FY 27 Budget Testimony: District of Columbia Public Schools & District of Columbia Public Charter School Board

Senior Policy Attorney Danielle Robinette testified before the Committee of the Whole regarding the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) and the DC Public Charter School Board (PCSB) FY 2027 proposed budget. We were glad to see that, despite the challenging budget landscape, the Mayor’s proposed budgets for K-12 public education in the District were largely protected from significant reductions.

The Mayor’s proposed budgets for DCPS and the DC’s Public Charter Schools highlight the District’s strong commitment to funding public education. However, DC’s nation-leading investments in public education have not yielded nation-leading academic outcomes. As such, we encourage the Committee to conduct regular and rigorous oversight of education spending throughout the year, not just during budget season. Such oversight should monitor the impact of current education investments and identify where implementation issues may undermine program efficacy and/or academic outcomes.