DC Council’s Procurement Proposal is a Bureaucratic Nightmare

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cesar Toledo, Cesar@edreformnow.org

WASHINGTON (May 25, 2023) — Today, Jessica Giles, Executive Director at Education Reform Now D.C., issued a statement regarding the Public Works & Operations Public hearing on B25-0069, the “District of Columbia Public Schools Procurement Authority Amendment Act of 2023:″

“Repealing DCPS’s independent procurement authority would create a bureaucratic nightmare and lead to extensive delays in providing critical resources to our students. Today’s hearing on this legislation is overreach by the DC Council and is more of a political stunt than a solution,” said Jessica Giles.

Giles continued, “This proposal would have major unintended consequences that both DCPS and the D.C. Office of Contracting and Procurement are unprepared to address. In the past, when DCPS was forced to outsource approval of contracts, school openings were delayed, and urgent repairs went unfixed. Ultimately, the passage of this bill would cause students, parents, educators, and principals to be victims of unnecessary bureaucratic red tape.”

“DCPS must take immediate corrective action to put accountability measures in place to transparently process major contracts.”

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About Education Reform Now D.C.
ERN DC is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank and advocacy organization fighting for a just and equitable public education system for all students in Washington, D.C. We seek progress in DC Public Schools and public charter schools by developing and advocating for systemic change to eliminate racial inequity and discrimination in DC
public schools.