(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, Mayor Vincent C. Gray welcomed news that the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) had decided to remove the “high-risk grantee” designation from grants issued by USDOE to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE). USDOE notified District education officials of the decision – which was made based on OSSE's demonstrated progress in implementing systemic reforms and addressing corrective actions – on Friday.

“This decision demonstrates the significant progress the District has made in our efforts to reform and improve our system of public education for all students,” said Mayor Gray. “I applaud our State Superintendent of Education, Jesús Aguirre, and the entire OSSE team for their dedication and commitment to transforming our educational system.”

During the past several years, OSSE has taken progressive steps to address longstanding financial, grants- management, and programmatic-compliance issues. According to the USDOE, OSSE has made a number of systemic improvements.

“This is an extremely important accomplishment for not only OSSE staff, but for the entire District of Columbia,” said State Superintendent Aguirre. “The decision signals that we are making improvements and that we are headed in the right direction. I appreciate our OSSE staff for always putting children first.”

USDOE concluded that OSSE’s ongoing implementation of the corrective actions made to its financial, record- keeping, and internal control systems and procedures is sufficient to address the issues that led to the “high- risk grantee” designation.

In 2006, USDOE designated D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) a “high-risk” grantee based on systemic problems. The D.C. Public Education Reform Act of 2007 shifted authority from DCPS to the OSSE for the purpose of administering federal grants. Since that time, OSSE has worked to implement systemic reforms and resolve issues detailed in the High-Risk Corrective Action Plan (HRCAP).

For more information on this topic, please visit www.osse.dc.gov.