OSSE Performance Oversight Hearing

Executive Director Judith Sandalow testified at the Performance Oversight Hearing of the Office of State Superintendent of Education, where she both cited its significant progress since its inception two years ago and recommended three areas in which to devote further effort:

• OSSE should continue to work closely with local education agencies (LEAs) to ensure that they understand and properly implement new regulations. Particular attention should be given to ensuring that students with special education needs are in appropriate placements. CLC is concerned that at times the desire to move children to a least restrictive environment or from a nonpublic placements results in children being placed in schools where they do not receive adequate support.  
• Renewed attention to the DC Early Intervention Program is a welcome development, but CLC is concerned that the program's goal for FY10 is too low - point one percent (.1%) greater than FY09 targets - and believes the city can do better.  The program also needs to resolve service funding issues, including payment delays and maximizing Medicaid.
• School stability is essential to academic success and is especially important for children in foster care who, by definition, have unstable lives.  This issue also impacts OSSE's budget because it bears the financial burden of the District's inability to protect foster children's school stability, resulting in costly annual education expenses for foster children who attend Maryland public schools.  The DC Council has the opportunity to improve school stability this year through Bill 18-579, the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect Amendment Act of 2009.

Read the full testimony here.