I don't have a question.

I'm going to order this hearing.

This is a public hearing of the Committee of the Whole of the Council of the District of Columbia.

I'm Phil Mendelssohn, Chair of the Council, Chair of the Committee of the Whole.

Today is Thursday, April 23rd, 2026.

The time is 9.48 in the morning.

We're in room 412 of the Johnny Wilson building.

This is the second of a number of hearings the Committee of the Whole is having on portions of the Mayor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2027.

She also sent legislation proposing changes to the current year budget, and folks are welcome to testify about that today as well.

Today we're going to hear testimony from, I believe it's 63 non-government witnesses, and then we will hear from the agencies and the agencies are the District of Columbia State Athletic Association, the State Board of Education, including the Office of the Student Advocate and the Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education, the University of the District of Columbia, and the Deputy Mayor for Education.

The Committee of the Whole is having a number of hearings on education agencies yesterday.

We held our first hearing on uh where we had public testimony regarding D.C.

Public Schools and D.C.

Public Charter Schools.

And on Friday, we will hear only from government witnesses regarding the D.C.

Public Charter Schools.

And then supposedly beginning at 11, we will hear testimony.

I believe it's only government witnesses regarding the mayor's proposed revisions to the current year budget.

We call this the FY26 supplemental budget.

Next Friday, May 1st, we will hear testimony regarding the proposed budgets for the Council and the New Columbia Statehood Commission.

And then supposedly beginning at 11, we will hear testimony from only government witnesses for DCPS.

Remember, we had public witness testimony yesterday.

On May 4th, we will hear testimony regarding the proposed budgets for the DC Auditor, the retirement board, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.

On May 6th, the Commission on Arts and Humanities, the Office of Zoning, Office of Planning, Department of Buildings.

On May 7th, the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, that will be both public and government witnesses.

On May 13th, the Committee of the Hole will have a hearing on all of the legislation regarding the budget.

So the mayor sent down a supplemental proposed budget for next year, Budget Support Act and the Federal Portion Budget Request Act.

All that will be subject to the May 13th hearing.

So there'll be witnesses, a lot of witnesses on a lot of different topics.

The council is scheduled to vote first reading on June 9th on the Local Budget Act, the Budget Support Act, and on June 23rd will be our final reading on the Local Budget Act and the Supplemental, the Budget Support Act will get final reading at some point after that, but before we go on recess.

So I'm going to call witnesses at this point.

And witnesses are reminded three minutes.

Eric Goulay, Ward 3 representative of DC State Board of Education.

Tierra Stewart, who is Chief Program Officer at DC Scores.

Chelsea Coffin, Director of Education Policy Initiative at the DC Policy Center.

Andrea Tobin.

Katrina Owens.

Michael Rodriguez, who's Chief.

Michael Rodriguez, who's the Chief Executive Officer at St.

Coletta of Greater Washington.

Leslie Lewis, who is regional manager of the PD Green Program.

Andrew Lee, Executive Director of the Washington Conservatory.

Gabriela Silva, Senior Program Manager at PAVE.

Scott Goldstein, Executive Director of Empower Ed.

I'm going to stop there.

Witnesses are reminded to three minutes.

And if you're testifying virtually, there should be on your screen, especially if you are I forget what they call a gallery view.

You should be able to see the clock.

If you are at the table, there are timers all over the place.

So only if you're not paying attention will you not see the clock.

Mr.

Goulet, please proceed in good morning.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson, Council members, and Council staff.

My name is Eric Goulet, Ward 3 representative and vice president for the DC State Board of Education.

I am delighted to join you at today's Committee of the Whole FY27 budget oversight hearing.

Since I had a scheduling conflict yesterday arise, I wasn't able to attend the DCPS hearing, so I'll summarize four important education budget issues on two topics within my three minutes, Mr.

Chairman.

I want to thank you.

First, Mr.

Chairman, for being a champion of funding for our DC public schools and charter schools in fiscal year 25 and 26, particularly so in ensuring that funds are prioritized for DCPS local schools versus central office functions.

I look forward to working with you, Councilmember Fruman, our LSATs, and Ward 3 parents and students to again ensure that local schools have the sufficient funding to continue stable programming and staffing through the marks you set through the school's first in in budgeting legislation.

Secondly, although I will be testifying later before Councilmember Henderson because the funds fall within DC Health.

Third, I would ask the council to reallocate FY26 and FY27 capital funds for the purchase of the former Intelsat and Whitmittle campus.

This campus presents a once in a century opportunity to expand the mission of our state university.

As the district continues to struggle with chronic absenteism, this beautiful campus provides an opportunity to create an exciting hub for workforce development programs in high demand careers like nursing, teaching, hospitality, child care, and information technology that will spark passion in our youth.

The campus is transit accessible by metro, uh rail and bus for youth across our city and is located right next to UDC.

Lastly, I want to speak about the budget for SBOE, which uh supports the important work uh on issues like high school graduation requirements, empowering youth voices, improving safety and supports and retaining teachers.

Mr.

Chairman, you have been a champion of funding for the mission of SBOE these last three years.

The resources you have added to the board have made a huge difference because a small agency like ours, a little bit of money goes a long way.

Uh this year we were hit hard by a $35,000 increase in IT assessments that I personally feel is difficult to justify to absorb these reductions.

We were forced to cut youth internships and research opportunities.

So it would be very valuable if council could restore those cuts.

Uh lastly, after three consecutive public meetings where we lost a stable internet connection in the middle of witnesses testifying at our meetings, we were no longer able to have hybrid public meetings due to the IT equipment in the 441 council chambers failing because it was past the end of its useful life.

Uh both Octo and DGS say they do not have the funds to replace this equipment at FY26.

So they have sent SBOE an invoice of $38,000, even though DGS is the owner of the building and a reliable internet connection to the chamber benefits all DC agencies that unifilize the chamber throughout the year.

This has forced the board to end hybrid meetings, which had previously allowed us to have experts from across the country testify and allow the public to testify virtually.

I asked the council allocate the 38,000 and the FY26 supplemental to allow SBOE to resume hybrid public meetings.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today, Mr.

Chairman.

I'm pleased to answer any questions you may have, and I'll be joining you later as a member of the board uh to support my colleagues.

Thank you very much.

Uh thank you, Mr.

Goulay.

It would help if we had a copy of your statement.

Yeah, thank you.

Mr.

Chairman, I'll submit both this and the DCPS testimony in writing uh after this hearing.

Uh great, because that'll help me with regard to the um audio issue that you have with the old council chambers.

Thank you, sir.

I'll do that.

Uh Tierra Stewart.

Thank you, Chairman Mendel Simon Name is Tierra Stewart, Chief Program Officer of DC Scores.

We serve 3,500 young people across 68 DC public and public charter schools through our soccer, poetry, and service learning programs provided at no cost to families and schools.

Thank you, Mayor Bowser, for the continued investment in OST in the budget, FY27.

Consistent multi-year funding grants are critical to ensuring that government investments and community-based organizations translate into consistent high-quality programming for district youth.

We also thank the Deputy Mayor for Education's Office for continuing to invest in what works protecting these resources allows organizations like DC scores to sustain scale and model that are not just programs but lifelines for our young people and families.

At DC scores, our impact begins with our coaches.

Over 300 DC teachers who we train as youth development practitioners.

These are not just after school time staff.

They are trusted adults, mentors, and consistent anchors in young people's lives, bridging the school day to out of school time.

Through intentional training, community building, and positive youth development, our coaches create environments where young people feel sane, safe, and valued.

This matters because young people don't just need activities, they need relationships.

And when young people know my coach believes in me, my team needs me.

This is a place where I belong.

They show up differently in school and in their community.

Our model is intentionally designed to bring young people together across lines that often divide our city.

We have seen firsthand what happens when young people from different neighborhoods, sometimes labeled as rivals or brought into shared spaces grounded in trust teamwork and healing centered practices.

What begins as hesitation transforms into connection.

Young people who once avoided each other begin to learn each other's names, support one another on and off the field, and build relationships rooted in respect and shared identity.

This is what community building looks like in practice.

And this is critical at a time when young people are experiencing increased isolation, disconnection, and exposure to violence.

As one of our guiding truths remind us the child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.

And we are building that village, and we know that 2 to 6 p.m.

is what is considered the most dangerous time for young people.

DC scores provide a safe structure and joyful alternative, but we know at the same time there are thousands of young people in the district who still do not have access to high quality out of school time programming.

We are ready, seeing increased demand driven by rise in child care costs.

Program closers across the sector and growing concerns around youth safety.

Families are actively seeking spaces like DC scores, and too often we cannot meet that need.

We cannot serve more youth without sustained investment.

When funding is disrupted, young people's sense of stability, belonging, and trust is also disrupted.

And in closing, we ask the council to recognize the impact of our work together and protect OST funding during this tough budget cycle.

Programs like DC scores make government dollars go further in order to provide high quality programming at no cost to our families.

DC scores raises more than four dollars for every one dollar received from government agencies.

And I just want to mention this last piece caregivers are also dependent on these programs to maintain employment and stability for their families in a moment where child care system is under strain.

OSC programs are essential part of the solution.

Thank you.

I was about to cut you off.

I'm glad you didn't.

Thank you.

Kelsey Coffin.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson and members of the committee of the whole.

My name is Chelsea Coffin.

I'm the deputy director of the DC Policy Center, an independent think tank focused on advancing policies for a growing, vibrant, and compelling District of Columbia.

I will focus today on two fiscal year 2027 investments related to the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education's Compact 2043, the advanced technical centers and the education through employment pathways or ETEP data system.

These are critical to ensuring students not only graduate but are set up to succeed in college and early and career early careers.

At the same time, it is important to preserve resources that effectively connect older learners to the workforce through, for example, adult and family education funding.

DC's outcomes underscore the need for stronger college and career pathways.

Only about 18 out of 100 ninth graders ultimately earn a post-secondary credential.

Young adults born and living in DC earn roughly 34,000 annually.

Less than half the 71,000 earned by peers who moved to the city later on.

Finding from findings from the Office of Education Through Employment Pathways reinforced this picture.

Among surveyed alumni, 65% of those with a bachelor's degree reported earning a living wage compared to 17% with only a high school diploma.

Just as important, these data point to what works.

Alumni who completed career education or apprenticeships, and those who had career-oriented experiences in high school report stronger earnings and better preparation.

The proposed FY27 investment of 0.2 million will allow ETEP to continue building a longitudinal data system linking education, workforce, and social services.

This infrastructure is essential for moving beyond tracking participation to understanding which career asset building opportunities lead to living wages and economic mobility.

The proposed $2.4 million in FY27 for the advanced technical centers, included as a programmatic weight in the funding formula, is a strong investment of investing in proven proven programs.

ATCs provide hands-on training in high demand high-wage fields while students earn college credit.

In 2024, 60% of graduates earn an industry credential, and 70% completed a full pathway or four college credits in their chosen field field of study.

