What do the District’s mayoral candidates think when it comes to education? Two of the candidates made their views heard last week during a YEP-DC co-hosted debate in a packed church in Ward 4. Here’s what David Catania and Carol Schwartz, both independents, had to say about several key issues:
Carol Schwartz, far left, and David Catania, second from left, field questions. School Boundaries
Each candidate was asked to state their perceptions on D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray's proposal to redraw school boundaries. The proposed system was drawn with the intent to help underprivileged children attend better schools outside of their neighborhoods and to fix the problem of overcrowded versus underused schools. Though Catania agreed with the proposal on the premise that disadvantaged families should be given school preference, he cited harmful "unintended consequences" that would come about as a result. Johnson Middle School in southeast, for example, would be closed under this plan. Rather than overhauling boundaries and risk closing underused schools, critics say more energy should be spent toward improving existing schools. “What we should talk about is how we need to set up our schools to succeed," said Catania.
Schwartz also disagreed with parts of the school boundaries plan, adding that the proposal should be delayed until the new mayor is chosen. "What I don't want to do," she said, is "go back on Brown v. Board. My children were lucky to go to an integrated school." An unintended ramification of the plan includes the further segregation of racial and socioeconomic classes because of the gentrification of certain areas in D.C., Schwartz reasoned.
Each candidate was asked to state their perceptions on D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray's proposal to redraw school boundaries. The proposed system was drawn with the intent to help underprivileged children attend better schools outside of their neighborhoods and to fix the problem of overcrowded versus underused schools. Though Catania agreed with the proposal on the premise that disadvantaged families should be given school preference, he cited harmful "unintended consequences" that would come about as a result. Johnson Middle School in southeast, for example, would be closed under this plan. Rather than overhauling boundaries and risk closing underused schools, critics say more energy should be spent toward improving existing schools. “What we should talk about is how we need to set up our schools to succeed," said Catania.
Schwartz also disagreed with parts of the school boundaries plan, adding that the proposal should be delayed until the new mayor is chosen. "What I don't want to do," she said, is "go back on Brown v. Board. My children were lucky to go to an integrated school." An unintended ramification of the plan includes the further segregation of racial and socioeconomic classes because of the gentrification of certain areas in D.C., Schwartz reasoned.
RSS Feed