Join Washington City Paper at the Black Cat on September 24th for a panel discussion on school transparency in Washington D.C.

City Paper Community Conversations- School Transparency
Tuesday, September 24th
Doors: 6:00 pm
Panel: 6:30 pm
Black Cat- 1811 14th St NW

Currently, local lawmakers are considering legislative reforms to improve school transparency in the city -- including the School-Based Budgeting and Transparency Act, introduced this past spring by David Grosso, and the Public School Transparency Amendment Act put forward by Charles Allen.

But people disagree on the way forward--

How much information should the public be able to access about their publicly-funded schools? How should the city balance its need for transparency with its desire to spare school leaders from overwhelming bureaucracy? How does D.C.'s unique relationship with Congress affect these issues?

Over the last few years, D.C. parents, teachers and community members have been grappling with these and other questions -- including those around student safety, staff working conditions, and access to school data.

Join WCP for drinks and a conversation with an esteemed panel of guests who will offer different perspectives on how the city should think about, and take action on matters of school transparency. The conversation will be moderated by WCP freelance contributor, Rachel M. Cohen followed by an opportunity for questions from the community.

Eboni-Rose Thompson, Ward 7 Education Council

Eboni-Rose Thompson is the Chair of the Ward 7 Education Council and served three terms as an ANC in Ward 7. She attended both traditional public and charter schools and was the first valedictorian of the SEED School of Washington DC.

Elizabeth Koenig, EmpowerED
Liz Koenig is a public school teacher in Washington, DC. She has taught at three different charter schools and currently teaches at a DCPS school in Ward 4. She is a Lead Organizer for EmpowerEd, a nonprofit dedicated to elevating teacher's voices and improving teacher retention.

Fritz Mulhauser, DC Open Government Coalition
An attorney with 20 years experience in civil rights work at the ACLU of DC. Before that he worked in education, teaching and writing new curricula, starting a research institute in the US Department of Education and doing research for Congress at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). He is co-chair of the legal committee for the DC Open Government Coalition and has testified many times on proposals to increase transparency in all parts of DC education.

Qubilah Huddleston, DCFPI
Qubilah is a self-described youth advocate who believes all children deserve access to quality education. Prior to joining DCFPI, Qubilah worked at Code in the Schools, a Baltimore City nonprofit that empowers youth to thrive in the 21st-century economy by expanding access to quality computer science education and building pathways from school to jobs and higher education. Qubilah looks forward to collaborating with D.C. government and community leaders to implement sustainable and racially-equitable educational policies.

Rich Pohlman, FOCUS
Richard Pohlman is a proud public school parent and independent consultant focused on public charter schools. He formerly worked as executive director of Thurgood Marshall Academy, and before that in leadership roles at E.L Haynes Public Charter. Pohlman also directed D.C.'s Race to the Top program and worked as an Attorney Advisor to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education. In 2016, he was selected to represent charter schools nationally on the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. He is a board member for the DC Special Education Coop and The Sojourner Truth School and previously served on the boards of My Schools DC, and the DC Association of Public Chartered Schools.

More panelist to be announced soon

City Paper Community Conversations

Washington City Paper is committed to fostering open and civil discussions. City Paper Community Conversations are a series of engaging panels, round tables, and discussions that bring together our journalist and local experts on all topics touching DC today- from music to education and maternal health to athletics.