Education remains a top funding priority for the District of Columbia, thanks to the work of Mayor Bowser and the DC Council. In late June, the Council finalized its changes to the mayor’s proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, building on the mayor’s already historic investments in DC students.
Public education made up roughly 20 percent of the District’s proposed spending for FY 2025, which begins this October. Final numbers will be available from the Council’s budget office soon. This amount includes a 12.4 percent increase to the uniform per student funding formula (UPSFF), which is used by the District to determine the annual appropriation of funds for the operation of DC Public Schools and DC public charter schools based on the number of students, the grade level, and other student characteristics. It is important that funding primarily flows through the formula to ensure that education dollars reach students equitably, no matter which public school they attend.
The budget also increases funds for students designated “at-risk” who need additional academic support.
Additionally, the budget funds specific priorities—many of which Ed Forward DC advocated for as a key member of the DC Students Succeed coalition. These priorities aim to reduce chronic absenteeism, drive academic achievement in the pandemic recovery, and build more diverse pathways for students to thrive in life.
- Provides public charter school students healthy and safe school environments by funding at least a 3.1 percent increase in the annual facility allotment for public charter schools in each of the next 5 years.
- Provides $2.2 million for high-quality literacy instructional materials to support the Literacy Task Force’s recommendations and a total of $3.5 million through FY28 for kindergarten training and a coaching pilot at up to 20 schools.
- Invests nearly $5 million for high-impact tutoring which has been shown to boost attendance and support students’ academic recovery.
- Significant investments to expand dual enrollment opportunities, including $17 million to expand the Advanced Technical Center at Penn Center; $600,000 to support the opening of a new Advanced Technical Center at the Whitman-Walker Max Robinson Center in Ward 8; and $5 million to Reimagine High School, support the Advanced Technical Center in Ward 5, Career Ready Internship, Advanced Technical Internship, and dual enrollment seats.
- Creates the Office of Education Through Employment Pathways to support implementing a data system to measure and utilize information on student college and career readiness and outcomes. This information will provide valuable insight into how best to support and help students succeed.
- $2.2 million in one-time funds for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education truancy grants to non-profit and community-based organizations and funding for the Office of the Attorney General’s Abating Truancy Through Engagement and Negotiated Dialogue (ATTEND) Mediation Program to support student attendance.
- $10.3 million for the Safe Passage Program, including an expansion of coverage through roving teams; $300,000 to expand Safe Passage priority areas to the areas between and including Potomac Avenue and Eastern Market metro stations; and $300,000 to expand Safe Passage priority areas to Brookland Metro.
- Approval of $44 million for designing and constructing traffic safety improvements near dozens of schools.
- $52 million to restore the Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund.
- $2.48 million to establish the OSSE Community Schools program.
We appreciate the work of our grantees and partners, including Education Reform Now DC and PAVE, for sharing some of the budget information in this post.
