DC Council Hearing on School Closure Lottery Preference Bill - July 6, 2026
DC Council Hearing on School Closure Lottery Preference Bill - July 6, 2026
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.
Consent Calendar
- No consent calendar items were discussed.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Elizabeth Mitchell (Parent, MySchool DC Parent Advisory Council – personal capacity): Opposed the bill, arguing it undermines lottery fairness, privileges charters over DCPS, and creates an entitlement to charter seats. Stated the PAC (18 of 23 members) signed a letter opposing the legislation.
- Anne Herr (DC Charter School Alliance): Supported the bill's intent but raised concerns: mandatory nature is unprecedented, applies only to charters (not DCPS), and lacks resources for receiving schools. Recommended aligning with the voluntary Equitable Access Preference model and consulting stakeholders.
- Alexandra Sumbana (DCPS parent, former PAC member – personal capacity): Opposed the bill, stating it disrupts the lottery's impartiality, harms by-right DCPS schools, and does not address root causes of closures. Emphasized the PAC letter opposing the bill.
- Margie Yeager (Education Forward DC): Supported intent but opposed mandatory, charter-only preference. Recommended a voluntary cross-sector preference with resources and capacity requirements, modeled after the Equitable Access Preference.
- Chelsea Coffin (DC Policy Center): Noted closures may increase due to accountability shifts and enrollment declines. Recommended allowing charter LEAs to opt in, and urged consultation with DCPS. Suggested one-time funding for receiving schools.
- Daniela Anello (DC Bilingual Public Charter School): Shared experience absorbing 100 students from a closed school, requiring significant resources. Opposed mandatory preference without funding and planning, and urged consideration of interaction with existing preferences.
- Shannon Hodge (KIPP DC Public Schools, Common Lottery Board member): Raised four concerns: receiving schools need resources (not just obligations), charter sector should not stand alone (DCPS should be included), the legislation doesn't account for scale of closures, and it bypassed established deliberative process. Recommended funding, equal application, and stakeholder consultation.
Government Witnesses
- Melody Sampson (Chief School Performance Officer, DC Public Charter School Board – PCSB): Testified that PCSB supports an optional enrollment preference but opposes the bill's mandatory requirement. Highlighted improvements: earlier closure decisions before lottery deadlines, new school reorganization policy approved in June 2026. Stated charter closures averaged 1.6 per year over the past 15 years.
- Megan Doe (Executive Director, MySchool DC Lottery, OSSE): Strongly urged council not to advance the bill. Cited circumvention of established stakeholder engagement process, opposition from the Parent Advisory Council, and unprecedented mandatory nature. Raised textual concerns about two-year preference and lack of clarity on mergers/acquisitions. Stated all previous preferences (e.g., Equitable Access) were developed through extensive consultation and voluntary adoption.
Discussion Items
- Councilmember Parker: Questioned witnesses on whether making the preference voluntary (like Equitable Access) would address opposition. Several witnesses suggested that voluntary approach still needs careful design and stakeholder input. Discussed equity concerns: disadvantaged families often less able to navigate lottery. Noted that PCSB's accountability pause may lead to more closures.
- Councilmember Frumin: Emphasized likely future closures due to overcapacity and declining enrollment. Argued the bill is needed to protect families. Questioned PCSB on sector planning and potential cross-sector mergers. PCSB noted its new reorganization policy but does not address cross-sector transfers.
Key Outcomes
- No vote was taken; the hearing was for testimony only.
- The record remains open until July 20, 2026, for written comments.
- Councilmembers indicated the bill will likely be amended based on feedback, with strong support for making the preference voluntary, applying it to both sectors, and providing resources to receiving schools.
- Government witnesses urged council not to advance the bill in its current form and to instead follow established consultative processes.
- PCSB highlighted recent policy changes aimed at reducing untimely closures, but Councilmember Frumin stressed that future closures are inevitable and need a proactive approach.
Meeting Transcript
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.
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