Neighborhood preference

"The Neighborhood Preference Task Force advised against implementing a neighborhood preference for charter school enrollment.

The 12-member task force included five government officials (or their designees) from the Public Charter School Board, the Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, the State Superintendent of Education, the Deputy Mayor for Education, and the Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools; and seven nongovernment members, including two representatives from charter support organizations (incl. Robert Cane, FOCUS), a representative from the education department of a national research organization, a representative from a national charter school organization, two charter school leaders selected by the Public Charter School Board Chair, and a labor representative.

The task force met four times to evaluate neighborhood preference options and analyze related data. Overall the analysis showed that the impact of neighborhood preference would not increase the number of, or access to, quality seats in DC public charter schools. In fact, the data found that there could be an adverse effect on access for certain students. As a result, after reviewing the available data, listening to public testimony, and discussing the implications and feasibility of a neighborhood preference system, they determined that charter school admissions should remain open to students across the city. The task force found no need to institute neighborhood preference for the 2013-14 school year."