Julie Mikuta, candidate for
District 1 (Wards 1 and 2) Board of Education member in the
November 7, 2000, General Election
Parents United for DC Public Schools Questionnaire, October 2000

Three Priorities

Area 1: Strengthen community involvement in schools and schools responsiveness to community

1. Create an effective agency through which parents’ concerns will be heard and acted upon. This agency will directly report to superintendent or be a quasi-independent agency.

Action:

• Convene committee with appropriate representation charged with creating this agency
• Create and follow-through upon committee’s timeline for building this agency

2. Strengthen LSRTs in order to increase accountability of schools to parents and parents to schools

Action:

• Clearly determine division of responsibility between schools and district’s central office
• More clearly articulate and publicize rights and responsibilities of LSRT
• Incorporate LSRT’s work into school-level accountability plan. Give accountability plan credibility by holding schools to terms within.
• Establish regular communication links between principals, superintendent and LSRTs
• Support inter-ward dialogue among LSRTs
• Provide training for all members of LSRTs

3. Improve linkages between schools and industry, and schools and community-based organizations

Action:

• Create job/ internship referral system to provide meaningful information to employers and an incentive system for students whereby academic achievement will lead to rewarding jobs/ internships
• Incorporate ability of guidance counselors to access this system in plans for database
• Effectively utilize the resources in our community provided by community-based organizations, and extend hours that schools are open so that these organizations can provide services in non-school hours.

Area 2: Make DCPS’s workforce the envy of the nation

1. Make effective use of the National Board Certification for Teachers

Action:

• Take advantage of current funding for Board Certification process
• Increase funding for Board Certification
• Get support of principals and unions, through marketing and salary incentives similar to those used in other cities/ states

2. Recruit/ retain competent teachers for every classroom

Action:

• Create effective alternative certification process based on what’s worked in other cities
• Increase budget to accommodate hiring of competent and ‘superstar’ teachers
• Increase geographic area of recruitment, marketing DC as the great environment that it is
• Develop web-based recruiting materials and teacher application process
• Involve Master Teachers in recruitment and mentoring programs
• Equip teachers and classrooms with appropriate equipment and materials
• Ensure that schools are safe
• Increase site-based autonomy

3. Hire and retain outstanding principals

Action:

• Create career ladder for outstanding teachers to gain first-hand experience of principal’s job.
• Develop and support peer mentoring programs for principals
• Increase autonomy of principals and schools; link this with increased accountability
• Identify master principals, and recruit a select number more into the system, who participate in training principals and planning issues affecting school leadership
• Lessen the focus on high-stakes testing as part of principal’s evaluation
• Centralize non-educational aspects of principal’s role using IT and other means in order to enable the principal’s role to be focused on the learning process.
• Increase funding to support the hiring of vice-principals where necessary

Area 3: Improve infrastructure of district so that schools focus on the teaching and learning processes and funds are better directed at the classroom

1. Increase effectiveness of IT at district level

Action:

• Build, purchase or better utilize database management system for student and employee information
• Provide training at all levels in use of system
• Incorporate system seamlessly into that being used to monitor special education

2. Improve monitoring and support of special education program

Action:

• Continue implementation of an information management system is in place in order to facilitate oversight and effectiveness of program
• Conduct needs assessment to ensure that DCPS special education utilizes best practices
• Maintain current low level on backlog of students in need of an IEP
• Add special education programs only if adequate support and resources are available to make programs effective
• Work with State Education Office to maximize effectiveness and minimize overlap of both agencies

3. Increase support for DCPS statistics department

Action:

• Increase expertise within DCPS to improve monitoring of student achievement and use of data
• Subcontract appropriate projects
• Streamline procurement processes and make effective the payroll process

Role of Parents

Parents play a key role in making education work for all children. Parents across the city need to be vocal advocates for all children, and hold elected officials accountable for making sure that schools work. One key part of this activity is to vote in all elections, especially the school board. Parents who vote are the people school board members and future candidates will ask about their thoughts on how to improve the schools. Parents should take full advantage of their right to demand a high quality education for their children.

