At the inaugural meeting of the all-elected DC State Board of Education, the State Board elected its president and vice president. Lisa Raymond was elected to the office of president, and Ted Trabue was elected to the office of vice president. Each received accolades from both former and current State Board members.  

In nominating Raymond for the office of president, State Board member Sekou Biddle from Ward 4 said, “I have served with Lisa Raymond since the previous board. She has a strong management background and a wealth of educational experience in the District of Columbia. She will make a great leader for the new State Board.”

At the meeting, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) presented a brief overview of and timeline for the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data (SLED) system. The SLED system is an electronic repository of data for all DC Public Schools and education entities. The SLED allows for students, teachers, schools and overall student achievement patterns to be tracked within one system.

Additionally, the OSSE made a presentation to the State Board on the student residency verification regulations. Those regulations were approved by the State Board on June 4, 2008, on an emergency basis. Because those emergency regulations have now expired, the matter will be put before the State Board again in February 2009.

The next scheduled public meeting of the DC State Board of Education will be held Wednesday, February 18, 2009, at 5:30 pm at 441 4th Street, NW, in the District of Columbia State Board of Education Chambers, located on the lobby level of the building.