Norton Seeks Funding for DC's Community College & For Voucher Student Enrollment in Charter Schools

Norton Seeks New Funding for D.C.'s New Community College and for Voucher Student Enrollment in Charter Schools

March 11, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released her letter to House and Senate appropriators seeking $10 million, above what is already in the president's budget for D.C. public schools, to expand public charter schools in light of their waiting lists and for the University of the District of Columbia's new community college. She requested an additional $5 million for charter school attendance by voucher students or others who had desired to use vouchers, and $5 million for the University of the District of Columbia's (UDC) new Community College for the District of Columbia (CCDC), which opened its doors last year. "The additional funding that I request would relieve the city of the possible financial burden from returning voucher students and those who would have otherwise received vouchers, and would allow the city to more gradually integrate these students into the DCPS and the public charter school systems." These funds would be in addition to funds that are in the president's budget to support charter schools, but do little to allow them to meet the growing demand or to mitigate charter school backlogs.

In her letter to Sen. Richard Durbin, chair, Senate Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, and Rep. Jose E. Serrano, chair, House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government, Norton said that D.C. public charter schools and CCDC are "the two parts of the District's public school system whose extraordinary progress has not been matched by funding." She wrote, "The need for a robust community college in the District has been long-standing and well-documented in numerous analyses, proposals and policy papers, but until recently, no action had ever been taken." Yet, Norton added, in only one year, CCDC enrollment jumped 29 percent. The funding could help with stabilizing the new community college, which is funded now by the UDC's budget, and help with plans for expansion of the community college into all eight wards of the District.

A copy of the complete letter is below.

###

March 10, 2010

The Honorable Richard Durbin The Honorable Jose E. Serrano

Chairman Chairman

Subcommittee on Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Services

and General Government and General Government

Room B-300 Rayburn House Office Building Room S. 128, The Capitol

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515

BY MAIL AND EMAIL

Dear Chairmen Durbin and Serrano:

I am writing to request appropriations for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and for District of Columbia public charter schools, the two parts of the District's public school system whose extraordinary progress has not been matched in funding. To the District of Columbia's credit, it has expended great energy and allocated millions of dollars of its own funds, as well as congressional appropriations, to significantly reform and restructure the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). However, resources also should be available to DCPS students upon graduation, many of whom will have no options other than their own state university, as well as to students seeking alternatives for DCPS. Accordingly, I therefore request $5 million for the Community College for the District of Columbia (CCDC) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), and $5 million above the President's to facilitate returning voucher students and those who would otherwise would have sought them.

Until Dr. Alan Sessoms became president of UDC in 2008, the school had not fully recovered from the serious blow it took during the District's financial crisis in the 1990s. Of particular importance, UDC had no separate community college, forcing poorly prepared students to enroll at UDC, then an open-enrollment institution, which resulted in alarming drop-out rates. Dr. Sessoms has moved to make many of the types of changes at UDC that most have only discussed. In his first year at UDC, for example, Dr. Sessoms quickly established the city's first community college, which is already making a dramatic impact on the District.

The need for a robust community college in the District has been long-standing and well-documented in numerous analyses, proposals and policy papers, but, until recently, no action had ever been taken. Most recently, the Brookings Institution published a report detailing the urgent need for a community college here offering a wide array of academic and occupationally-focused certificate and associate programs. With the arrival of Dr. Sessoms, plans for CCDC were quickly developed and implemented.

CCDC, which opened its doors in the fall of 2009 with an enrollment of 1,779 students, is fully accredited, is guided by a highly-qualified and experienced president and an expert executive administration, and is on track to gain budget autonomy. By the 2010 semester, CCDC enrollment had jumped 29%, affirming the Brookings report's finding on the need for a community college in the District.

Importantly, CCDC is helping to fulfill the long-standing educational needs of District residents, as well as the needs of District businesses and the government for qualified personnel. CCDC offers a wide array of educational options to its students: occupational certificates; workforce development and adult education; dual enrollment for high school students; and a four-year degree. To better tailor its programs to the current job market, CCDC has partnered with public and private employers to develop programs to meet regional labor demands. For example, CCDC has focused resources on the fast growing regional healthcare workforce that grew by an impressive 2.8% last year during the recession. This area of study has become the CCDC's strongest and most popular program. By providing affordable and accessible educational opportunities at reasonable tuition rates, CCDC is making great strides in efficiently increasing the employability of its graduates.

In addition to these initiatives, CCDC has detailed plans for the rapid expansion of CCDC into all eight wards of the city. Currently, CCDC shares UDC's Van Ness Campus in Northwest Washington. Given the rapid increase in enrollment and the forecast of double digit growth over the next three years, additional CCDC facilities are needed. The largest project in CCDC's expansion plan is the installation of a major academic center in a now vacant public school building in Northeast Washington. The building is in solid structural condition, but has fallen into disrepair since it closed its doors in 2007. While UDC is scheduled to invest $6 million of its own funds in rehabilitating the 130,000 square foot building, additional funding is needed to bring sufficient class and office space on-line. UDC would use funding from Congress to jumpstart this project.

I also request $5 million above the President's Fiscal Year 2011 Budget request to provide additional support to D.C.'s extraordinary public charter schools, the most extensive in the country and an alternative to DCPS. The requested funds would accommodate returning D.C. voucher students and those who would otherwise have received vouchers, but who want an alternative to DCPS. As the D.C. Opportunities Scholarship Program, or voucher program, winds down, the city's charter schools, in addition to the improved DCPS, likely will be viewed as particularly significant. Every member of the D.C. City Council opposed the voucher program in 2003 when Congress unilaterally insisted on its establishment only in the District. Additionally, many members of educational organizations, individual citizens, and religious officials and their congregations lobbied against the program. At the time, public charter schools had already become an alternative school system crafted by residents and parents. Recently, however, as the voucher program winds down, some local elected officials have become so concerned about students who would otherwise have received vouchers once again becoming the responsibility of the city, that they indicated support for maintaining the voucher funding. However, as you are aware, the administration and Congress are phasing out the D.C. Opportunities Scholarship program. I believe that, in addition to enrolling in the improved DCPS, voucher and other children should have the opportunity to enroll in D.C. public charter schools, the alternative to DCPS that has been strongly embraced by District residents. D.C. public charter schools have long had large backlogs of students seeking enrollment, are up and running, many with excellent reputations, and are able to expand. The additional funding that I request would relieve the city of the possible financial burden from returning voucher students and those who would have otherwise received vouchers, and would allow the city to more gradually integrate these students into the DCPS and public charter school systems.

My requests are in keeping with President Obama's commitment to strengthening elementary, secondary and postsecondary educational opportunities. By providing these funds to CCDC and to District of Columbia public charter schools, Congress would be stepping up to support significant innovation in District of Columbia schools, where the need is greatest and the merits are unquestioned.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Holmes Norton