4344841 Resolution 20-126, “Sense of the Council on Participation in the Summer Learning Program Emergency Resolution of 2013”

A RESOLUTION

 

20-126

 

IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

 

May 7, 2013

 

 

To declare the sense of the Council that, in 2013, any student resident of the District of Columbia who wishes to enroll in the District’s summer learning program should have the opportunity to do so. 

 

            RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Sense of the Council on Participation in the Summer Learning Program Emergency Resolution of 2013”.

 

            Sec. 2. The Council finds that:

                        (1)  In 2012, the Mayor and the Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools  (“DCPS”) announced an aggressive plan to, by 2017, increase District-wide math and reading proficiency to 70% while doubling the number of students who score at advanced levels of proficiency. 

                        (2)  The results from the 2012 administration of the DC Comprehensive Assessment System  show that the District has a long way to go to achieve this goal, as the percentage of students proficient in reading and math tested grade levels was far below 50%.

(3)  According to Rand Education, a unit of the Rand Corporation, “[s]ummer learning programs have the potential to help children and youth improve their academic and other outcomes. This is especially true for children from low-income families who might not have access to educational resources throughout the summer months and for low-achieving students who need additional time to master academic content.”   

                        (4)  In 2013, based on reading assessment performance, the DCPS flagged more than 10,000 students in grades K-8 as potential candidates for the District’s summer learning program.    

(5)  Previously, the summer learning program has been open to all students on a first-come, first-served basis. 

(6)  However, in 2013, only a short time before the summer learning program enrollment deadline, and without notice to parents or students, DCPS announced that its summer learning program enrollment policy has changed.  Now, only those students who are invited to enroll in summer school may enroll on a first-come, first-served basis.  Specifically, according to the DCPS’s website, the District is “strategically inviting certain students to enroll” in the  summer learning program and making judgments as to “who will benefit most from the program.”

(7)  In 2013, the District will enroll up to 2,700 of the 10,000 students that the District has flagged as potential candidates for the  K-8 summer learning program.

                        (8)  In 2012, the District’s revenues exceeded its expenses by more than $400 million.  The 2012 budget surplus was added District’s reserve fund.  

                        (9)  In February 2013, the Council learned that revenues will exceed the approved fiscal year 2013 budget by $190 million. 

                        (1)  According to the Mayor, as of January 2013, the reserve fund totals $1.5 billion. 

 

            Sec. 3.  It is the sense of the Council that in light of the DCPS’s late announcement of its new invitation-only policy for summer education, the District’s 70% proficiency goals, and the District’s financial position, in 2013, any student resident who wishes to enroll in the summer learning program should have the opportunity to do so.      

 

            Sec. 4. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution, upon its adoption, to the Mayor.

 

            Sec. 5.  This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.