FY2025 Budget Wins for Students
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Cesar Toledo, Cesar@edreformnow.org
Washington, D.C. (June 26, 2024) — In response to the D.C. Council’s final vote on the FY 2025 Local Budget Act of 2024 and Budget Support Act of 2024, Jessica Giles, Executive Director of Education Reform Now DC (ERN DC), released the following statement:
“Earlier this year, ERN DC launched an advocacy campaign called “District Heroes” to urge the Mayor and DC Council to invest in tomorrow’s heroes—our students. Through digital advocacy, grassroots organizing, and dozens of conversations with the DC Council, this campaign galvanized critical support from Education Reform Champions for four important education investments: student attendance, literacy, secondary pathways, facilities, and math.
Yesterday’s final budget vote marked a major victory for our students. Building on Mayor Bowser’s proposed investments, the Chairman and DC Council doubled down on reforming our public education system.
The Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and Financial Plan includes a 12.4% increase to the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula, along with an increase to the weight for at-risk students. Additionally, there are several impactful investments from our advocacy campaign:
Supports student attendance by funding:
$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
the Office of the Attorney General’s ATTEND (Abating Truancy Through Engagement and Negotiated Dialogue) Mediation Program
Provides innovative and evidence-based early literacy investments by prioritizing:
$2.2 million for high-quality literacy instructional materials
$566k in FY25 and $2.9M in FY 26-28 for kindergarten structured literacy training and coaching pilot at up to 20 schools
Ensures safe and conducive learning environments by securing:
Funding for the 3.1% annual increase to the public charter facilities allowance ($17.5 million across the financial plan)
Builds secondary pathways to college and career by providing:
$150,000 for the subtitle, “Reporting Requirements for Career and Technical Education and Dual Enrollment,” which includes a youth-focused career preparation study
Funds for the establishment of the Office of Education through Employment Pathways to implement a data system to provide key insights into education and workforce outcomes
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
Giles continued, “In the coming months, we look forward to supporting the implementation of these critical investments so that all of our students are put on the path to success. We will also focus on ways to address our math education problem. When more than three out of four students are struggling in math, it is clear that our work is far from over.”
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About Education Reform Now D.C.
ERN D.C. is a non-profit, non-partisan think tank and advocacy organization fighting for a just and equitable public education system for all students in Washington, D.C. We seek progress in D.C. Public Schools and public charter schools by developing and advocating for systemic change to eliminate racial inequity and discrimination.
