Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on Bill 24-80, DC State Education Agency Independence Amendment Act of 2021 & Bill 24-101, Office of the State Superintendent of Education Independence Amendment Act of 2021 on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. Chairman’s Website (www.ChairmanMendelson.com/live) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing of the Committee of the Whole on Bill 24-80, “DC State Education Agency Independence Amendment Act of 2021” and Bill 24-101, the “Office of the State Superintendent of Education Independence Amendment Act of 2021.” The hearing will be on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. via Zoom videoconference. The purpose of Bills 24-80 and 24-101 is to make the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) independent from the Mayor. Bill 24-80 would make OSSE subordinate to the State Board of Education, provide SBOE with the authority to appoint the State Superintendent of Education, and allow employees of the District of Columbia Public Schools to serve on the SBOE. Bill 24-101 would make OSSE an independent agency within the District government and limit the Mayor to be able to remove the State Superintendent only for cause. Currently, the Mayor may remove the State Superintendent for any reason. The bill also clarifies OSSE’s oversight responsibilities, requiring the agency to verify data produced by local education agencies (LEA) and to investigate allegations of waste, fraud, or fiscal mismanagement by LEAs. Those who wish to testify must register at http://www.ChairmanMendelson.com/testify by the close of business on Friday October 22, 2021. Testimony is limited to three minutes. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation or require sign language interpretation must inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. If you have additional questions, please contact Christina Setlow, Deputy Committee Director at (202) 724-4865. Copies of the legislation can be obtained through the Legislative Services Division of the Secretary of the Council’s office or on http://lims.dccouncil.us. Hearing materials, including a draft witness list, can be accessed at http://www.chairmanmendelson.com/circulation 24 hours in advance of the hearing. Due to the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration, the hearing will be conducted virtually on the Internet utilizing Zoom videoconference technology. Because of this, written or transcribed testimony from the public is highly encouraged and will be taken by email or voicemail. Testimony may be submitted in writing to cow@dccouncil.us or may be left by voicemail (up to 3 minutes – which will be transcribed – by calling (202) 430-6948). Testimony received by close of business on Friday, October 22, 2021, will be posted publicly to http://www.chairmanmendelson.com/circulation prior to the hearing. If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Written statements should be submitted to cow@dccouncil.us. The record will close at 5:00pm on Tuesday, November 9, 2021.