Parents must also support the learning process by providing their children with the support necessary for them to be successful learners. Providing a good breakfast before school, healthy, non-sugar snacks, limited amount of television time, and structured homework time helps children learn. Involvement with the PTA and the LSRT gives parents better insight into what’s happening in the schools. Finally, schools are under-staffed. Parents who volunteer their time and expertise to support schools in need with a positive, upbeat attitude, will help all children in the school system excel.

I believe that LSRT should be continued. Under Area 1, above, points 1 and 2, explain how they can be made more effective.

Facilities Planning Process

The District’s students and employees deserve wonderful learning facilities and the first step toward achieving this goal is to ensure that there is accountability around the use of capital expenditures. A system needs to be created through which the appropriate parties are held accountable for the funds being used on capital improvement and timelines are being met. Currently, $400 million has been targeted toward modernizing school buildings. As a School Board member, I will review what funds have been committed to each school, and the progress that has been made at each building toward fulfilling the improvement plans. Timelines and accountability measures need to be created and enforced.

I attended the Facilities Planning Meetings over the past month and support the continuation of this process and implementation of plans based on community input. Many schools have been recommended for significant renovation or rebuilding. Through this process, priorities are being set that reflect the community’s voice. A baseline of stabilization has been completed and attention is being turned to modernization of buildings. A 1, 3, 5 and 10 year facilities plan, with appropriate accountability measures must be designed and implemented so that at no time in the future will so many buildings be in such poor condition simultaneously. Facilities improvement and maintenance has been underfunded in the past, so a new long-term plan must not allow for the development of this serious backlog.

My Personal Involvement

I taught middle school science and math, and worked as Director of Technology, Teacher Recruitment and Curriculum Development in the SEED Public Charter Boarding School for its first two years of operation. I currently mentor two DCPS junior high school students. Through Teach for America, I also taught in another city’s under-resourced public schools, seeing conditions and wasted potential similar to those existing in Washington.

I bring to the Board experience in the classroom and administration of under-resourced public schools and in the education policy-making spheres that will enable me to provide informed, effective policy. Making urban schools work for all students is my passion, and has been since I forfeited a basketball scholarship while the captain of the women’s team at Georgetown University in order to work with an organization that develops early childhood curriculum. Since then, I’ve taught high school science through Teach for America, explored effective education strategies and learned education policy-making firsthand while on a Rhodes Scholarship and a White House internship, and was on the start-up team of a DC college-preparatory boarding charter school. I have chaired school accountability panels and participated in a Congressional roundtable on attracting and retaining competent science and math teachers. These experiences in education are complemented by my commitment to ensuring that policy reflects the voices of the students and community. I am wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that DC schools provide an excellent education to all students.

Relationship between board members and between School Board, Superintendent, Mayor and Council

The responsibilities of these respective organizations need to be clearly defined so that each body focuses on its role in providing an excellent education for all children. Members of the Board must act as a team that speaks with a unified voice once policy has been agreed upon. Likewise, the Board, Superintendent, Mayor and Council must remain focused on the overall vision of the school system, and act professionally in working towards enacting this vision.

A critical responsibility of the Board is to set strong precedent that this new structure will operate effectively in setting education policy. Board members will focus on policy-making and holding the Superintendent accountable to actualizing the schools’ vision rather than micromanaging. Importantly, in order for this to successfully occur, Board members must ensure that structures are in place through which community and parental concerns are met. Board members must also build capacity by convening external expertise and reviewing current research in making decisions. School board members must communicate respectfully and honestly with each other, the superintendent and diligently do their homework. Finally, the Board must create a meaningful process through which the goals and vision of the school system are defined, reflect the voices of all stakeholders and are lasting. At all times, Board members must remain tenaciously focused on the goal of providing an excellent education to all of DC’s students.