ATC students also attend school more consistently than their peers, averaging 13 additional days per year.

Finally, adult learners must remain part of this strategy.

About 40,000 of DC adults lack a high school diploma, and roughly 22% read at or below a basic level.

Adult public charter schools play a critical role by combining academics with workforce training.

The proposed 2.5 million reduction to adult and family education grants to adult public charter schools and CBOs would limit access to these programs despite strong outcomes, including 39% of participants, securing employment, and even higher rates of combined employment or post-secondary enrollment in adult charter programs at 79%.

Investments in ETAP and ATC's strength in early career pathways, but maintaining support for adult learners is equally important to building an inclusive workforce.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I welcome any questions you may have.

Thank you, Ms.

Coffin.

Andrea Tobin, I believe, is online.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelssohn and members of the committee of whole.

I'm Andrea Tobin, Executive Director of Kid Power, a nonprofit rooted in community focused youth development for over 20 years.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

I'm here today to urge a firm commitment to sustaining OSD funding in FY27, including investments to account for inflation and ensuring that dollars are reoccurring so that CBOs can maintain stable, high quality program and youth have access to safe enriching opportunities year-round.

Last week a student shared.

What I learned today is when I'm on set or frustrated, I can count to a number.

This young person is learning how to regulate, reset, and return ready to learn.

With growing public concern about youth safety in our city, including conversations around youth curfews, OSC programs are showing us something important.

The power of our youth, the strength of CBOs that support them, and the need for sustainable long-term solutions.

At Kid Power, we create environments where youth build skills to manage emotions, navigate challenges, and see themselves as capable learners.

We know from decades of research, these SEL skills are directly linked to academic success, improving engagement, behavior, and achievement.

We see this clearly in our programs where last year 66% of students improved ELA scores, 75% reported feeling good about themselves and hopeful of their futures.

These outcomes reflect what happens when we invest consistently in our youth.

What we hear years later reinforces that impact.

Earlier this week, I spoke with Tasha, an alumni and young adult who graduated UDC and now serves a state affairs manager at APA.

When I asked whether she still had time to volunteer, she laughed and said yes, maybe too much.

In addition to volunteering, she serves on the board of a nonprofit.

She shared her time at Kid Power Taught her how to build relationships about communities.

What my colleague just shared at DC scores and how important this is in breaking down barriers.

So, yes, we consistently hear from working parents how critical these programs are in providing safe spaces and peace of mind.

But we also hear the tremendous value in supporting overall well-being and growth.

Unfortunately, I've seen firsthand the negative impact on families, schools, and providers when funding is not stable.

While we recognize fiscal constraints facing the district, we ask that reductions not fall on new seats or providers absorbing rising mounting operational costs.

Instead, we recommend identifying efficiencies to protect direct services, streamlining OST grant processes to reduce duplicative administrative work, and simplifying reporting requirements so providers can redirect staff time toward youth engagement.

I want to thank Mayor Bowser for continued investment in the FY27 budget for these stable OSD programs.

We're grateful for the DME and the Learn 24 office for their ongoing commitment to invest in strategies that are working.

Together we keep safe, youth safe, accelerate learning, build belonging, and help young people grow in confidence and leadership.

Thank you for your continued support for DC youth, and I welcome any questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Tobin.

Katrina Owens, I believe is not here.

Michael Rodriguez, who's online.

Yes, good morning, Mr.

Chairman.

My name is Mike Rodrigues, and this is the third time in three days I've testified about the chronic underfunding of San Caleta Special Education Public Charter School.

That alone should tell you something off the bat.

Let me start with one clarification from yesterday's hearing.

While council's funding in FY's 24 through 26 has been critical, it has never made us whole.

Not this year, not last year, nor the year before.

While we appreciate it deeply, it has covered roughly half of the gap each year, and we've had to make ongoing cuts to critical staffing and support services to make up those annual shortfalls.

It's a vicious cycle.

Partial funding, cuts, rebuilding, cuts again, and the impacts of compounded over the nine years that we have been systemically underfunded.

As I said yesterday, next year we will enroll 21 additional students who require full-time one-to-one support, adding 1.6 million dollars in new staffing costs alone.

Anything less than the 2.7 million we've requested for FY27 means we are cutting IEP mandated services like therapy, nursing, and vocational supports at a time when our communities' needs are increasing.

That is not a budget trade-off.

That is a legal failure.

Now to address the root cause once again of this annual hunger games exercise, the one that the DNE refuses to fix.

Let me say it again the current UPS FF funding model does not account for students with the most intensive needs.

The solution is to implement a new level five within the formula.

Both the problem and solution have been officially studied, confirmed, documented, testified about, and even publicly acknowledged by the DME as recently as February of this year in his performance oversight hearing.

And yet, the one fix that everyone agrees upon has still not been implemented.

Instead, the executive continues to rely on counsel to partially close the gap each year without fixing the system that creates it.

As I said in my testimony in that same February hearing, this is not sustainable.

The disruption that comes from not having structural funding is not just massive internal planning.

That's more than just financial costs.

It is the cumulative burden and impacts of having to repeatedly make the same case through testimony, outreach, and engagement on a critical issue that has already been studied and acknowledged.

Continuing this cycle would force us to consider separating from the public school system entirely.

We cannot continue to operate under a model that doesn't fund, let alone prioritize legally required services.

To do that, we would be, the city would be recreating the exact problem we arrived to solve 20 years ago.

We're not just asking for another temporary fix to restart the cycle.

We're asking the DME to implement the long-term durable solution that already exists.

Implement level five to align funding with reality.

We're done begging for crumbs off the table, and to channel the great American John Lewis, quote, we are here to get in good trouble, necessary trouble, end quote.

Because at this point, the issue is not what needs to be done, why it hasn't been done.

Please get it done.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Rodriguez.

Uh Leslie Lewis, who's online.

Leslie Lewis.

Hello.

Please proceed.

Yes, good afternoon, D.C.

Council Committee and Chief Mendelssohn.

My name is Leslie Lewis, and I'm today testifying proudly as a member of the OST coalition and the D.C.

Regional Manager of the P.

D.

Green program.

The P.D.

Green program has been active in Washington, D.C.

since the spring of 200 2015.

We recruit, train, and coordinate undergraduate and graduate student volunteers, as well as community members to serve as academic tutors for individuals incarcerated and formerly incarcerated in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

Additionally, we offer out-of-school time programming at the Youth Services Center, New Beginnings in Laurel, Maryland, and the DC jail.

I'm here today to urge you to continue investing in out-of-school time programming, particularly for one of the districts' most vulnerable and often overlooked populations, incarcerated youth.

Out-of-school time programs help students and young people thrive academically, socially, and personally.

They are smart, strategic, and necessary investment the district is making in this generation.

For incarcerated youth, OST programs are not extracurricular.

They are essential.

They provide structure, academic continuity, mentorship, and hope in the environments where opportunity is limited and inequities are deeply entrenched.

Unequal access to high quality educational and enrichment opportunities only amplifies existing racial, economic, and academic disparities among DC's incarcerated youth.

These young people fall further behind, making successful re-entry and long-term academic success far more difficult.

The PD Green program can serve this population because of funding from the LEARN24 grant.

We are currently the only LEARN24 grantee providing OST educational services to youth inside DC correctional facilities.

A reduction or elimination of this funding would be devastating and would significantly limit, if not eliminate, access to these critical services for carceral youth across the district.

At the same time, continued and increased investment would allow us to build on what is already working.

With sustained funding, we could expand outreach to additional qualified subcontractors, strengthen already successful OST programming, and provide more robust academic pathways, including GD support, college bridge programming, and re-entry focused educational resources.

OST funding is not just about programs, it is about opportunity, equity, and outcomes.

I urge the council to protect and prioritize OST funding so that incarcerated youth in DC are not left behind and are given a real chance to succeed during incarceration and upon re-entry into their communities.

Thank you for your time and continued commitment to DC's young people, and I will be available for questions if necessary.

Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Lewis.

Andrew Lee, who I believe is online.

Good morning.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify this morning.

I'm Andrew Lee, Executive Director of the Washington Conservatory of Music, a nationally accredited community music school that has served families in our region for more than 40 years.

Mr.

Chairman, I want to thank you for your leadership and supporting youth and families across the district to reach their full potential with a high quality education, particularly for local schools to have stable funding as DC faces significant budget uncertainty and challenges.

As we focus on investments the city is making in our youth and key programs, I want to speak to the critical importance of sustaining and expanding music education and out-of-school time programs focused on our young people.

After three years of flat funding, the council must preserve and increase OST grant funding to keep pace with the rising cost of doing business and inflation.

The DC OST coalition urges you to increase the grant program budget by 10%.

Anything less than adjusting for 3.2% for inflation means a loss in grant value as we begin a new OST grant cycle.

We know the impact that music education and arts have on our students.

It is not a nice to have, but essential for learning and the gateway to creativity and innovation.

We see this firsthand with our engagement with schools like Malcolm X Elementary and Hardy Middle School, where we support the band and course programs and provide professional teaching artists to help ensure that students have the resources and instruments they need to participate fully.

We are only able to do this because of community support.

This matters even more here in the district where nearly half of the children have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience, and one in four have experienced two or more.

We know the impact that community violence and trauma is having.

Music programs can provide a critical counterbalance, offering structure, consistency, and SEL expression that help mitigate trauma, build resilience, and re-engage students in their education.

DCPS schools currently are not required to partner with or subgrant the community-based organizations when deciding how to spend the UPSF formula dollars that are earmarked for OST programming.

DCPS should use its $8.1 million in these funds to partner with community-based OST program providers, instituting a partnership requirement and a minimum percentage of DCPS OST funding to be dedicated to CBOs would provide transparency and after-school programming and help deliver high-quality programs for age groups where there is great demand.

Parents know the clear difference in quality between OST programs and programs operated by DCPS staff.

Many report that DCPS run after-school programs often fall short of engagement, enrichment, supervision, and support for students, while CBO organization programs more consistently provide high-quality, well-staffed and meaningful experiences for our young people.

Parents depend on these programs to remain connected to work.

Funding instability for OST providers can lead to sudden loss of services, leaving many families scrambling to provide out-of-school time programming for their students.

Expanded OST funding supports working families.

It strengthens our local economy and reduces crime.

We know that DC parents often are forced to spend between seven and ten thousand dollars on after-school activities and care.

The DC Policy Center reports that one, three and five children between pre-kindergarten and eighth grade do not have access to any after-school program.

Music education is one of the most affordable, scalable, and effective investments we can make in the well-being of our youth.

DC has such a legacy of artists from Chuck Brown to Wale.

Where's the next generation of artists?

What opportunities are we providing our young students?

You're over your time.

Okay.

Thank you for your commitment, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you.

I believe you sent your statement.

We were having some difficulty printing it, but we will have the full statement.

Thank you.

Gabriela Silva.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson and committee staff.

My name is Gabriela Silva, and I'm the senior program manager at PAVE.

