The second-in-command of the District’s charter schools is stepping down this month to pursue consulting with charters, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Public Charter School Board said.
Tamara Lumpkin, deputy executive director of the board, will conclude her 13 years with the District’s public charter schools on Jan. 13.
She was a leading force in the development of the Performance Management Framework, which debuted last month and provides first-time rankings of the charter campuses on a 100-point scale and organizes them into three performance tiers.
Lumpkin also developed the board’s process of closing underperforming and financially struggling schools, as new ones opened. During her tenure, the city’s charter portfolio grew from eight schools to 53 and now enrolls more than 40 percent of public school students.
This is the second recent, big turnover for the charter school board, which has remained stable relative to D.C. Public Schools’ revolving door of leaders. Executive Director Josephine Baker retired in March, and her position was filled just last month.
In a statement, Lumpkin said it was “with a mixture of joy and sadness” that she resigned.
“Joy because I leave knowing that I’ve contributed to the PCSB’s reputation as a leading charter authorizer across the nation,” she said. “Sadness because I have grown so fond of those I’ve come to know through the charter school and education reform movement.”
