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Record of Proceedings

DC Council Roundtable on Confirmation of Anna K. Smith to Public Charter School Board - July 9, 2026

Council of the District of Columbia — Thursday, July 9, 2026

BodyWashington, District Of Columbia

SessionCouncil of the District of Columbia

DateThursday, July 9, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 21:05

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0:05

I'm calling to order this hearing or round table.

0:08

This is a public round table of the committee as a whole of the council of the District of Columbia.

0:12

I am Phil Mendelssohn, Chair of the Council and Chair of the Committee as a whole.

0:16

Today is Thursday, July 9th, 2026.

0:20

The time is 1216 in the afternoon.

0:23

We are in room 412 of the Johnny Wilson building.

0:26

This hearing is being recorded.

0:28

It's available on the council's website, www.dccouncil.gov.

0:33

This is actually the first of two round tables that the committee as a whole is having today, back to back.

0:40

This round table is to consider PR 26-747, entitled the Public Charter School Board Anna K.

0:49

Smith confirmation resolution of 2026.

0:53

This resolution was introduced at the request of the mayor three weeks ago, that is June 17, 2026.

1:03

And the stated purpose of this resolution is to confirm the mayor's nomination to appoint Anna K.

1:09

Smith to the Public Charter School Board, filling a vacant seat formerly held by Leah Cruz for the for the remainder of an unexpired term to end on February 24th, 2030.

1:21

The Public Charter School Board is an independent government agency of the District of Columbia, led by a volunteer to seven-member board as the sole public charter school authorizer in our nation's capital.

1:33

The Public Charter School Board provides oversight to public charter schools, which are managed by independently run nonprofit organizations called local education agencies.

1:43

The purpose of today's roundtable is to receive testimony from government and public witnesses regarding PR 26-747 and the fitness of the nominee for the public charter school board.

1:56

The record in this matter will not be open very long.

1:59

It will close at 5 p.m.

2:01

on Monday, July 13th.

2:03

So that would be next Monday at the close of business.

2:06

The record will close.

2:25

Having said that, I have one witness before we get to the nominee.

2:30

These hearings are round tables, which I think are important.

2:33

They're not required, but the value is that it affords the public an opportunity to comment or anyone to comment.

2:42

And one never knows.

2:43

So today we have Shukrat Adamo Finian, who's a member of the public charter school board, chair of the board.

2:51

Is she online or?

2:53

Okay.

2:54

Um I don't see her.

3:00

She should be coming up.

3:02

There she is.

3:13

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelssohn and to the members of the committee of the whole.

3:17

I am Shakura Adamafanian, Chair of the DC Public Charter School Board.

3:21

Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of Anna Smith's nomination to serve on the DC Public Charter School Board.

3:29

I would first like to express my gratitude to Mayor Bowser for today's nomination and for her service to public school students across the district.

3:37

The measure of success for a president is often framed as a simple question.

3:42

Are we better off today than we were four years ago?

3:46

If I were to ask that question about Mayor Bowser and the state of DC education, the answer would be a resounding yes.

3:53

Over the Bowser administration, academic achievement has improved.

3:58

The charter sector has matured, and the district has led the nation in recovering from the pandemic.

4:03

A small but important piece of this success has been the mayor's consistent nomination of high quality individuals to serve on the DC Public Charter School Board.

4:13

With what may be her final pick, we are grateful to Mayor Bowser for putting forward a great candidate in Anna Smith.

4:21

We are also pleased with the timing of this nomination, as Ms.

4:25

Smith would fill the seat most recently held by Leah Crusey, though whose dedicated service to the board concluded on June 30th, 2026.

4:35

Following a period of holdover service after the expiration of her term on February 26, 2026, excuse me.

4:42

As board members, one of our primary responsibilities is to seek out and balance a variety of perspectives, including the teacher, the administrator, the parent, and the advocate.

4:53

Ms.

4:54

Smith has worn each of these hats, enabling her to contribute to our work in a variety of ways.

5:00

As a teacher, she started her career in Miami-Dade County, educating English as a second language student.

5:07

As an administrator, she worked as a senior official in both the Obama administration and the DC government, including a tenure as interim deputy mayor of education and as executive director of DC's Workforce Investment Council.

5:20

And as a parent and advocate, she is a current trustee at Two Rivers Public Charter School, which her daughter attends.

5:28

In short, Ms.

5:29

Smith has walked the walk when it comes to her background and knowledge of the issues facing the charter sector in DC.

5:36

We are confident she would bring multiple perspectives to our board if confirmed, and we are particularly excited to bring her expertise on workforce development to bear on behalf of public charter school students.

5:48

For these and other reasons, I urge you to confirm Anna Smith as the next DC public charter school board member.

5:56

I thank you again for the opportunity to testify before you today and look forward to any questions you may have.

6:05

Thank you for your statement.

6:06

It's most helpful.

6:07

I don't have any questions for you, though.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

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Summary of Proceedings

DC Council Roundtable on Confirmation of Anna K. Smith to Public Charter School Board - July 9, 2026

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 12:16 PM, the Committee as a Whole of the Council of the District of Columbia held a public roundtable in Room 412 of the Johnny Wilson Building to consider PR 26-747, the Public Charter School Board Anna K. Smith confirmation resolution of 2026, introduced at the mayor's request on June 17, 2026. The purpose was to confirm the mayor's nomination of Anna K. Smith to fill a vacant seat on the Public Charter School Board for the remainder of an unexpired term ending February 24, 2030. Chairman Phil Mendelson presided.

