Kevin P. Chavous
Encyclopedia
Kevin P. Chavous is an attorney,author, national education reform leader and former Democratic Party politician in Washington, DC. He was elected as Ward 7 member of the Council of the District of Columbia in 1992 and served three terms until his defeat in the September, 2004 primary. In 1998, Chavous was an unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of the District of Columbia.
Chavous was educated at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
in Indianapolis and Wabash College
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
, where he earned a BA in Political Science. While at Wabash, he was NCAA Division III District All-American in basketball. Chavous also earned a JD degree from the Howard University School of Law
, where he was President of his law school class. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi
fraternity.
After being re-elected in 1996, Chavous became Chairman of the Education, Libraries and Recreation Committee. His elevation as the committee chair coincided with the passage of charter school legislation in the District. Under his committee chairmanship, the DC charter school movement became the most prolific in the nation, with over 25% of the District’s public school children attending public charter schools.
In 1998, Chavous ran for Mayor in the Democratic Party primary. He finished second to eventual nominee and future Mayor, Anthony A. Williams. Chavous was re-elected to the Council in 2000 with 53% of the vote.
In 2003, Chavous and Mayor Williams publicly supported a controversial proposal by President George W. Bush and Education Secretary Rod Paige for a federal school voucher program designed for low income District schoolchildren. The program was part of a three sector initiative in which the federal government provided 50 million dollars to support DC public schools, DC public charter schools and the voucher program. While the voucher program has successfully educated thousands of DC children, Chavous was roundly criticized for supporting it at the time. He lost his 2004 re-election bid to Vincent Gray.
Chavous is a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
.
Chavous is the author of the book Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education (2004, ISBN 1931868697).
Early life and education
He was born and raised in the Butler-Tarkington neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana. He is the oldest of four children born to Harold P. Chavous, a pharmacist, and Bettie J. Chavous, a homemaker. Chavous’ first job was working in Chavous Drugs, the family drug store, sweeping and mopping floors and stocking shelves.Chavous was educated at Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School
Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School is a private college preparatory school founded by the Jesuits and located on the northwest side of Indianapolis. It is a part of the Chicago Province of the Society of Jesus and geographically located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis.Brebeuf...
in Indianapolis and Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, where he earned a BA in Political Science. While at Wabash, he was NCAA Division III District All-American in basketball. Chavous also earned a JD degree from the Howard University School of Law
Howard University School of Law
Howard University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Howard University. Located in Washington, D.C., it is one the oldest law schools in the country and the oldest historically black college or university law school in the United States...
, where he was President of his law school class. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi
Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin...
fraternity.
Personal life
In 1982, Chavous married attorney and law school classmate, Beverly Bass Chavous. They have two sons, Kevin Bass Chavous, born November 10, 1984, and Eric Bass Chavous, born March 13, 1990. The couple divorced in 2009.Political career
In 1992, Chavous waged an aggressive door-to-door campaign against longtime Ward 7 incumbent H.R. Crawford and school board member, Nate Bush. Chavous upset both, winning the Ward 7 Council seat with 42% of the vote.After being re-elected in 1996, Chavous became Chairman of the Education, Libraries and Recreation Committee. His elevation as the committee chair coincided with the passage of charter school legislation in the District. Under his committee chairmanship, the DC charter school movement became the most prolific in the nation, with over 25% of the District’s public school children attending public charter schools.
In 1998, Chavous ran for Mayor in the Democratic Party primary. He finished second to eventual nominee and future Mayor, Anthony A. Williams. Chavous was re-elected to the Council in 2000 with 53% of the vote.
In 2003, Chavous and Mayor Williams publicly supported a controversial proposal by President George W. Bush and Education Secretary Rod Paige for a federal school voucher program designed for low income District schoolchildren. The program was part of a three sector initiative in which the federal government provided 50 million dollars to support DC public schools, DC public charter schools and the voucher program. While the voucher program has successfully educated thousands of DC children, Chavous was roundly criticized for supporting it at the time. He lost his 2004 re-election bid to Vincent Gray.
National Education Reform Advocacy
Since leaving the Council of the District of Columbia in 2005, Chavous has emerged as a leader in the national education reform and parental school choice movement. In 2008, Chavous served on Barack Obama’s campaign education policy committee. He is also a Distinguished Fellow with the Center for Education Reform (CER) and a board member with the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO). Chavous is a co-founder and Board Chair of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), a New York based political action committee whose mission is to encourage the Democratic Party to embrace progressive policies which will fundamentally reform American public education.Chavous is a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP was an international law firm with nearly 800 lawyers and other professionals in the United States and Europe, serving the needs of many of the world’s best-known businesses, non-profits and individuals. The firm was founded in Chicago in 1906 and as of May 2010...
.
Chavous is the author of the book Serving Our Children: Charter Schools and the Reform of American Public Education (2004, ISBN 1931868697).