Last year, PAVE parent leaders voted to prioritize academics above all else.

Their past work on equitable school funding, school-based mental health, safe passage, and specialized school programs has always been about one goal.

Ensuring kids can show up as their full selves and have what they need to learn.

Thanks in large part to sustained parent advocacy, DC has seen tremendous gains, including the nation's fastest academic recovery and top rankings in a recent national survey of parents' perspectives on education.

But we know we have a long way to go to make sure all of our students can achieve at grade level and are prepared to the thrive post-graduation.

Today you'll hear from PAV Parent Leaders about a critical investment that we need to see maintained in the FY27 budget, high impact tutoring.

As I shared yesterday, the pay and as pay of parent leaders have elevated throughout this school year, their research shows that HIT is one of the most effective ways to improve student achievement.

HIT programs in DC have shown to increase the number of instructional days students receive has positively impacted academic growth and has been shown to improve attendance.

Given that chronic absenteeism rates in DC are now stuck around 40%, it's critical that we maintain our investments in programs like HIT that are working to get students to come to school.

As we think about how to improve academic achievement and student outcomes in the district, we must consider all of the aspects that play a role.

The DEME and the mayor have made it very clear that their top priority in the FY27 budget is funding schools and students.

Pave parent leaders are thankful for the ways the DME and the mayor prioritize students and schools throughout the budget from investing $3 million in HIT to an increase in the UPSFF.

However, funding schools involves more than investing in core components.

It involves investing in all the other things that make sure students can focus on their learning.

Today I'm here to talk to you about one of the main concerns PAV parent leaders had when reviewing the FY27 budget that will impact a student's ability to deeply and meaningfully engage with academics because they won't be in a school environment where they feel safe and loved.

And that concern is the future of the school-based mental health program.

PAVE Parent Leaders' primary concern with the FY27 budget is the drastic cuts to the SBMH program.

The FY27 budget proposes nearly a 25% cut.

And this comes at the same time as DBH's comprehensive plan proposes phasing out CBOs and bringing all clinicians in-house at DBH.

The timeline for this change would lead clinicians to not being in schools for the majority of the first semester of school.

Mental health and well-being touch all aspects of a student's life, both in and outside of the classroom.

Academic achievement and mental health are interrelated and interdependent.

One cannot succeed without the other.

You cannot boost student achievement without taking care of student wellness.

Without restoring the funding to SBMH and addressing the concerns parents and partners have raised about the new comprehensive plan, students and schools will feel the negative results of not being able to meet their students' needs.

I've attached a copy of my testimony from the DBH budget hearing to my written testimony submitted online, where you can take a closer look at pay parent leaders' concerns about the successful implementation of school-based mental health.

Councilmember Henderson made it clear earlier that week, in earlier this week in that hearing, that this is more than a health cluster issue, but an issue that must be raised across committees.

To support students and families, we must invest in programs that support both academic outcomes and mental well-being.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

I look forward to answering any questions you may have.

Thank you, Ms.

Sola.

Scott Goldstein, who's good morning.

First, we appreciate that this budget does prioritize local school budgets, which are largely stable for the next fiscal year, and investments in things like the Advanced Technical Center.

This budget, however, has a glaring gap when it comes to special education, where level five funding for schools like St.

Coletta and River Terrace is not optional but essential.

These schools are working with some of the highest need students in our city, doing incredible work and deserve the funding that matches the hours, services, materials, and were required to do it well.

This budget also fails to adequately fund adult education, still underfunding the adequacy studies recommendation amount and hurting schools that are most under threat right now as they educate adult students, many of whom are immigrants and support their families.

Our principal asked for the DME is funding from the council to add $700,000 to the budget for the creation of a post-secondary success hub.

I know there's a lot of concern in this council about our young people having positive productive pathways.

Far too often we hear from our young people that there seem to be a lot of programs and options in DC, but no place to go learn about them all.

We're asking the DME to use the model that they have with the new most portal and their good ongoing work on post-secondary options to create an online post-secondary success hub, centralizing all city services and known options for DC's young people in a well-designed and well-marketed tool.

This should be contracted websites service to make the site attractive, gamified, and well-marketed to DC youth.

We do appreciate the budget holds funding for OST study from last fiscal year, but also know that only one in two students in DC still have access to DC OST seats and less in Ward 7 and 8.

This committee needs to increase funding and to bring Council Member Fruman's bill for universal OST to a markup and vote.

The deputy mayor for education's recently released dual language feasibility study examining options for long-promised expansion of dual language programs east of the river was truly an abdication of leadership.

While the report claims it does not formally endorse one option over others, it casts severe doubt on an option favored by the community to open a new program at Winston while prioritizing a charter school or more limited option.

Well, I do not have the time to go into greater depth today.

When it comes to the State Board of Education, first, please support their budget request to allow for hybrid meetings.

Second, the reality is that whether we're in agreement about potential changes to the SPOE's authority or not, knowing that these changes are likely, either through this council this year or through a new executive next year, the responsible thing to do in this budget would be to make investments to start preparing the state board as an agency to bolster its staffing, research, and other critical functions.

Indeed funding some of the most critical and impactful investments that spur student learning from early childhood pay equity to community schools, educator retention, and experiential learning.

The DME has undermined the health of our education system.

We know the council will work hard to correct these misguided choices.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Goldstein.

Have you sent us your statement?

I did.

I submitted it last night, but I can email it again.

Yeah, we don't.

I I think we don't have it, so we'll submit it.

Because that will be helpful.

We have a lot of witnesses, so I don't have a lot of um questions.

I have a couple of notes.

Mr.

Goulet, again, I do want to look into this issue of making the state board pay for upgrades or fixing the um hold council chambers.

Um, because that shouldn't fall on the board.

So giving us your statement will help me to understand the problem.

Um Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

I I just submitted it uh to you uh about two or three seconds ago, so you should have it.

Okay.

And Ms.

Tobin, who's online, um, you had you had a sentence in your testimony about uh there could be efficiencies in out-of-school time program, but you didn't suggest what they could be.

Sure, and we've we've had wonderful conversations with Dr.

Lowe and the DME and know that they're receptive to looking into some of these um strategies to reduce time and effort spent on just the grant process as a whole and streamlining some of the redundancies as well as reducing some of the reporting requirements because program staff spent a lot of time on administrative work.

Um, and I will say I'm happy to follow up with the DME and uh Dr.

Low have both been receptive.

Could you share some of those thoughts with our staff?

Sure.

Um, so for right now, there are two, well, there are several grant processes, and we're really grateful that the Learn24 has put forth the RFP for FY27 already.

Um, but there's many, many different types of grants we can apply for.

Um, a traditional year-round OST grant as well as the select priority schools in the most competition.

And so the idea to combine these so that the priory schools listed in the most network are just given more priority points in the regular OST, which would allow that pot of funding to be accessed for uh providers to make sure that they can like just apply for one grant and all that pot of money would be there.

And so that's one thing that we've talked about as well as just looking at like the really complicated technical system that um uh office uses in making sure that we're reporting and being accountable.

Um, but ways to just like slightly reduce some of those requirements, specifically around the regular reporting of attendance, how we can you know not report that on a regular basis, but not as complicated and sometimes cumbersome as the current system is.

Uh, thank you for sharing that.

But I was suggesting you talk reach out to after the hearing, our staff.

Um, I think you're seeing John Verlin and talk with them in more detail.

Absolutely.

Looking forward to talking to Bijan has been very wonderful and welcoming.

So I will reach out as soon as possible.

Sure.

And Mr.

Rodriguez, um we're gonna do what we can.

I think I said this yesterday when you testified to help with St.

Coletta's, but I just want to say for the record that it would be easier for us to help St.

Coletta than to fund the level five, because funding the level five would cost much, much more in a budget environment where we're gonna have to hunt to find the money just to give you what you suggested yesterday.

Under certain appreciated, thank you.

But I I do think your advocacy for funding level five is important because that would be the long-term uh solution.

So thank you.

I have no other questions for any of you.

Thank you all very much.

Caroline Pryor, who's director of policy and power building at Empower Ed.

Laura Fuchs, who's president of the Washington Teachers Union.

Tammy Lewis was senior director of government affairs at the DC Charter School Alliance.

Nejury Jenkins, who's out of school time advocacy manager at DC Action for Children.

Danielle Robinette, who's senior policy attorney at the Children's Law Center.

So I'm skipping a couple people who are here in person.

Uh David Trigot, I'll come back to them though.

Uh David Trugo is director of Washington Urban Debate, I believe is online.

Audrey Walker, Director of Youth Services at Jubilee Housing, I believe is online.

Asha Anthony, I believe is online.

Jessica Childs, executive director of Center for Strong Public Schools Action Fund is online, and Alessandra Pina, Impact Director at the Literacy Lab is online.

So, Ms.

Pryor, you're up first.

Good morning, Chairman and staff.

My name is Caroline Pryor.

I'm going to be speaking very quickly.

This year EmpowerEd has deepened our asks around state board authority, as you know, in line with community support.

Should these enhancements for very basic powers require budget enhancements, we would support those increases.

But in the meantime, the state board and OSA have stewarded their resources well, including through the state board's impressive student advisory committee work and OSA's dedication to centering the voices in conversations around school safety through family engagement, student listening sessions, and now documentary work.

This is especially important in this environment that we're listening to students about safety.

I'll turn now to the DME.

We continue to support the office's work, building a teacher career lattice and hope that work becomes a fiscal priority.

We're in vociferous support of continued funding for out-of-school time, which pays dividends and student engagement, sense of belonging, and safety.

And we're grateful that this office avoided deep cuts, but as members of the Fair Budget Coalition and supporters of the OSD coalition, we're pushing for a 10% increase to the office's grant making authority rather than the 5% funding decrease to the office and the mayor's budget.

We're grateful for the UPSFF increase to meet student needs, especially given the deep cuts to social safety net and increased needs that students will bring to schools.

And as my colleague spoke on, we continue to push for a level five special education weight.

This is especially urgent while DCPS and therefore DC is under the federal microscope for its failure of students with uh disabilities.

And we also push for an adult add-on.

And finally, the council plan to head off proposed defunding of the UPSFF in fiscal year 28.

This year Empowered teachers have also placed our weight behind a student ask, the post-secondary success hub.

Ask is to provide the DME 700,000 to build an accessible, well-marketed website that centralizes all post-secondary resources the district currently provides and fills gaps between LEAs, be they scholarship, information, vocational training pathways, test prep, and more, plus two FTEs to provide students support and technical assistance.

Our students tell us that post-secondary decisions are fraught, that accessibility of resources across the city is varied, and that currently those with the most privilege and the most time are better prepared to pursue life goals after high school.

This is unacceptable.

Again and again, we've urged the city to be bolder in its assurances that we will protect our schools, educators and students from federal attacks on education.

It's not hyperbole just this week, Congress debated siphoning millions of dollars from DCPS to redirect into vouchers.

