A Congressional hearing dealt with issues related to the repair program and facilities master plan of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). Opening remarks by Representative Thomas M. Davis outlined his concern over the delayed opening of the DCPS in the fall of 1997 because of uncompleted roof repairs, and the results from a performance audit of the DCPS under contract to the D.C. Control Board. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton followed, stating her position on the issue of the D.C. Control Board coming to Congress for a legislative solution. The first panel to testify consisted of Mary Filardo, Director, 21st Century School Fund; William R. Lawson, Assistant Regional Administrator, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration; and Jonathan Miller, Project Manager, Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall Architects. The second panel to testify consisted of auditors that conducted a performance audit of the District school system: Andrew Brimmer, Chairman, D.C. Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority; David Cotton, Cotton & Company; Ed Fritts, Senior Manager, Cotton & Company; and Marvin Allmond, Managing Partner, Allmond & Company. The final panel to testify included Anthony Williams, D.C, Chief Financial Officer; Ed Stephenson, Chief Financial Officer, DCPS; Dr. Bruce MacLaury, Chairman, DCPS Emergency Trustee Board; General Julius Becton, Chief Executive Officer, DCPS; and General Charles E. Williams, Chief Operating Officer, DCPS. The transcribed comments and prepared statements are supplemented by letters, statements, and other documents submitted for the record. (JM)

The focus of this hearing was on lessons learned in the District of Columbia public schools in the year preceding the hearing. In his opening remarks, Senator Brownback (Kansas) remarked that one of the first lessons is that the academic quality of the schools is not good enough and is in dire need of improvement. A second set of lessons focuses on discipline and school safety. The first hearing witness was Gloria L. Jarmon, of the U.S. General Accounting Office, who spoke about the funding of school repairs in the District of Columbia. Delays in school repairs hindered the operation of the District schools in the preceding year. The second speaker, David L. Cotton, accompanied by Ed Fritts and Marvin Allmond who were members of a firm that audited the District of Columbia schools procurement process. Irregularities in the procurement process and the need for further investigation were pointed out. The statement of Joyce Ladner of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority discussed the steps taken to improve the poor condition of the District's schools and instructional effectiveness. Accomplishments that began to put into place the foundations of better learning, including administrative changes, were outlined. The testimony of Julius W. Becton, Jr., the Superintendent of Schools, reviewed the progress made in the relatively short time in which the newly appointed administration has operated. Improvements to facilities and personnel and financial management were outlined. The final panelist was Taalib-Din Uqdah, businessman and custodial parent of D.C. public school students, who spoke about the expectations and experiences of parents for their children's schools. An appendix contains supporting material from the Government Accounting Office and the school system, as well as prepared statements of some of the speakers. (SLD)

The Subcommittee on the District of Columbia of the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight held a hearing to discuss an accurate census of the District of Columbia public schools and the system's enrollment. Subcommittee Chairman Thomas M. Davis (Virginia) noted that an accurate and reliable count of student enrollment is directly related to the system's ability to determine how many classrooms are needed and how many teachers, administrators, and support personnel are required. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (District of Columbia) concurred and mentioned some of the issues that make an accurate enrollment count difficult, and Congresswoman Constance A. Morella (Maryland) also voiced her agreement. The first statement of the first panel was from Cornelia M. Blanchette of the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), who described the GAO's August 1997 report and the actions the District of Columbia schools reported taking in response to the report. George Grier, representing a statistical consulting firm, talked about the difficulties of obtaining a correct count of students in an urban district where many students come from or go to surrounding jurisdictions. General Julius W. Becton, the Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent of the District of Columbia Public Schools, reported on efforts to improve the accuracy of the school counts. Richard Wenning of the District of Columbia Public Schools discussed steps taken to improve the enrollment counts, and a general discussion of the problems and potential solutions followed. The afternoon panel consisted of: (1) Joyce Ladner, Member of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority; (2) Bruce K. MacLaury, Chairman of the school system's Emergency Transitional Education Board of Trustees; and (3) Wilma Harvey, President of the Board of Education of the District of Columbia. These officials discussed enrollment counting in the context of the transitional Board of Education and the overall District of Columbia educational reform effort. Prepared statements of the witnesses at this hearing follow their remarks or are substituted for them in some instances. (SLD)

A Congressional hearing was held to discuss the readiness of the District of Columbia public schools for the 1998-99 school year. In the 1997-98 school year, the District's public schools had not been able to open on time because of repair work that was not completed. After opening remarks by Congress members Thomas M. Davis and Constance Morella, Constance Newman, Vice Chairman of the District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority, spoke about the efforts underway to improve the D.C. public schools. Arlene Ackerman, Superintendent of Schools for the District of Columbia, assured the Subcommittee that the schools would be opening on time and that improvements to facilities and to instruction were ongoing. Colonel Bruce Berwick of the Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for engineering technical assistance to the school system, emphasized that all schools would be able to open in safe conditions by September 1, 1998, even though all capital projects would not be completed. Arthur Turowski, Director of Portfolio Management for the Public Buildings Service of the National Capital Region of the General Services Administration, reviewed the role of that agency in the facilities repair and improvement process. Additional statements were made by these witnesses: (1) Maudine Cooper, Chairman of the school system's Emergency Transition Board; (2) Wilma Harvey, President of the elected School Board; and (3) Carlotta C. Joyner, of the U.S. General Accounting Office. Constance Newman and Arlene Ackerman summarized issues facing the D.C. schools and touched on areas related to academic achievement and the situation of charter schools. The prepared statements of each witness follow their testimony. (SLD)