DCPS, once hailed as a turnaround success story, was marred by scandal in 2018 just before Lewis Ferebee stepped in as chancellor. In a 2019 Q&A with Education Dive, Ferebee said he hoped to rebuild the community’s trust, along with integrating more technology in the schools and investing in mental health services.
The city’s school system is unique, as it has a combination of mayoral control, public school choice options and high per-pupil funding that is not tied to property taxes. Other districts have some of these features, but DCPS is the only one with all three.