We know by now that keeping our head down will not pass by the federal administration, but we urgently need the deputy mayor to coordinate resources with other offices and fill very real gaps our students and young people are facing.

We also have seen the federal administration criminalize DC's young people and seek records on sensitive student information, most notably immigration status.

In this context, even if for attendance purposes, it seems wise to question the BSA subtitle 4.I, allowing the DME in Aussie to peruse the students' juvenile case records and social records.

We've seen LEAs and law enforcement collaborate in shadowy ways, but we must maintain a firewall.

It goes without saying that this year's budget is especially dire.

True of both our local and federal proposals.

The programmatic needs and asks I've outlined above may seem minute, but I ask us to consider them in the context of deep cuts when the ecosystem, our students' educators, and families move through, is one of cruel lack.

And when they need assurances that local leaders will shield them from federal harm.

What we're asking for instead is for council to fund futures.

Neither we nor our budget have the luxury of ignoring our reality.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ms.

Prior.

Laura Fuchs, I believe, is not here.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson.

My name is Tammy Lewis.

I'm a 30-year resident of Ward 5 and Senior Director of Government Affairs for the DC Charter School Alliance.

DC's education progress over the past three decades is real and measurable.

Three times more students read proficiently, and six times more are on grade level in math.

Public charter schools have been central to that progress, an essential part of a public education ecosystem that values parent choice, uplifts teachers, and fosters excellence.

While the mayor's proposed FY27 budget provides a 2.55% UPSFF increase, it also dramatically escalates a pattern of denying public charter school students equitable resources.

The mayor's proposed budget directs nearly 100 million dollars less to charter schools, approximately $2,000 less per student.

This is unacceptable and is the direct result of routing funding around the formula through budget maneuvers that exclude charter students.

The UPSFF was designed to guarantee that local funding reaches all students, regardless of which public school they attend.

When we route funds around it, we undermine that guarantee.

Fairness is what DC students deserve.

You have a copy of my full testimony, but I'll highlight only a few additional points.

As you've heard already this morning, we urge this council to address the chronic underfunding of schools serving students with the district's most complex learning needs.

St.

Coletta's and River Terrace Education Campus and DCBS are the only two public schools receiving special ed school, the special ed school foundation weight.

And that weight currently sits at just 1.17, lower than the alternative school weight of 1.58, and even lower than the base weight for a general high school student at 1.22.

The UPSFF working group, which I was a part of, has recommended a new level 5 special education weight, which we strongly support.

But at minimum, you must raise the special ed school weight to 1.9 this cycle.

We value the DME's statutory role to coordinate and oversee collaborative efforts among DC agencies, and that is needed now more than ever as our schools experience major disruptions in the school nursing program and the school-based mental health program.

We appreciate the sustained investment in career and technical education pathways, including the education to employment through employment data system, and we strongly support creating a dedicated funding mechanism for the ATC within the UBSFF.

This approach would create a more sustainable and equitable structure that rewards cross-sector collaboration.

We also appreciate our expanded engagement with the State Board of Education this year, including important conversations about special education and curriculum and ongoing discussions of proposed changed changes to high school graduation requirements.

We do note, however, that each of the SBOE initiatives that are advanced, graduation requirement changes, early warning systems, AI guidance, support for early career educators, carry real implementation costs for schools, with approximately 2,000 less per student under the current budget proposal.

Charter schools will struggle to implement these initiatives.

Finally, we deeply value ongoing partnerships with UDC and especially want to applaud the paraprofessional pipeline programs they run in conjunction with Aussie.

These programs are highly successful and deserve continued investments.

I'm going to have to cut you off.

Your almost a minute and a half over.

I have your statement.

Thank you, Ms.

Lewis.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson and committee of the whole.

My name is Anjeri Jenkins, and I am the OSC advocacy manager at DC Action.

I support the OSC coalition, which represents over a hundred community-based programs delivering high quality youth development and enrichment to thousands of young people across the district.

First, we want to thank you for the opportunity.

I want to thank you for the opportunity to testify today and thank the mayor for preserving FY27 funding for OSC programs in her proposed budget.

While we appreciate that funding has been maintained at FY26 levels, it does not account for inflation.

After three years without increases, programs are being asked to do more with less at a time when youth and families rely on the most.

In addition, proposed out year cuts create certain create uncertainty that threatens program stability and limits providers' ability to plan hire and serve youth consistently.

OSC is not just an education investment, it's a public safety strategy.

High quality programs provide safe structured environments during critical after-school hours while supporting positive youth development.

These programs help young people build skills, confidence, and connections that contribute to long-term success.

Across the district, OSC programs are delivering trans and transformative experiences from hands-on STEM learning and creative arts to literacy and youth development programming that strengthens both academic outcomes and social emotional growth.

These programs are essential supports that keep young people engaged, safe, and thriving.

As many as 1,892 additional youth could gain access to safe enriching opportunities next year.

But meeting these need meeting this need requires stable recurring and growing investment.

Equally important, LERN24 must be able to preserve and maintain strong staffing capacity for grant making program oversight and quality support.

These functions are essential to ensuring funds are distributed effectively, programs remain high quality, and providers can continue delivering meaningful, delivering meaningful.

I'm sorry, one second.

Delivering meaningful uh programming.

Um DCPS announced earlier in the year, it plans to expand after-school funds and opportunities, and we are also encouraging stronger partnership with community-based organizations, requiring DCPS to dedicate a portion of the 8.1 million from the UPSFF funding to experience providers who would increase transparency, strengthen program quality, and expand access to high quality programming for those in greatest need.

As you consider the FY27 budget, we respectfully urge you to sustain OST funding across the financial plan, adjust funding to reflect inflation, support partnerships with community-based providers, and invest in staffing and infrastructure needed to maintain and grow OSC opportunities across the district.

Thank you again for your commitment to young people and families in the district.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Jenkins.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson and staff.

My name is Danielle Robinette, and I'm a senior policy attorney with Children's Law Center.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony regarding the mayor's proposed FY27 budget for the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education.

Among other priorities, the DME provides crucial leadership of the Everyday Counts Task Force and the Students in the Care of DC Coordinating Committee.

We are hopeful that the largely level funding proposed for DME will allow them to maintain momentum on improving student attendance and supporting students in the care of DC.

Recognizing the limitations of the current budget climate, we recommend that the committee focus on oversight that examines whether existing programs are being implemented with fidelity to ensure that DC students are getting the most out of the dollars that the city invests in education.

Within the DME, the EDC task force and the SEDC coordinating committee provide opportunities to examine what programs the district currently offers and whether they are meeting the needs of DC students.

Given the broad array of reasons why students miss school, there will be no one size fits all program or intervention that will solve chronic absenteeism.

A comprehensive response to absenteism will require improved cross-agency coordination and collaboration.

Through the relaunch of the Everyday Counts Task Force, the Office of the Deputy Mayor has worked to break down the silos that exists between the various sectors of DC government.

We urge the committee to ensure that the FY27 budget allows DME to continue this important work.

Regarding the SCDC coordinating committee, we are happy to report that the coordinating committee has been making steady progress over the past year.

The working groups are meeting regularly and developing proposals to address barriers faced by DC students.

The committee recently voted to approve their first report and recommendations.

We hope that that report will be publicly available soon.

The mayor's proposed FY27 budget makes a small reduction, $22,000 to the funding for SCDC, but the FDE count remains level.

We ask that the committee use today's hearing to clarify the impact of this cut.

After years of delay, we are encouraged by the recent progress of the coordinating committee, and as such, we urge the council to ensure that the proposed SCDC funding level is preserved and that DME sustains the long-awaited momentum on work supporting students furthest from opportunity.

In the coming years, the education sector is going to have to do more with less.

There is no easy way to do this.

However, we urge the committee to remember that investments in education are investments in DC's future.

Proposals to create new jobs for DC residents must be accompanied by education investments that prepare DC students to fill those roles.

We must ensure that DC students are thoroughly prepared for the future that the district is trying to build for them.

Thank you for this opportunity to testify.

I welcome any questions.

SCDC is under DME.

God, that's a lot of uh letters.

But yes.

Okay.

Thank you.

Uh David Trugo, who's online.

Good morning, uh, Council.

My name is David Trigo.

I'm a board four resident and director of the Washington Urban Debate League, which supports an ecosystem of programming serving more than a thousand young people, grades four through high school.

Uh this includes summer programming, programming in the classroom, programming for justice-involved youth over at YSC, and a travel program, which allows local students to compete at national competitions across the country, which I might add we are increasingly winning.

The average debater does more than 200 hours of rigorous intellectually challenging and community-building activity.

Recent research shows that participation in debate is equal to a year and a half of taking an ELA class on student literacy and academic development.

This research shows the participation in debate is comparable to the impact of high impact tutoring at one-third the cost, and also has the ad benefit of students actually wanting to do it.

Our mission is to make sure that these highly impactful programs are available to everyone, especially those attending Title I schools, which is about 80% of our student our school partners.

So we provide all these programs free to all public school students.

As many of my colleagues have mentioned, the impact of OST programming goes far beyond just academic and social emotional development for students.

I will highlight that students are not often excited to go to school because of math or their basic English classes, but by the opportunities that they choose for themselves through OST programming.

As the council invests in youth curfews, we must also give teenagers alternative programming to occupy their time and capture their imaginations.

I appreciate the opportunity to testify before the council today, both in my role as a nonprofit executive and as a member of the DC out of school time coalition, which represents more than 60 organizations providing out-of-school programming across the district.

We appreciate the leadership of the council and the DME for their support and commitment to OST programming through the budget, but we do have a few asks based on what we have what has been released.

First, we've seen notable inflation over the last several years, but OST funding has stayed flat.

This is functionally a budget cut.

And as a result, we ask for OST funding to keep pace with the rising cost of doing business by increasing the fund by at least 10%.

Second, DCPS's budget includes an $8 million enhancement for on-site after school programs.

These schools should be required to subgrant to community partners, just as we require some of the DME's funding to go directly to LEAs.

This helps ensure that public dollars reach experienced providers who are best positioned to deliver high quality programs.

When you've walked the school halls of more than 100 schools as much as I have, you can see the difference that the specialized expertise can make.

I understand this is a tough budget year, and appreciate your consideration to our testimony.

Thank you, Mr.

Chigo.

Audrey Walker, who's online.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelssohn and the members of the committee.

My name is Audrey Walker, and I service the Director of Youth Services at Jubilee Housing.

I am a member of the DC out of school time coalition, representing more than 60 organizations providing quality OST programs across the district.

I appreciate the opportunity to testify today on the fiscal year 2027 budget as it relates to the deputy mayor for education and the impact on out-of-school time programming.

I have had the privilege of serving with Jubilee for over 12 years, and in that time I have seen firsthand what consistent investment in young people can make possible for families and communities across the district.

We appreciate the decision in this budget to hold out-of-school time programming harmless.

That choice reflects a clear understanding of how critical these programs are for students and families.

We also want to thank the Deputy Mayor of Education's office for their continued commitment to investing in what works.

