Over 100 community leaders and residents attended Councilmember Grosso’s Education Committee Open House yesterday to kick off the new year! As chairperson of the Education Committee, Councilmember Grosso welcomed the public to his offices at the Wilson Building to discuss education priorities and challenges for the upcoming Council Period 22.
After constituents and agency staffers mixed and mingled during a reception, Councilmember Grosso delivered a short speech outlining his priorities for the year. As his team prioritizes education policy issues for the District, he will be focused on striking the right balance of services and opportunities for all students. The committee will continue to emphasize work on mental health and wraparound services and promote human and civil rights for all in the face of a changing presidential administration.
Councilmember Grosso made an impassioned plea for the expansion of arts and humanities education in our public schools, and issue he firmly will champion this year. The councilmember went on to praise the important work done by the DC Public Charter School Board in holding charter schools accountable, stressing the need to engage with both DCPS and charter school students and schools on a consistent basis.
Earlier this month, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education released a report on the state of suspensions and expulsions in the District. Councilmember Grosso encouraged the audience to attend an upcoming roundtable on February 2nd to review the findings of this report and provide recommendations on how DCPS and public charter schools can continue to reduce instances of school discipline in both sectors.
The audience was given a glimpse of what’s to come on Councilmember Grosso’s agenda, including efforts to create a charter school facility mandate and a reintroduction of a language access bill deemed essential. Already a busy first week for the Council, Councilmember Grosso proudly announced his introduction of the Public School Health Services Amendment Act of 2017. Staffing of nurses in public schools has been a hot topic over the last year, and this bill aims to increase the minimum number of hours that a nurse works at a public school to 40 hours. Councilmember Grosso graciously welcomed and recognized President Jack Jacobson, Vice President Karen Williams and Members Ruth Wattenberg and Markus Batchelor from our State Board during the event and participated in a lively and productive Q&A with the audience.
D.C. State Board of Education Blog 