Testimony in Support

Shukrat Adamo Finian, Chair of the DC Public Charter School Board, testified in strong support of Anna Smith's nomination. She thanked Mayor Bowser for the nomination and praised the mayor's record on education, stating that academic achievement has improved and the charter sector has matured under her administration. She highlighted Ms. Smith's diverse background as a teacher, administrator, parent, and advocate, including service as interim deputy mayor of education and as a trustee at Two Rivers Public Charter School, and expressed confidence that Ms. Smith would bring valuable perspectives, particularly in workforce development.

Discussion with Nominee

Anna K. Smith appeared before the committee and offered opening testimony. She described her career in public service, starting as a public school teacher in Miami-Dade County, working under three DC mayors, and currently serving as a board trustee at Two Rivers Public Charter School. She emphasized her commitment to accountability, good governance, and student outcomes. She acknowledged that if confirmed, she would resign from the Two Rivers board to avoid conflicts of interest.
Chairman Mendelson asked standard questions regarding time commitment, conflicts of interest, and outstanding liabilities. Ms. Smith confirmed she could meet time requirements, had no conflicts (but would recuse herself as needed), and had no outstanding liabilities.
When asked about challenges facing the charter sector, Ms. Smith cited declining enrollment (noting the first drop in pre-K My School DC lottery this year), continued recovery from the pandemic, and the need to plan for demographic changes while maintaining academic outcomes.
On the Public Charter School Board's role in improving academic achievement, Ms. Smith described it as a "critical friend" that uses the ASPIRE framework to hold schools accountable and provide support, rather than dictating to individual charter schools.
Chairman Mendelson raised the topic of the Eagle Academy sudden closure and the board's subsequent adoption of a school reorganization policy (formerly called mergers and acquisitions). Ms. Smith acknowledged she was not yet deeply familiar with the policy but expressed willingness to learn and bring her perspective to prevent similar disruptions.

Key Outcomes

The record will remain open for public comment until 5:00 PM on Monday, July 13, 2026.
No vote was taken at the roundtable; the committee will consider testimony before deciding whether to recommend confirmation.
The roundtable adjourned at 12:36 PM.

Meeting Transcript

I'm calling to order this hearing or round table. This is a public round table 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 Thursday, July 9th, 2026. The time is 1216 in the afternoon. We are in room 412 of the Johnny Wilson building. This hearing is being recorded. It's available on the council's website, www.dccouncil.gov. This is actually the first of two round tables that the committee as a whole is having today, back to back. This round table is to consider PR 26-747, entitled the Public Charter School Board Anna K. Smith confirmation resolution of 2026. This resolution was introduced at the request of the mayor three weeks ago, that is June 17, 2026. And the stated purpose of this resolution is to confirm the mayor's nomination to appoint Anna K. Smith to the Public Charter School Board, filling a vacant seat formerly held by Leah Cruz for the for the remainder of an unexpired term to end on February 24th, 2030. The Public Charter School Board is an independent government agency of the District of Columbia, led by a volunteer to seven-member board as the sole public charter school authorizer in our nation's capital. The Public Charter School Board provides oversight to public charter schools, which are managed by independently run nonprofit organizations called local education agencies. The purpose of today's roundtable is to receive testimony from government and public witnesses regarding PR 26-747 and the fitness of the nominee for the public charter school board. The record in this matter will not be open very long. It will close at 5 p.m. on Monday, July 13th. So that would be next Monday at the close of business. The record will close. Having said that, I have one witness before we get to the nominee. These hearings are round tables, which I think are important. They're not required, but the value is that it affords the public an opportunity to comment or anyone to comment. And one never knows. So today we have Shukrat Adamo Finian, who's a member of the public charter school board, chair of the board. Is she online or? Okay. Um I don't see her. She should be coming up. There she is. Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelssohn and to the members of the committee of the whole. I am Shakura Adamafanian, Chair of the DC Public Charter School Board. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of Anna Smith's nomination to serve on the DC Public Charter School Board. I would first like to express my gratitude to Mayor Bowser for today's nomination and for her service to public school students across the district. The measure of success for a president is often framed as a simple question. Are we better off today than we were four years ago? If I were to ask that question about Mayor Bowser and the state of DC education, the answer would be a resounding yes. Over the Bowser administration, academic achievement has improved. The charter sector has matured, and the district has led the nation in recovering from the pandemic. A small but important piece of this success has been the mayor's consistent nomination of high quality individuals to serve on the DC Public Charter School Board. With what may be her final pick, we are grateful to Mayor Bowser for putting forward a great candidate in Anna Smith. We are also pleased with the timing of this nomination, as Ms. Smith would fill the seat most recently held by Leah Crusey, though whose dedicated service to the board concluded on June 30th, 2026. Following a period of holdover service after the expiration of her term on February 26, 2026, excuse me. As board members, one of our primary responsibilities is to seek out and balance a variety of perspectives, including the teacher, the administrator, the parent, and the advocate. Ms. Smith has worn each of these hats, enabling her to contribute to our work in a variety of ways. As a teacher, she started her career in Miami-Dade County, educating English as a second language student.

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