Jessica Giles’ COW Testimony to DC Council’s Committee of the Whole FY 2025 Budget Oversight Hearing
Jessica Giles
Executive Director, DC
Education Reform Now Advocacy
DC Council’s Committee of the Whole FY 2025 Budget Oversight Hearing:
Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education
District of Columbia Public Schools
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson, Members, and Staff of the Committee of the Whole. My name is Jessica Giles. I am a ward seven resident and the Executive Director of the D.C. Chapter of Education Reform Now Advocacy (ERNA), an organization fighting for a just and equitable public education system for all students. At ERNA, we always put the needs of students first and we’re steadfastly focused on improving student attendance, literacy, math, and secondary pathways to college and career. I am pleased to provide testimony today.
In a year marked by significant financial constraints, Mayor Bowser’s proposed Fiscal Year 2025 Budget and Fiscal Plan is forward-thinking in public education investments and provides a solid foundation for innovation and future success.
An increase to the foundation level of per-student funding: This investment of $14,668 per student provides critical funding for all public schools.
3.1% increase to the facilities allotment in FY 2025: Supports safe and well-maintained buildings for public charter schools, which do not have access to capital dollars.
Enhanced At-Risk Weight Funding: Addresses equity head-on through increased support for students designated as “at-risk.”
Improving Supports for Student Attendance: Provides additional student-first investments, such as:
$4.8 million allocation to High-Impact Tutoring, which is proven to boost student attendance and academic success.
$375,000 in “nudge” technology to target text and mail communication to families of students who are chronically absent or truant.
$9.7 million investment in safe passage to support students going to and from school and home.
$7 million to increase capacity to serve 500 additional youth through the Department of Human Services Parent and Adolescent Support Services (PASS) program and 180 youth through Alternatives to the Court Experience (ACE) Diversion program.
Investments in Secondary College and Career Pathways: These efforts will provide students with greater access to college-level courses and career pathways, bridging the gap between high school and higher education.
$668,000 along with capital funding, to establish the Office of Education through Employment Pathways, which will 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.
$1.1 million for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) to bolster student success and outcomes, along with other key investments.
Still, there are areas where the budget should further align to solve the District’s academic achievement crisis. For the sake of time, I will focus only on two.
#1 – There is no proposed funding for a statewide strategy for math research and innovation—zero—even though students have experienced the greatest declines in math.
Why math is important
In DC we are always talking about the many vacancies that exists in various career fields from school-based behavioral health clinicians to nurses, social workers, psychologists, and police – well guess what? All of these professions require strong math skills. Math helps students develop critical thinking skills, expands college and career options, and improves student outcomes later in life. Research says that student need to pass Algebra I by the eighth grade to put them on a trajectory of future postsecondary success.1
DC students need more and different support
Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of our students need more and different kinds of support. In the 2022-2023 school year, nearly 8 out of 10 students who took the PARCC assessment in Math did not meet or exceed expectations.2
DC parents want to overhaul math education
A recent poll surveying 325 parents of DC Public Schools (DCPS) and DC public charter school students revealed 87% of respondents agree that Mayor Bowser and the DC Council must prioritize investments in improving math education. 79% of parents ranked math as the most important subject their children take among nine academic subject options presented, including 81% of Black parents and 73% of Latino parents.3 70% would like to see a math innovation and research hub to improve the quality of their child’s math education through evidence-based solutions led by a task force.4
Here’s how DC Council can help
We urge the DC Council to fund the establishment of a Mathematics Innovation and Research Task Force (“Task Force”) comprised of local and national experts to support pre-K-8th grade students, educators, and families with math. These experts can implement a statewide math strategy that includes five elements: daily math instruction with high-quality content and instructional materials; support for teachers; assessments and parent notification; interventions; and resources for families and caregivers.
#2 – We are grateful for the $2 million proposed investment, but it does not fully fund the Early Literacy Education Taskforce recommendations.
Why literacy is important
Yesterday, at the Public Briefing on the Mayor’s Fiscal Year 2025 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan, Mayor Bowser mentioned the progress that DC has made because of the investments in literacy. I can think of no better reason to enhance an investment in this evidence-based approach. Reading is a fundamental skill that all students need in order to succeed in school, life, and career. Every child must read on grade level by third grade regardless of where in the city they live and what school they attend. That is not currently the case and too many students, and adults, struggle to read in the District of Columbia. In the 2022-23 school year, 66% of students did not meet or exceed expectations on the PARCC exam in English Language Arts.5 Further, the Washington Literacy Center recently reported that the literacy rate for DC residents in wards 7 and 8 is alarmingly only 49.8 percent.6 When I say that we have a literacy crisis in DC, I am not exaggerating.
Here’s how DC Council can (continue to) help
Because of the DC Council’s leadership, OSSE convened an Early Literacy Education Task Force last year, which culminated in the production of ahigh-quality report with four over-arching recommendations for expanding science of reading training to all elementary educators.7 Now, these recommendations must be implemented. The Mayor has proposed $2 million to implement high quality instructional materials for teachers based on recommendations from the literacy task force. In this austere budget, I do not take this investment lightly but I also know that it’s not enough. We urge the DC Council to fully fund the implementation of these recommendations.
In closing, I want to reiterate my gratitude for the investments that have been proposed and to encourage the DC Council to enhance investments in learning acceleration. Namely by establishing a Mathematics Innovation and Research Task Force and fully fund the recommendations of the Early Literacy Education taskforce. In addition, I ask the DC Council during these budget oversight hearings to investigate whether the proposed investments to support attendance are enough to meet the vast need. Thank you for allowing me to testify today. I am available for any questions you may have.
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1 Predictors of Postsecondary Success. American Institutes for Resarch. Source: https://ccrscenter.org/sites/default/files/CCRS%20Center_Predictors%20of%20Postsecondary%20Success_final_0.pdf Accessed January 22, 2024.
2 OSSE. School year 2021-22 PARCC assessment results. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/2021-22%20District%20of%20Columbia%20Statewide%20Assessment%20Results%20Presentation.pdf
3 Education Reform Now DC. Majority of DC Parents Want to Overhaul Math Education, New ERN DC Survey Reveals. Accessed April 4, 2024. Source: https://edreformnow.org/2024/03/11/majority-of-dc-parents-want-to-overhaul-math-education-new-ern-dc-survey-reveals/
4 Ibid.
5 OSSE. 2022-23 Assessment Results. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Assessment%202023%20Deck_.08.24_0.pdf
6 Reading is Fundamental. East of the River News. Source: https://eastoftheriverdcnews.com/2024/02/13/reading-is-fundamental/
7 OSSE. Recommendations for Structured Literacy Instruction in the District of Columbia. Accessed April 4, 2024. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Early%20Literacy%20Task%20Force%20Report.pdf
