As residents of the District of Columbia, we support the DC City Council’s decision to grant budget and staffing independence to the all-elected DC State Board of Education. We recognize that this proposal does not change the authority or responsibilities of the State Board, or give it new license to intervene in local school affairs, or increase its budget. It simply gives the State Board the authority to make its own budget request directly to the Council and to hire and supervise its own staff. We feel that our elected State Board, as the legal entity that sets and oversees the learning standards and achievement for all children in DC Public Schools and DC public charter schools, must be able monitor student achievement honestly without political interference and partisanship. As partners in the city’s efforts to dramatically improve our public schools, we support the 2010 budget as approved, and believe that by being independent, the DC State Board of Education will be best able to represent us in setting high expectations for all of our children. We urge the Council to overturn the budget veto in September 2009.