Chairman Catania and members of the Committee on Education, thank you for the opportunity to submit written testimony for the performance oversight hearing for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). My name is Soumya Bhat, and I am the Education Finance and Policy Analyst at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. DCFPI engages in research and public education on the fiscal and economic health of the District of Columbia, with a particular emphasis on policies that affect low- and moderate-income residents.
I would like to focus my testimony on the OSSE’s Division of Early Childhood Education, which oversees the child care subsidy program, child care licensing, Pre-Kindergarten, Head Start collaboration, professional development, and quality improvement. In the past few years, this division has seen considerable staff turnover, particularly in its leadership. The director/assistant superintendent position for this division is currently vacant, leaving me concerned about the direction and accountability of these early childhood programs.
First, there is a general need for OSSE to be more transparent, particularly around its child care subsidy program. For example, there has been substantial confusion over the level of child care subsidy funding in the FY 2013 budget and how many slots were available for eligible families. OSSE claimed that an apparent $5.7 million reduction in the budget book was not accurate and that in fact there would be the same slots available for FY 2013. Even as the fiscal year progressed, there was never a clear explanation given to the public about the actual figures.
DCFPI also would like to know what the plan is for the Division of early Childhood Education within OSSE. Are there plans to fill the vacant position and if so, when will this occur? More importantly, how are the division’s priorities being maintained without leadership? One of the major tasks of the division is to revise the Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS) and launch the new system. These revisions need to be completed soon, even in the midst of the leadership gap.
Another pressing issue facing the city’s child care community is the fact that child care reimbursement rates have not been changed since 2006 and are based on extremely outdated market rates from 2004. Many child care providers can no longer afford to stay open and others struggle to provide quality child care for DC’s low-income parents.. DCFPI believes that the child care reimbursement rates should be raised to 2010 levels, which would require at least a $5 million increase in the FY 2014 budget. OSSE should also take steps to release its most recent child care market rate survey from 2012. The data from this survey can inform any conversations about revisions to child care reimbursement rates.
Finally, DCFPI would like more information on the status of the Community Schools Incentive program. This pilot program, to be implemented by OSSE, was designed to award multi-year grants to public-private partnerships between public or charter schools and non-profit and community organizations. The resulting “community schools” can then provide and coordinate a wide range of services, including health care, academic enrichment activities, early childhood education, and job training programs. This type of education/community hub is a promising practice that the District has already seen success at J.C. Nalle Elementary School.
Yet there is no information available yet on OSSE’s plans to implement this initiative, despite $1 million set in a non-lapsing funds in the FY 2013 budget to support the initiative. OSSE is expected to administer grants of up to $200,000 to each of the five pilot schools selected for participation. However, the public has received very little information about the status of the school selection process and numerous attempts to get more updates have left advocates confused as to whether or not this program will actually be implemented, even if the funds do not have to be spent down this fiscal year. DCFPI requests an update on this worthwhile program from OSSE officials.
Thank you again for the opportunity to offer input.