Students lamented the conditions of their D.C. public schools and shared ideas for improvement at a hearing for Mayor Adrian Fenty’s proposed takeover of the D.C. Public School system.

The hearing last month, which about 50 students, parents and administrators attended, allowed students to share their experiences in DCPS with the City Council and their expectations for the city’s Public Education Reform Amendment Act. The act would formally transfer all oversight authority of the District of Columbia Public Schools to the mayor including the management of personnel, property, records and federal allocations.

“My gut feeling is that in the past years of my life, things haven’t been working,” said School Without Walls Senior Rachel May during her testimony about the quality of her schools’ facilities. “Things need to change.”

“The message that this sends is that no one cares,” May said. “When we are continually told that we are undeserving . people begin to lose hope.” Hoping that the plan will bring positive developments to the school system, students spoke about changes they would like to see.

“All schools should be good,” said Ballou High School sophomore Donnell Kie at the hearing in downtown D.C.’s Wilson building. “We deserve the best education.”

Kie’s testimony consisted primarily of a list of several problems he encounters with the school system on a daily basis. He said the schools suffer from unsafe and dirty buildings, under-qualified faculty and under-funded extracurricular activities. Eager to prove the need for improvements, Kie enthusiastically offered the council members a tour of his school’s facilities.

Many D.C. citizens have been vocal about their disapproval of the plan. Some say that the proposal is an attempt at establishing more charter schools and that Fenty has insufficient experience with education management to properly handle these responsibilities. The city has been building more charter school, which are publicly funded, but privately run.

In response to the criticism, the Board of Education has presented an alternative plan that would give the D.C. Council greater supervision of the DCPS budget. Whatever the final decision is, council members agreed that bettering the District’s public schools is necessary for the sake of the city’s students.

“I believe in my bones that kids want to be challenged,” said Council Member of Ward 3 Mary M. Cheh. “We have to recognize our kids have great potential.”

Council Member At-Large Kwame R. Brown said that council members should spearhead efforts to improve the conditions of the schools.

“Who is responsible for the cycle of disappointment and neglect?” Brown said. “It would almost be irresponsible for me not to make a change.”

Upon finishing their testimonies, Marion Barry, Ward 8 Council Member and former D.C. mayor, thanked the students with a warm round of applause.