Valerie Jablow testimony at 12-5-24 Council hearing on Eagle Academy Closing

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My name is Valerie Jablow. I am testifying about charter oversight that has failed DC citizens—very notably with Eagle Academy. My testimony is based on my work following DC publicly funded schools as publisher of educationdc.net.[i]

Many DC government actors knew Eagle’s fiscal and other problems since at least 2017. As my written testimony details, residents documented and presented those problems to Eagle; the charter board; DC agency personnel; ANCs; the council; and the prior attorney general.[ii]

Yet it wasn’t until 2024 that Eagle was subjected to much greater scrutiny by the charter board. In fact, as I pointed out to Chairman Mendelson and COW staff, the charter board repeatedly misrepresented its actions and oversight in its September 9 response to Chairman Mendelson’s August questions around Eagle.[iii]

The bottom line is that oversight of DC charters is poor; obfuscating; and actively excludes the public. The charter board’s fiscal oversight processes omit important data and are not publicly centered, essentially requiring DC citizens to act as forensic accountants to track problems while no one is conducting real oversight of our charter sector.[iv] And while having another LEA take over Eagle seems better than closure, that doesn’t address that what happened with Eagle is largely because many DC actors obfuscated and ignored serious problems--and continue to do so.

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Joint Support for DC Public Education Quality and Accountability

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Dear Council Chair Mendelson and Members of the Committee of the Whole,

We request that you hold a hearing quickly to fully understand all of the circumstances that led to the LEA Eagle Academy’s decision to close two public schools in late August, on the cusp of the 2024-2025 school year.  As a result of this decision, the parents of 350 children were given just a few days to find new schools for their children, and dozens of educators were suddenly left without positions. As one Ward 8 school employee noted: “Instead of putting the money into the schools that are already there and really need it, money is poured into new school developments... And then we must pick up pieces when things don’t work out.”  School takeovers, as indicated by the PCSB in their deliberations are not necessarily an answer, and the deeper underlying issues need to be investigated.   

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PCSB - Friendship PCS Acquisition of Eagle Academy PCS Suzanne Wells

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Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the Friendship Public Charter School (PCS) proposed acquisition of Eagle Academy PCS.

Charter schools are public schools, and there should be proper oversight of their operations and open public meetings when important issues are being considered. The Friendship PCS Amendment Application raises serious concerns about how it came to be that Friendship would acquire Eagle Academy. There are 70 LEAs in DC. What kind of public process was in place to decide that Friendship PCS is the best LEA to acquire the assets of Eagle Academy? There are many other LEAs that have high quality early childhood programs that could also manage the Eagle Academy programs. Furthermore, who made the decision to allow the Eagle Academy campuses to remain open rather than being closed after the Public Charter School Board (PCSB) raised concerns about the financial stability of Eagle Academy?

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PCSB Eagle PCS Closing, Process, Possible Friendship Takeover

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I am Valerie Jablow, a DC resident. For years, I and other residents have documented for DC officials Eagle’s numerous fiscal and other violations, such as

--A CEO paid more than the mayor for a school with less than 500 students; staff members loaning the school money with interest; and less than 2 weeks of cash on hand for 6 of the last 8 years;

--Not paying contractors and property taxes; and

--Building without appropriate permits while damaging properties and creating environmental hazards.

But Eagle isn’t the only problem here. The notice for this hearing was posted less than 2 weeks ago, after the boards of Friendship and Eagle discussed Friendship’s takeover of Eagle in closed meetings (July 12 (also see here) and July 18, respectively; BTW the charter board application on p. 2 asks for the minutes from Friendship’s board meeting, but none were given). Two days ago, you also discussed it in a closed meeting.

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Eagle Academy PCS closing, Friendship proposal to acquire

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I appreciate this opportunity to testify.  Charter Schools have insisted they are public schools, not just publicly funded.  They, you, insist charters are not private but public and they should have equal funding and equal rights. 

 Along with that should come equal responsibilities.  We are a city that has a limited democracy often subject to different whims of a Congress we do not have equal representation in.  At least with our own public institutions we can insist on transparency and solid democratic process. 

 That is not what is occurring here.  First there is a Financial Corrective Action Plan in July and then in August, Eagle is closing.  As I understand it, there has been significant concerns about the ethics and financial viability of Eagle, further documented in its site in Nevada.  Despite these concerns Eagle was granted a renewal lease in January of 2023 and now it is closing. 

