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OCR Page 1 of 8U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
FEBRUARY 1997
BRIEFING PAPER
DC PUBLIC SCHOOL
I:
BACKGROUND
A:
U.S. Department of Education's Authority
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) administers programs that provide approximately 10
percent of funds available to school systems in urban areas like the District of Columbia (DC).
unds are designed to support a variety of school reform measures such as local improvements in
basic and advanced skills geared to challenging academic standards, school safety, parent
involvement, educational technology, the transition from school to work, teacher quality, and to help
meet the special needs of students. In Fiscal Year 1996, obligations and payments to the DC public
schools total approximately $40,900,000.
In addition to providing funding to school systems, ED funds several sources of technical assistance,
available to the DC public schools, that can provide information and consultation on effective school
improvement practices, including university-based centers.
B:
Current Governance of DC Public Schools
General Julius W. Becton, Jr. became the new Superintendent of DC public schools on
November 15, 1996, when DC's financial control board--created by Congress in 1995 to oversee
municipal spending and operations--declared a state of emergency in the city's schools. As the
balance of power shifts, the players and their roles in the school system include:
The United States Congress: with constitutional authority over the district, it has final say over
the school budget.
The District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority:
the "control board"- five-member panel created by Congress and appointed by the president--
has broad powers over the city's municipal government and schools. The control board has
divested the elected school board of much of its authority.
The District of Columbia Emergency Transitional Education Board of Trustees: This nine-
member board of trustees, created by the control board, oversees the day-to-day operations of DC
public schools. The authority of this board will expire in June 2000 unless the control board extends
its life.
The City Council and Mayor: Under the law that created the control board, these municipal
officials can veto line items in the school budget before it is submitted to the control board; however,
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