Empower the D.C. State Board of Education Amendment Act of 2025

February 28, 2025
Nyasha Smith
Secretary, Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Smith,
Today, I am introducing the Empower the D.C. State Board of Education Amendment Act of
2025. Please find enclosed a signed copy of the legislation.
The D.C. State Board of Education (State Board) serves as the District’s only duly elected
educational body, providing policy leadership and support for the District’s educational
ecosystem. The State Board is responsible for advising the Office of the State Superintendent of
Education (OSSE) and voting on educational matters, including state standards; state policies,
including those governing special, academic, vocational, charter, and other schools; state
objectives; and state regulations proposed by the Mayor or the State Superintendent of
Education. The State Board’s nine members are elected in elections in alternating cycles and are
often consulted on general education matters, demonstrating how invaluable their perspectives
and expertise are to the District. While often conflated with a school board, the State Board does
not exercise control over day-to-day school issues. Instead, the State Board–like most state
boards–is responsible for setting system-wide policy.
Under current law, however, the State Board does not have enough authority to ensure its policy
decisions are translated into reality–or even considered by OSSE. Under the Public Education
Reform Amendment Act of 2007 (D.C. Law 17-9; D.C. Official Code § 38–2652), the State
Board can only vote on matters initiated by OSSE and brought to the State Board for
consideration. What is more, the State Board does not have the authority to amend policy
proposals brought forward for consideration – the State Board is only allowed to vote for or
against a policy proposal. This was illustrated most recently as the State Board sought common
sense additions to the District Report Card they were tasked with approving in 2023. The
changes sought by the State Board were ultimately denied for consideration by OSSE. What is
more, OSSE does not have to respond to a formal request for policy action from the State Board.
For instance, despite months of work by a joint graduation task force convened by the State
Board in 2017, OSSE disregarded the recommendations of the State Board and failed to ever
follow up on the task force’s work. In effect, OSSE controls which matters are brought up for
consideration and defines the contours of policies ultimately voted on by the State Board. As a
former member of the State Board, I know firsthand that the relationship between the State
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Board and OSSE is critical to informing the District’s education policies. However, I believe this
relationship can be strengthened by creating a process by which the State Board’s time and work
is always honored, and by establishing a true partnership by creating dual policy pathways
between OSSE and the State Board.

In March 2023, the State Board released its D.C. Education Governance Recommendations and
Considerations, which, among other things, called for authorizing the State Board to initiate
policy in the areas where it currently has statutory approval authority as enumerated under DC
Code § 38–2652 and to amend policies brought to the State Board by OSSE. Additionally, the
State Board currently has a governance-related working group that is expected to formally
recommend, again, authorizing the State Board to initiate and amend policy. These formal
recommendations by the State Board are supported by countless testimonies heard at Council
education hearings over the years by residents regarding the need to empower the State Board.

The Empower the D.C. State Board of Education Amendment Act of 2025 would bolster the
State Board’s authority to effectuate educational policy in the District. First, the bill would
permit the State Board to amend—not merely approve or disapprove—requests for policy action
submitted by OSSE. Second, the bill would allow the State Board to initiate the submission of a
policy action rather than rely solely on OSSE to do so. The bill gives the Council responsibility
to decide whether policy actions requested by the State Board but opposed by OSSE should
proceed. If the Council fails to adopt a resolution sustaining OSSE’s objection, then the policy
action requested by the State Board will proceed.
This legislation creates a democratic process for the State Board to engage in policy matters with
OSSE. The State Board is accountable to the constituents who elect them—and, more
importantly, to the students who depend on their perspective. Hence, this legislation creates
essential checks and balances in the relationship between the State Board and OSSE, ensuring
that valuable time spent by the State Board and external stakeholders (e.g., parents, teachers, and
school leaders) is respected and affirmed through meaningful and real engagement. By allowing
the State Board to initiate policy, we truly make the State Board the educational voice of the
people and ensure that it can act on the needs of the constituents it serves. Moreover, this
legislation will improve transparency by requiring OSSE to create a record for every formal
request made by the State Board.
Before filing this legislation, I consulted with current State Board leadership, as well as current
and former members of the State Board, Acting Superintendent Mitchell, Council Chairman
Mendelson, and a range of parent leaders and education stakeholders. I look forward to
continued engagement on this issue and on matters that will improve the District’s education
ecosystem. Should you have any questions, please contact my Deputy Chief of Staff, Conor
Shaw, at cshaw@dccouncil.gov.

Sincerely,

Zachary Parker

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Councilmember Zachary Parker 3
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A BILL 6
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 10
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To amend the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 to empower the D.C. State 15
Board of Education to initiate or amend a request for policy action submitted by the 16
Office of the State Superintendent of Education. 17
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may 19
be cited as the “Empower the D.C. State Board of Education Amendment Act of 2025”. 20
Sec. 2. Section 403 of the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007 (D.C. Law 21
17-9, D.C. Official Code § 38–2652) is amended as follows: 22
(a) Paragraph (c)(1) is amended by inserting the phrase “or amendment” after the word 23
“approval”; 24
(b) A new subsection (c-1) is inserted to read as follows: 25
“(c-1) (1) Within 90 days of the Board adopting a resolution initiating the submission of a 26
request for policy action concerning a matter, policy, plan, rule, regulation, or standard 27
enumerated in subsection (a) of this section, the State Superintendent of Education shall transmit 28
to the Board and the Chair of the Council committee with jurisdiction over the Board: 29
“(A) A written work plan detailing how the State Superintendent of 30
Education will submit a request for policy action within 6 months of the Board’s resolution; or 31

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“(B) A written statement explaining why the State Superintendent of 32
Education opposes submitting a request for policy action and a draft Council resolution 33
disapproving the Board resolution. 34
“(2) If the Council fails to adopt a resolution affirming the State Superintendent of 35
Education’s opposition to submitting a request for policy action within 120 days of the Board 36
resolution, the Superintendent of Education shall transmit to the Board and the Chair of the 37
Council committee with jurisdiction over the Board a work plan detailing how the State 38
Superintendent of Education will submit a request for policy action within 9 months of the 39
Board’s resolution. 40
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 41
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 42
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 43
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 44
Sec. 4. Effective date. 45
This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 46
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 47
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 48
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 49
Columbia Register. 50