By protecting grant funding and lifting up the community-based OST programs, delivering strong results, we can stay focused on sustaining and scaling the supports that have the greatest impacts.

At the same time, we must not only sustain funding for OST, we need to grow it.

This is a tight budget year, but the current system is already under strain, giving the level of demand across the district.

Targeted investments to expand capacities in ward one and close gaps in ward seven and eight are critical.

There are also specific areas where expanded access is needed, including trauma-informed youth mental health services, more integrated data systems, and stronger cross-agency coordination so providers can meet reporting requirements officially and spend their time delivering services, not navigating duplicative systems.

I want to briefly share the story of a young Jubilee resident and the impact of our youth services has had on his life.

He attends a neighborhood school and aspires to become an entrepreneur.

His family has faced significant challenges, but today they are in a more stable place.

That stability has allowed him to focus, and now he is maintaining honors in school.

He looks forward to the Jubilee Housing Summer Camp program each year and continues to stay engaged during the school year through the after-school programming.

For his parents, these programs provide peace of mind knowing their children are in a safe, welcoming, and supportive environment.

To continue uplifting families and providing these services, we need sustained and increased investments.

As a housing provider, we see every day that stability in the home must be matched with the opportunity outside of it.

As DC families grow and more people, more young people seek pathways to succeed in and out of the classroom, we have to be ready to meet that demand, invest in their future, and allow them to become the best versions of themselves.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify, and I welcome any questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Walker.

Hi, good morning, everyone.

My name is Asha Anthony.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify.

I am a second-year law student at the UDC David A.

Clark School of Law and a proud Howard University alumna.

As a soon-to-be double HBCU graduate, I ask you and this council to restore funding to the University of the District of Columbia to fiscal year 2026 levels.

Thurgood Marshall, Ida B.

Wells, Kamala Harris, Councilmember Wendell Felder, Councilmember Denise Lewis George, and myself share one defining trait.

We were educated at historically black colleges and universities.

Although HBCUs make up less than 3% of U.S.

colleges and universities, they produce 10% of black doctorate degrees, 13% of bachelor degrees, and 23% of STEM degrees.

Yet they remain drastically underfunded compared to predominantly white institutions or PWIs.

HBCUs receive fewer private donations, have smaller endowments, and public HBCUs like UDC have about half the assets per student as public PWIs, making public funding essential.

UDC is not only one of two HBCUs in the city.

It is the district's only public university designed to serve residents historically excluded from higher education.

It is where access meets opportunity.

Reduced funding means fewer courses, fewer faculty, fewer facilities, and limited services and fewer graduates.

UDC law, where I attend, has one of the nation's top clinical programs, providing hands-on training and pro bono services to district residents.

Black lawyers make up only about 5% of attorneys nationwide.

As one of six HBC law schools, UDC law is critical to closing that gap.

Cuts to UDC don't just affect a university.

They constrict a pipeline that diversifies the legal profession and advances justice.

Investing in HBCUs boosts earnings for low-income graduates and strengthens the workforce.

The question is not whether the district can afford to invest in UDC, but whether it can afford not to.

Every dollar cut is taken away from a future lawyer, nurse, teacher, or engineer, and from this city's future.

Washington, DC can be a leader in equity, but cannot claim to do so while disinvesting in its only public university.

I urge you to restore UDC's funding to fiscal year 2026 levels.

Thank you.

Excuse me.

Greetings, Chairman Mendelssohn, members and staff of the DC Council's Committee of the Whole.

My name is Jessica Giles.

I'm a Ward 7 resident and the executive director of the Washington, D.C.

Office of the Center for Strong Public Schools Action Fund.

Thank you for holding this budget oversight hearing on several different agencies.

My testimony will focus exclusively on the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education.

The DME is charged with overseeing a district-wide education strategy, managing interagency and cross-sector coordination, and providing oversight and our support for various education-related agencies.

As such, chief of these responsibilities must be to ensure equitable funding for both sectors.

A recent poll by our nonpartisan nonprofit affiliate Center for Strong Public Schools found that the majority of DC Democratic voters support equal funding between the sectors.

As I've mentioned, while the mayor proposed 2.55% increase the foundation level to even for per student funding formula, and this is appreciated during a lean year, it is undermined by the transfer of 96 million 96 million dollars outside of the formula.

By funding DCPS specific operating costs outside of the formula, the mayor denies charter schools access to comparable funding for similar services.

She then compounds that inequity by flat funding the charter facilities allowance while raising DCPS's capital funding.

If passed, DCPS would receive roughly 2,000 more per student and operating funds than public charter schools.

When factoring in facilities funding and capital investments, the total funding gap rose to nearly $9,675 per student.

We are urging the community of the whole to ensure all funds flow through the formula so that both sectors have the funds necessary to educate their students.

In addition, we recommend that the committee of the whole makes transparent to DC taxpayers in every budget how much funding is actually flowing through the fund for through the formula and how much funding is not.

Additionally, we're urging the committee of the whole to maintain proposed funding for the Advanced Technical Center and the Education Through Employment Data System to launch new public dash, public-facing dashboards.

These critical investments expand real career pathways and ensure we can track whether students are actually getting into college and careers and which ones.

Thank you for allowing me to testify.

We look forward to working with you to ensure all students attend strong public schools.

I will submit my testimony.

Thank you.

I was about to ask.

Alessandra Pinha, who's online.

Good morning, Chairman, Council members and staff.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Alessandra Pinna, and I'm here representing the Literacy Lab as DC Impact Director.

Today I want to highlight a workforce issue hiding in plain site.

And one the district as a real opportunity to address.

Across DC public schools and public charter schools, nearly 3,000 paraprofessionals play a critical role in classrooms, especially in early literacy and special education.

They provide small group instruction, individualized support, and help keep classrooms stable.

Yet the system does not always treat them accordingly.

Training is inconsistent, para professional, sorry, professional development is limited.

Career pathways are unclear.

And these roles are often treated as temporary rather than as meaningful entry points into the teaching profession.

The result is hike turnover, which disrupts instruction, increases cost, and contributes to teacher burnout.

This is not just a workforce problem, it's a classroom stability problem.

It is also a missed opportunity.

As the district works to build a grown your own teacher pipeline, we already have thousands of individuals gaining classroom experience and building relationships with students.

But we are not investing in them as future teachers.

The literacy lab has developed a proven classroom-based model built on strong initial training, ongoing coaching, and a clear professional identity.

When educators are supported this way, they stay and students benefit.

With targeted investment, this model could be adapted to create a structured professional pipeline that improves retention, strengthens classrooms, and creates a real pathway into teacher certification for DC residents.

Done well, this is both an education investment and a workforce development strategy.

Creating accessible, dignified careers while meeting urgent school needs.

At the time of tight budgets, this is also a smart use of resources.

Reducing turnover lowers costs and improves instructional continuity without building new system from scratch.

We urge the council to consider how the fiscal year 27 budget can support a more professionalized higher retention professional workforce.

The literacy lab stands ready to partner with the district to make this a reality.

Thank you, and I welcome your questions.

Do I have questions?

I just have questions for a couple of people.

Mr.

Tugot, uh, it would help to have a copy of your statement.

Are you still here?

It has been submitted uh while uh Ms.

Walker was speaking.

Okay, great.

We'll look for it.

Um I recall that when you testified at the performance oversight hearing that uh I asked, I think it was the chancellor if he would meet with you or somebody from his office given your issue with access to space.

Did that ever happen?

I did not hear from anybody on the subject.

Am I right in my memory though that uh there was to be I asked if there would be a meeting with you?

I I did testify on the subject of space use.

Um I have talked to Abby Cohen and the partnerships office, but I haven't heard from anyone else on the subject.

So if you had initiated something, I I'm quite appreciative, but it didn't trickle down to me yet.

The issue is that you have difficulty accessing school space, and that sometimes you find out at the last minute you can't use the space.

Your memory is very good.

Uh yes, that that is the challenge, and um it is ongoing.

We've got some good feedback from uh the partnership's office, but it does remain a challenge.

We're not looking forward to next school year.

Uh partnership is an office within DCPS.

Yes.

And a more usually our main point of contact for a lot of uh nonprofits.

That's the partnership office at uh DCPS.

Yes.

On a more personal note, you never invited me back to judge.

Uh did I fail, or you're gonna call me next year?

Uh I believe I did send uh your staff a note, but I will make sure it gets to you personally.

Okay, and I tried to recruit recruit some other folks on the staff, so adding a note.

Um we have two elementary tournaments coming up in a few weeks.

We'd love to have you.

All right, we'll see.

Of course, budget time is difficult, but reach out.

Um Ms.

Pryor, you weren't the only one to bring up uh out of school time, but uh I highlighted your testimony.

You uh want to see an increase in the office's grant making authority.

Is that the same as you want them to have more money to give more grants?

Yes, sir.

And this is part of the fair budget coalition ask that was submitted by DC's out of school time coalition.

Okay, you do understand you're so we're all lucky that uh out of school time was we are very lucky that it was funded, and I think you've heard from many people today that that flat funding is an effective cut because we are not keeping up with um inflation, and I would argue as well that when we're looking at the panoply of solutions for young people to be safe after school, uh which I know is something that you are interested in, that expanding out of school time and not just flat funding it is really a huge priority for us as a city.

Well, I get the value there.

Now, out-of-school time funding is significantly higher in FY26 than it was several years ago.

I think it was like 17 million, it's now closer to 25 million.

Does that sound about right?

Sounds about right, and we still have only about one inches.

Uh if we look at the financial plan, you'll see that it's cut by about 10 million.

Um that's kind of what we're looking at is a program that may have flat funding for 27, but the financial plan, which is the four-year budget, shows that it's cut.

Um, which I don't think is where we want to go.

So we've got significant challenges here.

Were there any other changes that you were advocating for with regard to out-of-school time?

With regard to out-of-school time, we follow our coalition partners.

All right.

Uh I don't have any other questions for any of you.

Thank you.

Those are especially those of you in person, but everyone.

Um Alexandra Cimbana.

Evelyn Joe.

I don't see.

Robin Lingo in person.

Uh Anj Perko.

She's online.

Zendi James.

Uh I don't see them.

I can't tell if this is Michael Lake or Michael Lake.

Michael Lake.

I don't see them.

Toy Witcher.

Ashley Bryant.

Alex uh Prepitett.

I don't see them.

Celia Tuttridge.

Elizabeth Weiss.

Devon Montgomery.

Online.

Catrice Turner.

Online.

Lashima Burnett.

Stephanie Griffith Richardson.

Tara Brown.

Ty Andrews.

Online.

Tyrell Holcomb.

Do not see it.

Crystal Greer.

Okay, I'll call some of these names or call all the names again, but after we move beyond this panel, I probably will not go back to them if they come late.

Ms.

Cimbana, you are next.

Thank you for waiting.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Mr.

Chairman and Council staff.

I come to you today to plead for assistance for one of our largest language-based learning middle and high schools in DC, DC International.

