Press Release Council Of The District Of Columbia

PRESS RELEASE Council of the District of Columbia Office of Chairman Vincent C. Gray The John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20004 For Immediate Release:

Contact: Doxie A. McCoy 202-724-8032, 202-664-9862 [email protected]

Gray to Hold Public Hearing on Fenty/Rhee Teacher RIF and School Budget Washington DC – D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray will hold a public oversight hearing this month on the District of Columbia Public Schools Annual Equalization Process and the reduction-in-force (RIF) that is underway today. Equalization aligns resources and funding with actual student enrollment. “This is a day that has been talked about for weeks but when it happens it is a real blow to students, the education community, families and District of Columbia residents as a whole, particularly during these harsh economic times,” Chairman Gray said. “I want to thank the teachers who have dedicated their lives to educating our children.” According to Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Chancellor Michelle Rhee, these sweeping reductions are in response to Council budget cuts. However, on July 31, 2009, the Council passed the Budget Request Act for Fiscal Year 2010, which, when all federal stimulus dollars are accounted for, fully funds DCPS at last year’s levels (see attached fact sheet for more details). Given that there is no evident basis for the Mayor’s assertion about budget cuts, the purpose of the hearing before the Committee of the Whole is to review the rationale and impact of these reductions. The Council will pay particular attention to how these reductions have negatively impacted the education of our children. “The Mayor and Chancellor’s decision to cut local school budgets and fire teachers has alarmed District of Columbia families, sent shockwaves through the teaching community, and disrupted the education of our students. I’m convening this hearing so that we, as a community, can get to the bottom of these decisions.” Gray said. The Chairman has invited Mayor Fenty to provide testimony, along with the Chancellor, given the importance of this issue. At the hearing, the Chairman also will hear from education policy experts who will provide analyses of the impact of the equalization process and resulting reductions. Gray also is calling on parents, teachers, and other residents to testify as to how the Executive’s actions have affected their classrooms and schools. ###