For Immediate Release
Contact: Jesse B Rauch, Executive Director, 202.741.0884
DC STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ANNOUNCES NEW OMBUDSMAN FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION
Position re-established as a result of the“State Board of Education Personnel Authority Act of 2012”
Washington, DC – After an extensive search process that included a community review panel, the District of Columbia State Board of Education today announced the selection of Joyanna Smith as the next District of Columbia Ombudsman for Public Education. Smith will oversee the recently re-established Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education, responsible for responding to concerns and resolving complaints, disputes, and problems faced by students and their families in District of Columbia public and public charter schools. As a clearinghouse for addressing concerns, the Ombudsman’s office also will report on trends in issues and complaints, thus helping to improve the delivery of educational services and informing policy.
Smith, a resident of Ward 8, is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Brown University. She gained extensive experience as a problem-solver and mediator from her tenure with the the D.C. Department of Public Works and D.C. Department on Disability Services, and as the Director of Finance and Operations at Excel Academy, the District’s first all-girls public charter school.
State Board President Mark Jones (Ward 5) underscored Smith’s expertise and the Ombudsman’s vital role in highlighting trends that may require policy changes. “Ms. Smith is a committed public servant that brings a wealth of expertise in mediation, and the capacity to leverage the work of the office to support education reform efforts. It is increasingly important that we highlight areas of continued concern so we can work collaboratively with everyone responsible to deliver solutions in the best interest of students,” said Jones.
To ensure fairness and impartiality, the Ombudsman will report to – but operate independently of – the State Board. Given the dozens of calls the State Board receives each month from students and parents with school concerns, “it is cost-effective for the two entities to share office space and support staff,” added Jones.
The search for an Ombudsman was a multi-step process overseen by an Ombudsman selection committee. The process not only included in-person interviews with members of the State Board, but several candidates met with a diverse set of community members representing Wards 1, 2, 4, 7, and 8.
State Board Vice President Mary Lord (At-Large) and chair of the Ombudsman selection committee, praised the process and noted, “Ms. Smith fills a much-needed role for families. Board members are out in the community every day. We hear from students, parents, and teachers that when they encounter an issue they don’t know where to start to have it addressed. Now there’s a way to address the needs of our students, together, as a community.”
“We applaud the hiring of a new, independent Ombudsman for Public Education. It’s great news for students and parents trying to resolve their complaints with District schools,” said Judith Sandalow, Executive Director of the Children’s Law Center and member of the community review panel. “Because the Ombudsman can monitor patterns across the school system, she also can be a valuable partner in efforts to improve our public and charter schools.”
Smith is the second person ever to serve as the District of Columbia’s Ombudsman for Public Education. The position was originally established as a critical component of the “Public Education Reform Amendment Act of 2007.” Funding was eliminated in the FY2010 budget, however, and the position remained vacant until the legislature, at the urging of parents, recently reassessed the need for the position. In 2013, the “State Board of Education Personnel Authority Amendment Act of 2012,” advocated for by Councilmember David Catania and the Council’s Committee on Education, restored the office and its funding in FY2014.
To submit a concern or complaint, contact the Office of the Ombudsman at (202) 741-0888, or by email at [email protected]. Complaints also can be submitted through the State Board of Education’s website at www.sboe.dc.gov/ombudsman.
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