass requirements and tests?

The weighted student formula should be revised in order to assign greater weight to older rather than younger students because of the higher cost of educating poorly prepared older students. The University of the District of Columbia, although not part of the District of Columbia public school system, should be used as a resource for youth education models and programs. A fully funded UDC can create youth education models and programs which expand education and the horizons for youth.

I would not accept differentiated diplomas. Differentiated diplomas will create a two-tiered system with the lower tier being considered a ghetto diploma. The result will be that even though the students who receive the diploma technically will have graduated, they will be treated as less than graduates when they apply for post secondary schools and for all but unskilled jobs. As a tutor for eight years with the Homeless Children's Tutorial Project, Inc. (Project Northstar), I know that the problems students experienced were identifiable long before graduation from high school. If the public schools are given the capability to flag, property identify, and develop programs to address the educational needs of District students, the students will be fully prepared for meaningful graduation requirements and tests applicable to all. They will then qualify for one type of meaningful diploma which will be respected.

5. If you have children, do (did) your children attend D.C. Public Schools?

I do not have children