I am attaching several written documents along with my testimony, which will clearly demonstrate a school in dire need of assistance.

The students and teachers need help.

The school community is being ignored by executive leadership and the board of trustees.

Long festering issues have been unaddressed, leaving teachers and staff in a precarious situation as a place of employment and leaving students with deep sense of uncertainty about their future education.

As an advocate for students in schools, I cannot in good conscience remain silent about the situation.

More than 125 faculty and staff have been fired, resigned, or left for other jobs since 2023.

Teachers frequently leave in the middle of the year and replaced by long-term subs, often without the right expertise.

So many staff have departed that the specialized education student support department is understaffed and unable to meet the students' needs, in particular students with IEPs and 504s.

Most recently, the board announced an investigation.

However, this gesture is performative as the regular in-house counsel on the DCI payrolls handling the investigation without transparency on their scope of work, a timeline, or placing Mr.

Roscom on administrative leave while the investigation is underway.

Teachers and school level staff have tried in good faith to work with leadership for nearly four years.

Finally, the spring, the dysfunction was too extreme for leadership to hide.

I witnessed this firsthand at a March 19th DCI board meeting.

Parents, students, and teachers who spoke up about these growing concerns were silenced, our concerns dismissed.

The lack of acknowledgement from the board on the outcry for help at the March 19th meeting clarified that the internal structure of DCI that should provide oversight for this LEA has not met its duty of governance for the school community.

Seeing the level of indifference at that meeting was truly unparalleled to anything I've seen short of the tactics from this current White House administration.

The staff of DCI feel that talking to their leadership is like shouting into a void.

Those who have hung on through the executive director's destructive tenure have been unseen, unheard for far too long, as have I.

Before today's committee hearing as a parent of a DCI student, I have sought help directly from DCI's executive director, community liaison, past middle school principals, the board of trustees attending meetings and speaking to voice my concerns, the public charter school board, the SBOE last night, and now this body.

I'm here today because none of those entities have taken action to support DCI staff and students.

As caregivers, we have to have confidence in the chosen LEA schools we select to entrust our children to every day.

When one's confidence is shaken out of school or small LEA due to union busing practices, significant teacher departures, or reports of unethical, if not illegal managerial decision making, then word spreads quickly.

DC is a small town.

Confidence in our whole education system relies on trust.

I know the council does not directly oversee the public charter school board, the lottery system, DCPS, or any LEA in DC, but it is the responsibility of our whole government and all entities to ensure a stable, robust, and predictable education system for all DC students.

As executive director, Mr.

Roscombe has created an immediate crisis of confidence.

His actions have severely undermined the school's mission and eroded trust across the entire DCI community.

The community is demanding that the Board of Trustees address Mr.

Roscombe's failure of leadership to prevent further harmful leadership decisions that will have significant and lasting impacts on current and future school years.

While Mr.

Rascomb is under investigation, we demand that the board take the following and immediate decisive actions no later than April 27th.

To place Mr.

Roscom on administrative leave while the current third-party investigation is underway.

Appoint an interim executive director immediately, one who has the confidence and trust of staff, caregivers, and students to effectively lead during this time of crisis.

The well-being of DCI staff and its mission is paramount.

We urge all entities to push the DCI board to act now and fulfill its fiduciary and governance responsibilities.

Thank you, sir.

You're over your time.

So thank you.

Thank you, Chairman Mendelson and members of the council for this opportunity to testify today at the FY27 budget hearing for the Deputy Mayor of Education.

My name is Robin Lingo, and I'm testifying on behalf of 826 DC.

A26 DC is a community-based nonprofit on a mission to help students develop a lasting positive relationship with writing that catalyzes their ability to live into their fullest possibility.

We are also members of the DC out of school time coalition representing more than 60 organizations providing quality OST programming across the district.

With the support of Learn24, we offer our after-school writing lab to 50 students in grades kindergarten through eight each year.

And we are currently developing plans to add a new after-school site and add a new high school program as well.

Available Learn 24 funding is critical to our ability to offer these highly effective enrichment and educational programming to young people in our city.

We too appreciate the decision in this budget to hold the out-of-school time programming programming harmless, especially given the tight budget year.

That choice reflects a clear understanding of how critical these programs are for students and families.

We also want to thank the deputy mayor for education's office for their continued investment in what in what works.

After three years of flat funding, we urge the council to preserve and increase OST grant funding to keep pace with the rising costs of doing business.

The DC OST coalition urges you to increase the grant budgets up to 10% to a quest for to account for inflation, understanding all that has already been discussed about the difficulty of that.

The important part is we appreciate it holding harmless.

I'm sure we hear the phrase now more than ever a lot these days, but it is simply true that at a time of increased threats to our immigrant families, to our LGBTQ young people, to young people's overall mental health, and to families stretched budgets with rising costs who need quality after school options.

Our free literacy and arts-based program after school program in Columbia Heights is a critical support to our community.

Young people find an affirming and safe space to grow their literacy skills, find community connection and purpose, and use writing to dream of something different.

And we know they benefit from that space.

We assess our students' writing growth through the analytical writing continuum, a six-point assessment scale.

Only about 13% of students were proficient at the start of their time with us, but that number reached over 65% by the end of the school year.

The majority of our students make gains across all areas in their writing, and the vast majority of students grew by 1% on that six-point scale.

But I think you can hear it best from our students and families directly.

Like a parent who wrote to us saying, my child entered the third grade, still struggling to decide words to decode words.

It really bothered her, and she didn't want to read or write because she was embarrassed.

A year at 826 really changed all that.

Not only was she excited to write her stories at after school writing lab, but she came home and read voraciously to collect her ideas for stories.

She now stays up with the light on nearly every night reading and writing in her journal.

I firmly believe this workshop changed the course of my daughter's education.

You can read the rest of my written testimony.

I'd say one last thing is we've added a walking transportation with a staffed member to get our students from school to our site.

It's a critical part of making our program accessible to working families.

Thank you so much for this opportunity.

And I have your statement right here.

Hello, sir.

Let's see.

Is my video can everyone hear me?

Is my video loading?

Okay.

I can hear you and see you.

Hello, sir.

Good morning.

And apologies.

Good morning, Council.

My name is Ann Perco.

My pronouns are they them, and I would appreciate being identified as Purco and not Mr.

or Ms.

Perco, as I identify as a non-binary trans activist.

I'm a teacher and community member from Ward 4, and I'm testifying here as a fellow with Empower Ed.

Um I wish I could express any kind of shock at what the mayor has shown to be her priorities in this budget, yet again, um, unfortunately, right down to its hearty release.

She seems to be intent on taking a party shot at the youths of the city.

I particularly want to address the combination of striking six million dollars from school behavioral health services, the removal of community schools, and the agenda pushed forward by her and some members of this very council to increase punitive measures on our youth by pushing this incarcerative curvy law forward.

Um first of all, I'm just going to point out that most crime done by or two adolescents is done in the 2 p.m.

to 6 p.m.

range, so restricting their late night hours is in no way correctly targeting times of youth endangerment.

Secondly, we've had multiple pieces of evidence within the last two weeks of how incompetent and outright belligerent and dangerous GMPD and federal forces they continue to ally themselves with are uh specifically against the young in our community.

And I've just off the top of my head in the last two weeks, we have had an MPD officer dragging two young black girls off their bikes in Navy Yard this past Saturday night.

And we also had a horrific discovery of a 19-year-old hanging by a tree in a police district in Ward 4.

This was found on Monday the 13th, and it was not even reported to the public until the 17th.

I mean, which is showcases the utter callousness that the station has for its community.

And these are the people we want around our children.

These are the people we want protecting our communities.

So let's add to that now the removal of mental health and behavior services that are creative to be preventative and restorative justice.

Six billion dollars taken away from programs that help kids make better choices that guide them through these complicated times with compassion and science written into their design.

The removal now too of community schools that provide not just academic but economic and medical and all kinds of wraparound services as well.

Systems put in place to avoid the need for curfew laws in the first place, stripped of money and devalued at the same time that we increase these punitive measures against our kids.

Please make it make sense because from where I'm sitting, it seems we are setting ourselves up for failure of our kids on a massive scale.

So I call upon the council and all here to support the restoration of those six million dollars to the school-based behavioral health, the return of our community schools, and more an investment on a post-secondary community hub hub, which the kids have been asking for.

They want support.

Um, I don't want to go over my time, but as a teacher, I can just say this.

I promise you, punishing everyone just because a few people mess up never works to solve anything, and it only reads resentment.

We cannot alienate our kids, especially our black and brown kids, especially in this time right now where the world is becoming even more unfriendly for them, especially on a federal level.

Thank you as always for your time and consideration, and uh, of course, I'm ready for any questions.

Uh thank you, Perko.

Uh Zendy James, I believe is not here.

Michael Lake, I believe is not here.

Toy Witcher.

Ashley Bryant.

Alexa Pepit.

Celia Dutridge.

No.

Elizabeth Weiss.

Ms.

Weiss.

I'm here, sorry.

I'm at recess duty.

I'm just going to step out.

Good afternoon, counsel, and thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Elizabeth Weiss, and I'm a math instructional coach and parent at Brown Education Campus in the Carberlingston Canyon.

I recently went to a training hosted by the American Federation of Teachers and the AFL CIO, where I learned about the concept of a red line.

A red line is not a preference, it's not something we negotiate or trade off the boundary.

A point where we say, if we cross this, we are no longer upholding our values.

First, we cannot move funding out of the public schools.

The dollars are diverted, especially in the voucher type programs.

It doesn't expand opportunity in the way it's often framed.

It destabilizes the system we rely on to serve all students.

It reduces the resources available in neighborhood schools, and it is our highest need students who feel a loss first.

In my building, we are working every day to meet students' academic and social needs.

That work depends on constant funding, stable staffing, and the ability to plan long-term.

We don't have an excess to give away.

Second, continued investment in equity and inclusion is a red line.

In schools, this work is not upstrip.

Looks like making sure multilingual learners can access content.

Looks like providing appropriate services for students with disabilities.

It looks like creating environments where LGBT students, especially trans students feel safe and seen.

There are many pressure right now scale this work back or make it less.

But the needs have not changed.

If anything they have intensified, when those supports are reduced, students don't just adapt, they disengage.

They fall further behind where they this meeting is about the budget.

Imagine what will happen to school budget to the city's budget if our most vulnerable students and their families must fleeably flee to their home countries.

Third, we have to close the gap between what students need and what schools alone can provide.

Many of our students are navigating housing instability.

Schools are often the place where all of that shows up.

We cannot solve all of that with stronger formation with health and human services so that families can actually get the support they need.

And I also want to lift up something that came up during performance over site.

Well, it's not a direct budget act.

It matters here.

Strong public oversight as part of how we protect these red lines.

If we want transparency, accountability, community voice in our education system.

We need to ensure that bodies designed to provide the oversight actually have the power to do so.

I also want to be honest about what I'm seeing right now.