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Feedback on 2023 Boundary and Student Assignment Process from Cathy Reilly

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Dear Deputy Mayor Kihn, Jenn Comey, and Michael Akin,

This is my feedback on the Student Assignment and Boundary Study Process.  I appreciate the chance to weigh in and hope that it will inform future convenings.  As I get more distance from the process, I have felt more distressed about some of what follows. We spent so much time with some communities and so little with others that will be affected in the future.  I do have the experience of the two committees 10 years apart.  I hope we can capture some of what the first offered that we did not have this time in the next iteration.  If I can I will try and send on more thoughts that capture that. 

The Advisory group was a strong and thoughtful group.  The choice to have the number of members on the committee reflect the proportion of DCPS students from the different wards of the city worked.  I felt the decision to have the government as voting members compared to the practice in 2013 to have them present and contributing but not voting, had mixed results.  I can share more on this if it would be helpful.

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BASIS Expansion-- Concerns for System - Cathy Reilly

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Comment to the Public Charter School Board on the request by DC BASIS to expand enrollment ceiling by adding 548 K-4 seats in SY 2025-2026. As BASIS DC’s current enrollment ceiling is 711 seats, the school wishes to increase it by 516 students to a total enrollment ceiling of 1227.

I appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback and the full availability of the application as well as the work done by the PCSB on the Sector Planning Supplement.  It is all public money and the involvement of a larger public is essential

The PCSB is responsible for the allocation and oversight of approximately 1.4billion dollars annually in local public money appropriated for public charter schools by the DC Council.[1]  This is a responsibility to all residents of DC and entails a look at the education needs across a wider landscape than the desires of one school………..

It was of note to me to see the numbers projected for each grade.  BASIS is anticipating that the class of 135 5th graders matriculates to a class of 61 9th graders in 2028-29.[7]  It is a small high school of 233 students.  The graduation rate from 9th grade would be projected to be 72% unless the young people who have left can be identified and shown to have graduated from somewhere else. 

Thus, there is no indication that families stay at BASIS through 12th grade, despite the high performing argument. The middle grades have higher enrollment, their theory seems to be that going to lower grades is a better business model. Approving a school cannot be about their need to be profitable. BASIS states in the application that “the data does not speak to the desire of families to select seats at one school vs another.”[8] This is the argument with less population growth: entice families to leave their current school even a high- quality school. Instability and heightened mobility are not in the best interest of families though. The 2024 Sector Planning report concludes approved seats already exceed high estimates for anticipated growth, and most existing high-quality schools do not have a favorable waitlist-to-seat ratio.[9] The need is not there. 

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BASIS DC Expansion to Elementary Proposal Valerie Jablow

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I am Valerie Jablow, a DC resident commenting on BASIS DC’s application to start an elementary school.

As footnotes in my written testimony outline, BASIS DC has not had for years running student bodies representative of DC’s public school students.[1]

One reason is that BASIS DC has not accepted students after 5th grade—and has severe drop-off of students thereafter.[2] At least one of multiple discrimination complaints to the U.S. Department of Education about BASIS DC suggests that some attrition may be related to Black students leaving.[3]

The application itself is unclear on what grades will be open in the lottery and when. Specifically, we do not know whether the school will limit access to only K, 1st and/or 5th at some point after SY28-29, when it will achieve full enrollment.[4]

This is important to get clear because BASIS DC’s model thus far--of attrition and limited access--has helped skew the school’s population to a majority white and wealthier student body with few disabilities. While the application itself hints that this proposed expansion will provide a reliable feeder system, the graphs of enrollment over time show huge attrition continuing.[5]

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BASIS Expansion Proposal Suzanne Wells

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Thank you for the opportunity to testify this evening.  My name is Suzanne Wells, and I am a resident of Ward 6.

In making a decision on the BASIS expansion proposal, the PCSB has a responsibility not only to consider the merits of the school’s application, but also to consider the impact of the BASIS expansion proposal on surrounding elementary schools and the overall sustainability of the DC school system. The PCSB assessed the number of already approved charter school seats with the projected student population growth through 2030.  Based on updated population growth data, the PCSB has already approved charter school growth for more students than DC anticipates having over the next 10 years[1]. Approving another elementary school will only make this situation worse.  In short,  a new elementary school is not needed in DC. 

 

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