Minetre Martin’ Testimony to the DC Council Committee of the Whole’s Budget Oversight Hearing
Minetre Martin
Organizing Manager
Education Reform Now Advocacy DC
DC Council’s Committee of the Whole Budget Oversight Hearing:
“Fiscal Year 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024”
“Fiscal Year 2025 Federal Portion Budget Request Act of 2024”
“Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Support Act of 2024”
“Fiscal Year 2024 Revised Local Budget Emergency Adjustment Act of 2024”
Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson, Councilmembers, and staff of the Committee of the Whole. My name is Minetre Martin. I am a ward 4 resident and an Organizing Manager for the D.C. Chapter of Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), an organization fighting for a just and equitable public education system for all students. Today, I am here to urge the DC Council to:
Fully fund the Early Literacy Education Taskforce recommendations with an additional $10 million across the financial plan.
Fund the Mathematics Education Improvement Amendment Act of 2024 at $300,000 ($3 per public school student).
Restore the 3.1% increase to the charter facilities allotment funding at $11.66 million ($246 per public charter student) over the financial plan.
The urgency of our situation is clear. 78% of our students can’t do grade level math, 66% aren’t proficient in English Language Arts, and there is a shocking 49.8% illiteracy rate for adults in wards 7 and 8. That is relevant to our community because we want to empower our residents to thrive in life and D.C. families demand change.
A recent poll of 325 DC public school parents revealed that 87% agreed that Mayor Bowser and the D.C. Council must prioritize investments in math education. This cuts across racial lines, with 81% of Black parents and 73% of Latino parents ranking math as the most important subject for their children's future.
Two years ago, Chairman Mendelson, Councilmember Pinto, and the DC Council passed legislation into law that would create the Early Literacy Education Taskforce, and now the DC Council must finish what it started by making targeted investments in strengthening reading by supporting access to high-quality instructional materials and providing evidence-informed training for teachers in the science of reading. Additionally, an investment in a math task force now would allow us to course correct and revolutionize how math is taught in DC and perhaps even chart a course for reforms across the country. We applaud Councilmember Zachary Parker for introducing the Mathematics Education and Improvement Amendment Act of 2024 and Councilmembers Anita Bonds, Christina Henderson, Janeese Lewis George, Brianne Nadeau, Brooke Pinto, and Robert White for co-introduction.
Let’s not just be a city that talks about equity but rather one that puts its money where its mouth is, investing in the programs and supports that truly make a difference in our student’s academic acceleration.
Additionally, we are asking the DC Council to restore the 3.1% increase to the charter facilities allotment funding at $11.66 million over the financial plan. Maintaining the facilities allotment is crucial for public charter schools to find, construct, and/or renovate buildings to create safe and well-maintained learning environments for our students. This funding is necessary to keep pace with rising costs and is integral for accessing large-scale projects.
So I'm asking you, Council members, to be the heroes of this story.
Fully fund the Early Literacy Education Taskforce recommendations. (The Mayor proposed $2.2 million for some training and high-quality instruction materials.)
Fund the Mathematics Education Improvement Amendment Act of 2024.
Restore the 3.1% increase to the charter facilities allotment over the financial plan.
Before I close, it is also important that we maintain the Mayor's proposed investment in secondary education initiatives that provide students with greater access to college-level courses and career-readiness programs. These investments include $668,000 for the Office of Education through Employment, which will work to create seamless transitions from high school to postsecondary education and the workforce.
Thank you for your time and I welcome any question you may have.
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School year 2022-23 PARCC Assessment Results Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Assessment%202023%20Deck_.08.24_0.pdf
OSSE. 2022-23 Assessment Results. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Assessment%202023%20Deck_.08.24_0.pdf
Reading is Fundamental. East of the River News. Source: https://eastoftheriverdcnews.com/2024/02/13/reading-is-fundamental/
Education Reform Now DC. Majority of DC Parents Want to Overhaul Math Education, New ERN DC Survey Reveals. Accessed April 4, 2024. Source: https://edreformnow.org/2024/03/11/majority-of-dc-parents-want-to-overhaul-math-education-new-ern-dc-survey-reveals/
Recommendations for Structured Literacy Instruction in the District of Columbia. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Early%20Literacy%20Task%20Force%20Report.pdf
