My First Public Meeting

Dear Neighbor,

On January 13, I participated in my first DC State Board of Education (SBOE) public meeting as the Ward 2 Member. We heard testimonies regarding subjects including school re-opening plans, outdoor learning, the STAR rating system, and teacher diversity.

Nineteen public witnesses – including Ward 2 teachers Rachel Henighan, Kashira Reid, and Adam Severs – testified against reopening schools on February 1st. “As an African American woman with asthma,” Ms. Reid said, “I want to ask if my life matters.”

Your voice matters to me. If you would like to share your perspectives and experiences on public education with the SBOE, I invite you to provide testimony at our next public meeting. We meet at 5:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month.

Over the past month, I have been facilitating “outdoor storytime” in Rose Park with neighborhood volunteers. After seeing the benefits of outdoor learning during the COVID-19 pandemic firsthand, I joined the other 8 Members of the DC SBOE to vote unanimously in favor of a resolution calling on Mayor Bowser to create a $4 million fund supporting schools to create equitable outdoor learning opportunities.

The application to join the DC Social Studies Standards Technical Writing Committee is due January 22nd at 4 p.m. Would you please help share this application with folks who may be interested in shaping how we teach civic education and social studies?

The DC SBOE’s survey about virtual learning is open until January 29th. Would you please help share this survey with DC Public School and DC Public Charter School teachers?

What are your thoughts on our school reopening plans? I’d like to hear your perspectives and experiences. Please write me back! For more information about DC Public School’s reopening plans: https://dcpsreopenstrong.com. For DC Public Charter Schools Reopening updates: https://dcpcsb.org/public-charter-schools-reopening-update.

Thank you, and happy inauguration day!

Allister