The needs are growing.

The systems around students are things.

And the students I worry about most are the ones who already face the greatest barriers.

Students with disabilities, newcomer students, and students students experience experiencing homelessness.

These are the students who will feel these decisions most directly.

Budgets are statements of price, and red lines help us clarify what we are not doing a compromise.

I'm asking you to hold the line on funding for public schools to sustain the work that makes our schools inclusive and accessible and to share that our ensure that our most vulnerable students are not the ones who absorb the impact of fight teaching surgeons.

Thank you for your time.

And I will not be available for questions because I have to go back to WebCD.

That's okay.

Thank you, Ms.

Weiss.

And I do have your statement.

Devon Montgomery.

Good morning, Chairferson Mendelssohn.

My name is Eval Montgomery, and I'm an educated in Ward 5 and Empower Ed Fellow and a member of the Federal Budget Coalition.

The district is currently occupied by all types of federal law enforcement agencies.

Youth across the city are seeking out safe spaces just to be kids.

Scholars are subject to standardized testing and high-stakes exams at alarmingly high rates, and the cost of living is steadily rising through the roof.

This perfect storm of events leaves our educators, scholars, and their families vulnerable to the transgressions of an executive branch that is more concerned with consequences over support and prevention.

In the wake of these attacks that are on social safety nets, educators, scholars, and families will bear the brunt of the effects of the current budget proposals.

There has been growing energy concerning youth engagement throughout the city.

Energy around juvenile careful has sparked conversations with youth around their needs.

Youth throughout the district have consistently reiterated the fact that they are overstressed, have a few spaces to fully interact with their peers, are looking for gainful employment and want to feel like value members of the community rather than being stigmatized.

Our current budget cuts, funding to school-based behavior health by six million dollars, eliminates funding for champs, which is a crisis intervention for schools, cuts funding from the from DPR, which provides safe spaces and programs for youth, and custom resources for families in a variety of ways, yet increases MPD funding.

This speaks to our priorities as a city.

Fortunately, we have an opportunity to bridge some of these gaps through our schools.

Out-of-school time programming is a key component for to supporting a well-run education.

Approximately one in two kids currently have access to OST seats.

This we are aware that OST increases student engagement and attendance, gives them access to quality programs, and may even serve as a safety precaution.

I urge the council to increase funding by three million dollars for out-of-school time grants and outcomes to increase grant funding capacity by about 10%.

This year, members of our support staff team at school have called champs on several occasions and have been advised to call 911 involving law enforcement to support scholars in mental health crises because they could not dispatch anyone to our school until late in the evening.

As a result, officers have been dispatched to our school to support elementary scholars.

This is unacceptable.

I've I've had some field questions and white series from elementary scholars running in the fear that their classmate was being arrested just for getting support that they needed.

DBH leadership claims that the champs contract is being completely eliminated in FY27 with plans to bringing the work in-house.

This program is crucial to safety, providing services to our scholars and families and should not be eliminated.

I urge the council to support not moving the program in-house, restore the contract to 1.2 million dollars and support better implementation of prices response to ensure that children are reached quickly during a time of crisis.

Thank you for your time dissolution.

My testimony.

Please review our written testimony for further elaborations.

Thank you, Mr.

Montgomery.

Uh, Celia Dartridge, I believe, is here.

Hi, yes.

Please proceed.

Um, good morning.

My name is Celia Dotridge, and I'm a special education school leader and empowered ed fellow who lives and work works in Ward 7.

I've had the privilege of working at several charter schools over the last 12 years in DC and have seen year over year the impact of decreasing services available to support our families and students outside of school in this current budget crisis.

I fear that as these cuts continue, our most at-risk families and students will be the ones left behind.

I strongly encourage the DME to work with both DBH and the deputy mayor of HHS to protect the grants and services available to our most vulnerable families, particularly services focused on mental health.

I'm currently the founding special education teacher at the River Seats School in Deanwood.

For the last two years, with the support of DBH grants, we have been able to partner with mental health organizations to provide counseling service for our students.

These organizations provide not only those services required for students with IEPs, but they are also able to provide us as teachers with guidance on how to support smoke social and emotional needs of our students, and we have therapists who run small groups focused on skills like impulse control, managing emotions, and peer play, which are major areas of focus post-COVID.

One of the best benefits of this partnership this year has also been that our therapist offers out-of-school support for our families, such as family therapy and family education events.

We have seen our parents eagerly engage in these services, and they have told us that the complexity and expense of finding mental health support as well as other wraparound services is a major barrier to them getting the support they desperately need.

Since beginning this partnership, we have seen a decrease in disruptive behaviors as well as a decrease in referrals for special education evaluation.

However, we are already seeing the impact of budget cuts this year.

With less funding available, we are having to pick and choose which students and families have access to these services, which creates an equity issue on our campus.

If we as a city are truly committed to equity of access to our resources and to decreasing over-identification of students in special education, then it is imperative that we protect these grants.

The DME can play a pivotal role to encourage the protection and expansion of these DPH grants, especially if they are viewed as proactive, cost-saving measures in the long run.

Part of the reason that it feels so important to protect these grants right now is because schools are taking the ones take are the ones taking the lead on connecting families with services, both in school and outside of school.

This year alone, I've supported families with finding outside therapists and medical professionals, accessing services like SNAP and applying for MKV status.

These services go far beyond the scope of my role.

DC has not yet fully transitioned to or funded the community schools model, yet schools are forced to act as community schools to meet the needs of our families.

The reality is that shrinking services for our most vulnerable residents, low-income, unhoused, and immigrant families do not erase the need.

It has instead put the burden on already overwhelmed schools.

I know that we all agree that physically and mentally well students are the most successful ones, and that families who have the supports they need are the ones who can meaningfully engage in their children's education.

This budget season, full of cuts and not enoughs.

We must keep that at the forefront of our minds.

The DME is in a position to work with HHS to find ways to shrink these service gaps instead of just pushing these needs down the line for the schools to deal with.

Thank you for your time, and I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Dartridge.

Um, who I believe is online.

Yes, good morning, Chairman Mendelson, Council members and staff.

My name is Catrice Turner.

I'm a native Washingtonian and Ward 5 resident and citywide board member with PAIVE.

I'm also the proud mother for boys within both sectors of DC public school system, and I serve as the Chief of Family and Community Engagement at Monument Academy Public Charter School in Ward 7.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify again today.

I'm here today to speak about the transformative potential of high impact tutoring and what it could look like if it were funded and implemented equitably across schools like mine and both sectors.

At Monument Academy, we serve scholars in grades five through eight in a unique weekday boarding model.

Our students are brilliant, resilient, and full of promise, but many enter below grade level due to systemic gaps that existed long before they walked through our doors.

High impact tutoring could be the game changer.

Imagine a Monument Academy where every scholar who needs it receives consistent small group or one-on-one tutoring embedded into their school day or evening as their year, not as an add-on, but as a core academic support.

Imagine tutors who are trained, aligned to curriculum and able to build relationships with our scholars over time.

For our fifth through eighth graders, this would mean closing foundational gaps in reading and math before high school, increasing confidence and classroom engagement, and preventing the cycle of remediation that too often follows our students.

But this only works if it is sustainably funded and equitably accessible.

Schools like Monument should not have to choose between staffing, programming, and providing this level of academic intervention.

And I want to be clear: this isn't just theoretical for me, this is personal.

My son Justin, who too was a previous Monument Academy student, was recently diagnosed with APOL 1 mediated kidney disease.

During one of the most challenging periods of his health journey, we were encouraged to utilize the home and hospital instruction policy.

While well-intentioned, that option often meant isolation from his school community and inconsistent academic pacing.

Had high impact tutoring been readily available, structured, relationship-based, and flexible, it could have provided him with the academic continuity and personalized support he needed to stay on track without having to leave his school or even change jurisdictions entirely, which was ultimately what we had to do.

No family should have to choose between their child's health and their education.

So today, I'm urging this council to protect the $3 million in funding for fiscal year 27 and invest in sustainable funding streams for high impact tutoring, especially in schools serving our most vulnerable students.

In short HIIT models are integrated into the school day, not dependent on after-school access or family capacity.

And lastly, aligned tutoring supports with policies like home and hospital instructions.

So students experiencing medical challenges are not academically left behind.

Well, we invest in targeted relationship-driven academic supports.

We don't just improve test scores, we change trajectories.

Thank you so much for your time and your commitment to DC students, and I will be available for any questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Turner.

Lashima Burnett.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelssohn.

Members of the committee of the whole and staff.

My name is Lishima Burnett, and I'm a Ward 8 resident and a proud mother to two amazing children at Lovell Taylor Elementary School and McKinley Tech High School.

I am here today to discuss the importance of high impact tutoring.

Access to higher pack tutoring, also known as HIT, is a way for us to bridge the gaps in DC.

Council members.

DC can be a tale of two cities, the has and the have nots.

It is our job to level the playing field so that all of our students can excel regardless of where they come from.

Students east of the river deserve a chance to become an astronaut, engineer, or whatever, whatever it is that they set they mind their minds to.

To help all children meet their goals, they have to be proficient in literacy and math.

HIT is a way for us to ensure that all of our students meet or exceeds this threshold.

As a parent, I have seen high impact tutoring firsthand.

My daughter has received high impact tutoring, through the math with friends and reading with friends HIT program at Ludlow Taylor Elementary School.

My daughter began HIT in literacy and math in the third grade.

Her growth has been astronomical.

In one year, she jumped two levels in reading and one level in math.

This year she's in fifth grade, and my daughter has continued with the HIT program.

I have continued to see her grow academically and become more engaged in her learning.

Each day she grows more passionate about school.

She's noticing what she's learning and she pays closely attention.

She's also taking ownership of her education.

She is blossoming to a student who loves reading and is excited to go to school.

I could not be more of a proud mom.

While I have access to HIT programs for my daughter and could cover the fee, I worry about those who do not have access to HIT.

What would happen if my daughter switched schools and lost access to her tutors at Leblow?

What are we going to do if the program fee gets too high?

I know I'm not alone in these concerns.

We must help all students bridge the gap in their learning by providing access to HIT program.

This is why I urge the council to protect the $3 million in funding for the HIT in the FY27 budget.

I want all of our students to shine.

We must support our students with the resources they need to do so.

This is why we must protect the investment in high impact tutoring so that all children in the district have the support that they need to make their dreams a reality.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today and for your continued partnership.

I look forward to working with you to ensure that all DC students have access to HIT programs.

Thank you.

Thank you, Miss Burnett.

I have uh questions for just a couple of people.

Um Mr.

Montgomery, if you're still there.

Looks like you are Devon Montgomery.

Yes.

Can you say a little bit more about why you think the idea of moving the champs program in-house is bad and that we should continue with the contract?

Because I think the alternative was to use an adult-based model that doesn't really take into account the needs of children.

And so to do that work with children, you have to be specific, specialized, specifically trained.

And I think if you're doing intervention work for adults, that looks very different than it does for youth.

