Prepared Testimony of Dr. Michelle J. Walker-Davis, Executive Director DC Public Charter School Board

I’m Dr. Michelle Walker-Davis, and I am the Executive Director of the DC Public Charter School Board (DC PCSB). I want to thank the Committee of the Whole for holding this hearing on career and technical education, something that remains front of mind for many DC public charter schools. 

This year marks the 30th anniversary of public charter schools in the District. Over the past three decades, the public charter sector has played an important role in preparing District residents of all ages for college and careers, from high school students taking their post-secondary steps to almost 5,800 adult learners seeking new skills and credentials. 

Indeed, DC’s adult public charter schools offer quality workforce programs that help students develop the skills and qualifications needed to pursue college and career opportunities. Carlos Rosario PCS offers the only Spanish-taught class in the region on construction safety, for example, and Academy of Hope PCS students are receiving clinical training to become the next generation of nurses in DC. By providing experience, qualifications, and language skills to succeed in an increasingly competitive workforce, adult charter schools are helping to plant the seeds of the District’s future economic harvests. 

All of this takes resources, and on that point, I have both a request and a thank you. The federal Adult Education and Family Literacy Grant represents a key source of funding for adult-serving programs. The grant requires a 25 percent match from the District, and my request is for the Council to continue prioritizing these critical dollars. I also want to thank the Council for finding the resources to increase the Adult Learner Transit Subsidy Program in the FY27 budget. This will make it easier for adult learners to pursue educational and career opportunities and write the next page in their story.

I also want to say a few words about the District’s Advanced Technical Centers or ATCs, which give high school students a chance to take career-focused courses, practice skills they can use in the workplace, and earn college credit. We very much support ATCs as a bright star in the career and technical education firmament. We are also concerned about capacity—roughly 1,000 students applied last year for 370 seats—and dedicated, persistent funding. 

DC PCSB will continue to support ATCs and their growth, including through greater transparency in how students are selected. We continue to hear from school leaders and families who find the process opaque in the absence of a lottery or waitlist-based system. 

Let me end where I began, which is by thanking the Council for holding this hearing and for its continued focus on the career and college readiness of DC students. I look forward to working with you to support public charter schools and students along this journey, to help grow the local economy, and to expand opportunities for District residents. Thank you.