For 30 years, DC’s public charter schools have played an important role in the city’s educational landscape. Through bold innovation, community-centered leadership, and an unwavering focus on student success, public charter schools have created pathways of opportunity for thousands of students and families across the District.
“30 years of impact doesn't happen by accident, they are the result of stewardship, tough choices, sustained advocacy, and an unwavering commitment to students,” said Executive Director Dr. Michelle Walker-Davis about this milestone. “The DC Public Charter School Board was created at the very beginning of this movement, rooted in a belief that public education in our city could look different, work differently, and better serve students if schools had the freedom to innovate and the responsibility to deliver.”
Action items for this Board Meeting included voting on one charter school renewal and three reviews, two DC PCSB policies, reviewing charter amendments, and reading into record a number of schools adopting ASPIRE as their charter goals, pieces of financial information, and the SY 2026-27 LEA Data Submission Calendar.
Among the charter renewals at this meeting was The Next Step PCS, who is leading the charge as the first 30-year evaluation to come before and be approved by the DC PCSB Board. A big congratulations to the dedicated school leader, trustees, and leadership team who made that happen!
The full list of charter evaluations that were approved are:
- The Next Step PCS: 30-year Renewal
- Briya PCS: 20-year Review
- Goodwill Excel Center PCS: 10-year Review
- St. Coletta PCS: 20-year Review
The policies heard during the public hearing portion of the meeting were the ASPIRE Policy & Technical Guide and the Charter Goals Policy. These are “companion policies” that define DC PCSB’s academic accountability system, ASPIRE. The ASPIRE Policy & Technical Guide governs how school performance is measured and communicated; and the Charter Goals Policy governs how charter-school academic goals are set and evaluated during reviews and renewals. This was done to ensure all parties have a solid base of recent knowledge to move forward with the important agenda items.
The Board voted to approve The Social Justice PCS’s ASPIRE adoption and their proposed move to a new site. They also heard testimony on Kingsman PCS’s proposed residential program and voted to approve it with some modifications.
To see a list of board actions and watch a video of the May 18 meeting, visit our Board Meetings page. For recordings of all previous board meetings, check out our YouTube page.