A massive plan to change D.C. school boundaries may not happen after all. It’s been 40 years since they were last changed. But two candidates for mayor don’t plan on implementing the plan. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray tells Tom Sherwood what he thinks about promises to stop the plan before it ever gets off the ground.
The two leading candidates for mayor in Washington, D.C. say the plan to change school boundaries for the first time in 40 years is moving too fast.
Current D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has worked on the plan for more than a year.
"We're going to continue to work with the community, let people know what's fully in this plan," Gray said.
Council member Muriel Bowser, the Democratic nominee for mayor, believes Gray's plan is "not ready" and will "exacerbate educational inequality."
"It lacks the necessary budgetary and leadership commitments to bring about a truly fair neighborhood school assignment policy. I cannot accept these recommendations," Bowser said in a statement released Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Council member David Catania, chairman of the council education committee and an independent candidate for mayor, announced Monday that he would seek to block the changes, adding that too many schools are unprepared for the boundary changes that are to take effect in September 2015.
"There are a whole lot of unanswered questions and additional work that needs to be done," Catania said. "You're essentially sending some schools up to fail by virtue of how these schools are being rearranged."
Local
Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia local news, events and information
Catania said he may seek legislation postponing the changes until 2016 or later if necessary.
