Opening Statement of Councilmember David Grosso

Chairperson, Committee on Education

Committee of the Whole
Public Hearing on “B23- 496, the “Fair Access to Selective High Schools
Amendment Act of 2019”
February 10, 2020

I am David Grosso, Chairperson of the Committee on Education, and I am calling to order this
joint hearing of the Committee on Education and the Committee of the Whole.

Today’s hearing is on B23- 496, the “Fair Access to Selective High Schools Amendment Act of
2019” introduced by Councilmembers Allen, T. White, Bonds, Nadeau, myself, Cheh, and R.
White.

As introduced, the bill requires that all 7th grade students receive information about the
application criteria and admissions process for citywide selective high schools. It also ensures
the top 15% of 8th grade students in every public school or public charter school be allowed to
apply to citywide selective high schools and prohibits the consideration of standardized test
scored in its application criteria.

Last school year, there was quite the confusion around admissions requirements for DCPS’s
selective enrollment schools. MySchoolDC and the DCPS website had one requirement, but
the principal at the most sought after school, School Without Walls, told certain communities a
different requirement.

It is not lost upon this Committee that the only school with an extra admissions test in the
District is the school with the largest percentage of white students. 48% of the students at
Walls were white last school year. Since 2015, there has been a 35% increase in white students
and a 36% decrease in black students.

Since the introduction of the bill, DCPS, as the only LEA with selective enrollment schools, has
announced a new policy that deals with this topic. I am sure their testimony will cover that
today, and I am looking forward to hearing more.

But I remain concerned that while there is an extra admissions test at Walls, it will continue to
become more and more white.

I look forward to further public engagement today and what recommendations witnesses have
on how we can improve the legislation before us.

###

1 of 1