COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DC COUNCILMEMBER MICHAEL A. BROWN

Chair, Committee on Housing and Workforce Development
___________ 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 406 ___________
Washington, DC 20004
MEDIA ADVISORY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 Linda Boyd - (202) 724-8105

DC COUNCILMEMBER MICHAEL A. BROWN TO HOLD PUBLIC OVERSIGHT ROUNDTABLE

ON THE FY 2010 SUMMER YOUTH EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM (SYEP)
SYEP to Begin June 28; Brown Seeks Status of Program Readiness and Resolutions to Many
Reoccurring Problems and Concerns Expressed by Parents, Youth and Some City Officials

WHAT/WHO: Councilmember Michael Brown, Chairperson of the Committee on Housing and

Workforce Development to hold a public oversight roundtable on the Fiscal Year 2010
Summer Youth Employment Program; DC Department of Employment Services (DOES)
Director Joseph P. Walsh will present the status report on his agencys planning and
implementation of the 2010 Summer Youth Employment Program. Other witnesses will
include parents and youth who have expressed concerns about the program.

WHERE: Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at 11:30 a.m.,

Room 120 - John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20004.

Background: As the start date of the FY 2010 Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) nears, Councilmember
Michael Brown will convene a public oversight roundtable to pose questions to the Department of Employment
Services (DOES) Director Joesph P. Walsh about the program. Last year, the Council passed legislation limiting the
program to six weeks and the amount of participants in the program to 21,000. This was done in an effort to
correct gross overspending permitted by Mayor Adrian Fentys administration in 2008. The overspending placed
the future of SYEP in jeopardy. The program was mismanaged as it was allowed to balloon to obscene
proportions, well outside the budgetary limits set by the Council.

The Council has taken a tougher oversight role to make sure that controls remain in place to keep this
important program from getting out of control again, said Brown.

Since the oversight roundtable was set several weeks ago, Councilmember Brown has received a steady stream of
correspondences from concerned parents and host sites managers. Brown feels that some of these concerns can
surely be attributed to the normal hiccups related to a large program such as SYEP. Other concerns are more
worrisome and need careful thought and resolution before the start of the program. As in past years, concerns
have surfaced over registration, certification, pay dates and work site assignments.

Councilmember Browns goal is to ensure that the program is ready to operate efficiently from day one. He also
wants relevant, complete and up-to-date information on the plans for SYEP 2010 so that parents and youth
participants are fully informed and that expectations are managed.
Further, Brown feels very strongly that DOES should strive to address any program wide or individual deficiencies
before the program begins on June 28th. This is an effort to ensure that every youth participant has a positive
experience and develops a good attitude about working and holding a job. Many potentially devastating problems
can be avoided by opening good lines of communication between DOES and parents and summer youth
participants.

Those who wish to testify should contact Drew Hubbard at (202) 727-8230 or dhubbard@dccouncil.us, and provide
their name, organizational affiliation, and title of organization or come to the hearing at the Wilson Building in
Room 120. Witnesses should bring 20 copies of their written testimony to the roundtable. The Committee allows
each individual 3 minutes for oral testimony in order to permit each witness an opportunity to be heard.
Additional written statements are encouraged and will be made part of the official record. The official record will
close ten days after the close of the roundtable.

For more information about the SYEP oversight roundtable, please contact Drew Hubbard at (202) 724.8198 or
dhubbard@dccouncil.us.

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