Committee of the Whole Public Oversight Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF AN OVERSIGHT PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES AN OVERSIGHT PUBLIC HEARING on “Teacher and Principal Retention” on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 4:00 p.m. Room 412 (Track B) John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20004 DC Council Website (www.dccouncil.gov) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces an oversight public hearing before the Committee of the Whole on Teacher and Principal Retention in the District of Columbia. The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. The purpose of this public oversight hearing is to hear from public, government and expert witnesses about efforts that improve or hinder educator retention in both the District of Columbia Public Schools and District of Columbia Public Charter Schools. Ensuring that high quality educators and principals are retained within a school enhances student outcomes significantly. Their influence extends beyond academic achievement by fostering students’ socio-emotional development as well. By retaining teachers and principals, schools create a stable and supportive learning environment that is essential for student success. Across DCPS and public charter sectors there have been higher rates of teachers staying at their same school during the 2023-2024 school year (79 percent for DCPS and 69 percent for PCS).1 Although this is an improvement from the previous school year, there is still room to improve. The Committee is particularly concerned with the teacher contract, adequacies in educator salary, working conditions, evaluation, coaching support, and growth opportunities. 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, October 25, 2024. Testimony is limited to three 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 get in touch with Aliyah McNeely, Legislative Policy Advisor, at (202) 724-7130 or amcneely@dccouncil.gov. Public witnesses will participate in-person or virtually via the Internet on the Zoom Video Conference platform. Those who wish to submit testimony for the record may do so by using the Council’s Hearing Management System at https://lims.dccouncil.gov/hearings or by leaving a voicemail at (202) 430- 6948 (up to 3 minutes which will be transcribed). Testimony will be publicly accessible upon Committee review. The record will close at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, November 12, 2024. 1 Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). (2024). Educator Retention Brief. Retrieved from https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2024%20ERB.pdf