Charter schools admissions task force

(a) There is established a task force that shall study providing a neighborhood preference in charter school admissions for the 2013-2014 school year. The task force shall consist of: (1) The following 5 government officials, or their designees: (A) Chairman of the Public Charter School Board; (B) Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia; (C) State Superintendent of Education; (D) Deputy Mayor for Education; and (E) Chancellor of the District of Columbia Public Schools; and (2) The following nongovernment members: (A) Two representatives from charter support organizations; (B) A representative from the education department of a national research organization; (C) A representative from a national charter school organization; (D) Two charter school leaders selected by the Public Charter School Board Chair; and (E) A labor representative. (b) The task force shall: (1) Be chaired by the Chairman of the Public Charter School Board, or his or her designee; (2) Meet at an agreed to location as often as determined necessary by the Chairman of the task force; (3) Explore the feasibility of offering a neighborhood preference in charter school admissions for the 2013-2014 school year; and (4) By September 1, 2012, submit a report to the Council of its findings, which shall include: (A) Consideration of the various ways in which a neighborhood preference can be designed, including: (i) The pros and cons of a weighted lottery; (ii) Setting aside of a certain percentage of new seats; (iii) A geographically limited preference; and (iv) A preference based on rankings in a city-wide application process; (B) A definition of neighborhood for the purpose of setting boundaries in admissions; (C) An examination of models that are being used in other jurisdictions and evaluation of their applicability to the District; and (D) Recommendations based on its findings.