Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on Bill 25-200, “Educator Retention for Student Success Act of 2023” Bill 25-499, “Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Educators Act of 2023” Tuesday, November 21, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. Hearing Room 412 (Track B) John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW DC Council Website (www.dccouncil.gov) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing before the Committee of the Whole on Bill 25-200, the “Educator Retention for Student Success Act of 2023,” and Bill 25-499, the “Student Loan Repayment Assistance for Educators Act of 2023.” The hearing will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, November 21, 2023. The stated purpose of Bill 25-200 is to require District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to adopt a series of measures to improve teacher retention. The legislation would require DCPS to provide Wellness Coordinators at schools with high at-risk student populations and conduct an exit survey for teachers leaving the profession. It would require OSSE to convene a task force to determine fair paraprofessional pay and establish a flexible scheduling pilot program. (The Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Support Act has already mandated that DCPS begin conducting exit surveys and established a flexible scheduling pilot program.) The stated purpose of Bill 25-499 is to establish a loan repayment assistance program for educators. The program would be administered by OSSE, in consultation with the Student Loan Ombudsman. Those who wish to testify must register using the Council’s Hearing Management System at https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 17, 2023. Testimony is limited to four minutes. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding by emailing cow@dccouncil.gov. 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. Witnesses will receive instructions on how to participate by Zoom prior to the hearing. If you have additional questions, please contact Bijan Verlin, Legislative Policy Advisor, at (202) 724-4865 or bverlin@dccouncil.gov. Public witnesses will participate virtually via the Internet on the Zoom Video Conference platform. Testimony should be submitted through the Council’s Hearing Management System (https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings) in advance of the hearing. Testimony will be publicly accessible upon Committee review. If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Statements for the record should be submitted through the Hearing Management System or left by voicemail by calling (202) 430-6948 (up to 3 minutes which will be transcribed). The record will close at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, December 5, 2023.