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District of Columbia State Board of Education
441 4th Street NW, Suites 530S & 723N | Washington, DC 20001
(202) 741-0888 | sboe.dc.gov | sboe@dc.gov | @DCSBOE
December 18, 2025
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
The D.C. State Board of Education Expanded Authority Amendment Act of 2025 is enclosed for
consideration and enactment by the Council of the District of Columbia.
The State Board of Education approved this proposed bill for transmittal to the District of Columbia
Council by a vote of 9-0 on December 17, 2025.
If you or your staff have any questions about this legislation, please get in touch with me at (202)
741-0888 or bernice.butler@dc.gov.
On behalf of the State Board of Education, I respectfully request that the Council take prompt and
favorable action on the enclosed legislation.
Sincerely,
Bernice D. Butler
Executive Director
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at the request of the State Board of Education
A BILL
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
12 To amend the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of2007 to provide the D.C. State
13 Board of Education with the authority to require the initiation of education policy actions
14 under its approval authority, to amend education policy actions requested by the Office of
15 the State Superintendent of Education by a two-thirds majority vote, to require the
16 submission of education-related data, and to provide great weight to recommendations of
17 the State Board adopted by resolution.
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19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA , That this act may
20 be cited as the "D .C . State Board of Education Expanded Authority Amendment Act of 2025".
21 Sec. 2. Section 403 of the Public Education Reform Amendment Act of2007 (D.C. Law
22 17-9, D.C. Official Code § 38-2652) is amended as follows:
23 (a) Paragraph (c)(l) is amended by inserting the phrase "by majority vote, or amendment
24 by two-thirds majority vote" after the word "approval";
25 (b) A new subsection (c-1) is inserted to read as follows:
26 "(c-1)(1) The State Board may initiate the submission of a policy action concerning a
27 matter enumerated in subsection (a) of this section as follows:
28 "(A)(i) The State Board shall formally request the submission of a
29 specified policy action concerning a matter enumerated in subsection (a) of this section by
30 transmitting a letter signed by five or more board members as signatories.
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“(ii) The DC government entity from which the policy 31
action was requested has 90 days to respond to the written request from the State Board, and 32
shall inform the State Board whether they will commence the requested policy action within six 33
months, and to provide a written work plan detailing the timeline for submission of the requested 34
policy action. 35
“(B) If the relevant DC government entity does not respond within 90 36
days, declines the request of the State Board, does not initiate the process within six months, then 37
the State Board has the authority to require that the government entity initiate the policy through 38
a resolution, approved by a supermajority of two-thirds of members. 39
“(C) The resolution may require that the relevant DC government entity 40
initiate the policy within six months of transmission to the entity, and may require the relevant 41
DC government entity to submit the policy to the State Board for approval within one year of the 42
adoption of the resolution.”. 43
(2) The State Board may require education-related data from a DC government 44
entity, within the Executive Branch, to be submitted to the State Board as follows: 45
“(A) The State Board shall request the submission of education-related 46
data by transmitting a letter signed by five or more board members as signatories. 47
“(B) If the relevant DC government entity does not provide the data within 48
15 business days, or if the education agency declines the request, then the State Board has the 49
authority to require that the data be submitted to the Board, by a state resolution of the Board, 50
which requires a supermajority of members, within at least 15 days of transmission to the 51
agency. 52
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“(C) This subsection shall not be interpreted to preclude a DC government 53
entity from voluntary submitting education-related data requested by the State Board of 54
Education or its individual members.”. 55
(b) A new subsection (f) is inserted to read as follows: 56
“(f)(1) The issues and concerns raised in the recommendations of a state resolution 57
adopted by the State Board of Education shall be given great weight during the deliberations by 58
the government entity. Great weight requires acknowledgement of the State Board as the source 59
of the recommendations and explicit reference to each of the State Board’s issues and concerns. 60
“(2) In all cases the government entity is required to articulate its decision in 61
writing. The written rationale of the decision shall articulate with particularity and precision the 62
reasons why the State Board does or does not offer persuasive advice under the circumstances. In 63
so doing, the government entity must articulate specific findings and conclusions with respect to 64
each issue and concern raised by the State Board. Further, the government entity is required to 65
support its position on the record. 66
“(3) The government entity shall promptly send to the State Board a copy of its 67
written decision within 60 days. 68
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 69
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 70
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 71
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 72
Sec. 4. Effective date. 73
This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 74
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Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 75
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 76
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 77
Columbia Register. 78