On July 6, 2026, the Council of the District of Columbia's Committee as a Whole held a public hearing on Bill 26-592, the "Lottery Preference for Families Impacted by School Closures Amendment Act of 2026." The hearing was chaired by Councilmember Phil Mendelson and began at 4:42 PM in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building. The bill, introduced by Councilmembers Zachary Parker and Matt Frumin, would require public charter schools to offer an admissions preference in the citywide school lottery to students whose schools closed in the current or preceding school year. The record will close on July 20, 2026. Eight public witnesses and two government witnesses testified.
Very good. I'm calling to order this hearing. This is a public hearing of the committee as a whole of the council of the District of Columbia. I am Phil Mendelssohn, Chair of the Council and Chair of the Committee as a whole. Today is Monday, July 6, 2026. The time is 442 in the afternoon. We are in room 412 of the Johnny Wilson building. This hearing is being recorded and will be available on the council's website, www.dccouncil.gov. The subject of this hearing is Bill 26-592 entitled Lottery Preference for Families Impacted by School Closures Amendment Act of 2026. This legislation was introduced on February 2nd, 2026 by Councilman members Zachary Parker and Matt Freuman. The stated purpose of the bill is to amend the school reform act to require public charter schools to offer an admissions preference to any applicant who during the current or immediately preceding school year attended a school that was closed. The legislation addresses the challenges faced by students whose schools close abruptly, such as in 2024, the closure of Eagle Academy Public Charter School, and ensures these students are given priority in the district's annual school lottery. The bill seeks to support continuity for impacted families by guaranteeing that this preference applies either immediately when a closure is announced during the ongoing lottery period or in the next lottery year, depending upon the timing of the closure. We have eight witnesses before we get to two government witnesses. The record in this matter will close in two weeks. That is at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 20th, 2026. What does that mean? That means that if anybody wants comments, whether they're testifying today or not, once comments included in the record, they have to file by 5 p.m. on Monday, July 20th. That doesn't mean that we won't consider anything given to us after that, but it won't be filed in the record. I'm gonna turn to my colleague, Councilmember Zachary Parker. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm looking forward to today's hearing. Uh this is actually hearing number two for us. Uh, this bill before us would establish a preference in the district's annual public school lottery for students whose schools have closed and require uh district public charter schools to honor that preference. When a school closes, families are often forced to make difficult decisions on a very short notice. In some cases, closures occur just weeks before the start of a school year after the annual lottery has concluded, leaving parents with far fewer options than they would have had during the regular enrollment process. We saw this in 2024 when Eagle Academy uh announces closure less than two weeks before the school began, school year began. Although students were ultimately enrolled in other district public and public charter schools, many families had already lost the opportunity to participate in the full lottery and instead had to choose from schools with seats that remained available. School closures can have lasting consequences for students. Research suggests that students displaced by school closures may experience long-term negative effects on their educational attainment and future earnings. While the district cannot prevent school closures necessarily, we can do more to lessen their impact by ensuring that effective families have a meaningful opportunity to enroll in a school that best meets their child's need. This legislation is intended to provide that opportunity. If a school closure is announced while the lottery is underway, affected students would receive a lottery preference during that application cycle. If the closure occurs after the lottery has concluded, the preference would apply during the following year's lottery. In advance of today's hearing and generation of the bill, I spoke with and worked alongside school leaders and education partners, including many in the charter sector. I bring that up because I got win that there's going to be testimony today about how uh there was no consultation with many partners, including my school DC. Uh, the problem here is clear, and the legislation seeks to address an equity issue infecting many of our young people. While there was broad recognition that families affected by school closures deserve additional support. Some stakeholders expressed concern and I believe continue to express concern about establishing a new lottery preference and how it could affect existing enrollment priorities and school capacity. Specifically, I anticipate we will hear about making this lottery preference a requirement or whether it's optional. The question I would just pose if it's optional and no one chooses to enforce that lottery option, is it truly an option? That is a question I hope we'll answer today. But I look forward to hearing from our witnesses and the thoughtful discussion about how we can best support families navigating the disruption of a school closure. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Councilmember. So I'm gonna call Witnesses.