And so kind of making that model that shift wouldn't really be appropriate for the needs of the students.

Okay.

Um thank you.

And um, Miss Simbana.

So you've been to the public charter school board.

Yes, sir.

And what did they say to you?

Um, they cut my comment short and close public comment for the meeting.

Granted, this was a meeting that was last minute, and I went and attended that after this disastrous March 19th DCI board meeting.

So it was my first opportunity to get in front of them.

I will be going before them again.

No, sir.

No, no follow-up.

I have um now after testifying last night at SBOE at their suggestion, following up with a complaint form through the portal.

Um copied and pasted my testimony there and see if they respond.

And what happened at this March 19th meeting?

Um, it was uh regular monthly um board meeting, but at the board meeting, um, it was the first 40 almost 48 minutes were the staff negating the concerns that they had heard were coming from the parents and the teachers, and then limited public comment to two minutes.

I had signed up prior to knowing any of this to provide my own concerns about teacher turnover and yielded my time so that teachers could speak and I could hear their perspective of what was happening in the building.

Of the 80% who participated, they returned a 94% vote of no confidence in the executive director.

And 20% who did not participate largely said that they were did not participate out of fear of retaliation against them.

So just given any organization, a 94% vote of no confidence is insurmountable.

And at a school will take them three to four years if they get serious now about solutions.

That's an entire child's high school education or middle school education.

So they desperately need help now.

So how many parents or teachers spoke at the March 19th board meeting?

Who actually spoke, maybe three.

There were about 80 people in attendance.

80, 80.

80.

Of similar view to yours.

Why are we losing our teachers at great speed?

Why, you know, we learned a lot more at this ninth uh March 19th meeting, but there were crumbs along the way that we've heard directly from our students.

We have seen our own teachers disappear, long-term subs come without expertise.

Um, and to their credit, the teachers were doing their best to keep all of this in-house, and they have done beyond good faith efforts to work with the executive director within DCI.

Those structures are not working for this school to find an adequate way forward at this time.

Um but you said there was a vote of no confidence uh of the teacher.

The staff vote.

Did it include the teachers?

Yes, the teachers.

So in your statement, you said reports of unethical, if not illegal managerial decision making.

What do you mean?

Um so for instance, I will tell you since the March 19th meeting, and there are many, I know I sent you a lot of documents, but since in March 19th meeting, um the executive director, you know, there was this investigation.

Um he had agreed to a freeze and firings and you know, not non-renewals.

Since the March 19th meeting, nine additional staff members have been let go, fired, or contracts not renewed.

And they're in key positions that are further causing more instability within the school.

So much so one lady um within their structure, one lady who is in middle school should have had that pre-meeting with her middle school principal and another HR staff member, I believe.

Instead, everyone was called at the last minute to a last minute meeting.

She was told on the spot she was going to be fired.

Um having gotten that news, she had an emotional response.

Their reaction was to dock her pay for taking a moment to compose herself before being able to continue with her students.

This is the same person who just returned from Argentina hosting children over there and now is actively working with you know the exchange students who are coming from Argentina.

So there's just it there's a lot of chaos going on.

There's a lot of uh lack of uh response from the school and no real um accountability to parent concerns, teacher concerns, um, and no voice or avenue for parents to gather and you know find out more.

We're getting information just from one source, the executive director, and it's partial information at best.

And what I'm hearing is that all the problem is entirely with the executive director.

I think it is housed within the executive director and um the I would say the board chair at this point.

The the lack of if you see a meeting, sir, of 80 people who all are coming to you with concerns and want to you know voice them, you may not like what they're going to say, but you're going to listen to them and you're going to see where is the middle ground to meet.

Conversation was closed, discussion was closed, it was impenetrable to get through.

By raising our voices, we were able to for them to acquiesce to listen to us for an additional 10 minutes, and that was it.

And it's been a month, month since then.

Yes, sir.

And have you seen anything positive?

There were listening sessions.

I know that the students met with the executive director.

Um, there was some hope for that, but then they were told that their concerns were um nice to hear, but that they didn't understand the situation.

Um, students had a walkout yesterday where hundreds of students um stood up to defend their school and their teachers.

They're seeing it firsthand in their experience and impacting their education.

Um the teacher perspective, where you're losing key positions to support both the IEP and 504 um standards that should be met.

We are also missing key elements within the IB structure that most students are going to choose DCI for two reasons either continued language education through high school or an IB for all program.

Both of those programs are at dire risk due to the number of staff that have left under the tenure of this executive director.

And it's near the beginning of your testimony.

You criticized the investigation uh performative because it's the in-house counsel who's conducting it?

Yes, it is not an impartial third party.

It is the they are have remained the um in-house counsel for that were hired by the executive director a few years ago, and they are managing the investigation without a clear scope of their work, timeline deliverables, and most investigations are common practice to put a person on administrative leave during an investigation, and that has not happened, and we continue to see um disastrous changes in the meantime.

So, who asked for the investigation?

Was it uh the executive director or was it the board?

The board announced the investigation.

It was one of the asks from the community, but the ask from the community was for an impartial third party.

Was that at the March 9th meeting or before that?

Uh, I believe it was in the letter of vote of no confidence from the staff.

Which was before or after before the 19th, yeah.

Okay.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Thank you, sir.

I did not have any other questions for any of you.

Thank the two of you for being here in person, those of you who are online.

Uh continuing with the witness list.

Oh, I think I did call some other people who were online.

So, my apologies.

Stephanie Griffith Richardson, are you still here?

I am, sir.

Please proceed.

Uh, good morning, uh, Councilman Menderson and uh those in person.

My name is Stephanie Griffith Richardson, and I'm a proud award 7 resident.

My son likes to attend Washington Global Public Charters Middle School in Ward 6th.

I also serve with parents approving voices in education on the citywide and ward seven PLD board.

The other day, as a parent and a community advocate speaking on the urgency and need to protect funding for high impact tutoring.

My advocacy is grounded in lived experience.

My son attended EW Stokes Public Charter School, East End, one of the few language emerging schools in Ward 7 during his fourth and fifth grade years as I reviewed the part data that raised concerns about the significant decline in academic performance among brown and black children, which is a nearly a 30% gap between um Brooklyn and East End campuses.

Despite strong overall school ratings, my concerns were met with vague responses and no clear plan to address the growing achievement gap.

Unfortunately, that gap followed him into middle school.

Once he entered uh Washington Global Middle School, more frequent assessments and aligned interventions began to make a difference.

When we layered in high impact tutoring that personalized small group support, accelerated his progress, bringing him back on great level within a year.

This is exactly what capable bright students can achieve when they receive the right support.

I understand that it takes the um to close academic gaps.

Uh that that is why high impact tutoring matters.

High impact tutoring is not theoretical, it is proven it and improves academic outcomes, it strengthens students' confidence, and it increases attendance.

Most importantly, it provides the kind of individualized consistent support that students like my son need right now without sustained investment.

Families like mine are left to navigate these gaps on our own, and not every family has the resources, time, or access to do so.

We cannot say we are not committed to equity while pulling back from one of the more few strategies that is actually working.

I strongly urge you to protect the three million dollar investment in high impact tutoring.

This funding is not optional, it's essential.

It is a direct investment in closing achievement gaps and ensuring that all students, regardless of where they live or which school they attend, have the support they need to succeed.

Our children cannot afford for us to step back now.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, Ms.

Richardson.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson.

Morning.

Please proceed.

Okay, here we go.

Yes.

My name is Tara Brown.

I'm a ward six, uh PAVE parent PLE and advisory board member.

And before I start, I wanted to thank you specifically for always being here during education testimonies.

Your consistent presence is an indication of your priorities, and it's really appreciated.

Um I know I spoke about HIT yesterday, and I however I still want to emphasize the importance of high impact tutoring along with the added value byproducts of HIT in more detail.

Uh, first, let's start with absenteeism reduction.

Uh, you heard yesterday of how kids are more likely to go to school on HIT days.

Part of the reason for this is the relationships that are built between the student and the tutor.

The small group settings and the extended period of time spent with one another fosters a sense of belonging, and kids are excited to get back to that.

In addition to the warm and fuzzies, HIT students are becoming more and more proficient.

Mastering reading and math skills allows kids that were previously below proficiency to feel more confident in the classroom where they are now fully able to participate on grade level.

This newfound confidence also encourages more regular attendance.

Uh, it also helps the strengthen the teacher pipeline.

High impact tutoring programs train tutors and introduce new people to the field of teaching.

Some programs give credit to college students for participating.

This introduction to teaching creates pathways that can lead to more full-time teachers.

Um now I want to talk about what HIT is and what it is not.

We spend a lot of time focusing on the cost of high impact tutoring.

It is also important to make sure that we understand what high impact tutoring is.

High impact tutoring is data-driven, customized tutoring done in small groups of four or less for at least 90 minutes a week using high quality instructional materials.

It needs to be conducted during the school day or at least directly before or after school.

We need to be clear about what qualifies as HIT.

There also needs to be transparency and oversight of the programs being funded to make sure the students are getting what they what we are paying for.

Um, I keep showing up and sitting through hours of testimony, not as much as you, Brandon, uh, so I can elevate HIT so it can be understood that in both tangible and intangible ways, this practice is fast tracking our students to proficiency along with additional benefits.

If we're spending money on education at all, we would be wasting that investment if we did not equip our students with the tools to actually learn and graduate college and career ready.

It is impossible to be proud about our 84% graduation weight, graduation rate when our proficiency rate is 36%.

With HIT, those two numbers will get much closer to each other until we are only graduating students proficient enough in math and reading to be successful functioning DC residents.

That is the entire point of all of this.

Protect high impact tutoring funding.

In fact, find ways to make a greater investment with 49% of our students classified as at risk.

We can't afford to do anything else.

Thank you.

I'm sorry, good morning, Chairman Mendelson and members of the council.

My name is Taisha Andrews, and I'm awarded a DCTS graduate and a parent advocate with pay, who is here today because our students cannot afford for us to get this wrong.

I'm urging the council to protect the investment in high impact tutoring because right now the scale of the need does not match the scale of our response.

The district invests over 2.8 billion in education through the USP SFF and more than 1.4 billion directly into DCPS.

Yet, high impact tutoring, one of the most proven strategies to accelerate learning, is not reaching all of our students consistently across schools.

We have the data.

National research shows high impact tutoring can improve students three to five months ahead in a single school year.

Locally, DCPS has already identified tutoring as a key strategy for academic recovery.

And yet, SS remains uneven and in many schools insufficient.

At the same time, we know that only one in four DC students is meeting grade level expectations and bag and reading outcomes while improving still show significant gaps, especially award seven and eight.

So the question is not whether tutoring works, the question is how do we grow it?

If we are serious about outcomes, then we need to treat high impact tutoring like the core academic intervention that it is.

That means protecting the 3 million in HIIT funding to provide students with three or more sessions per week, which is the evidence-based standard, maintain small group sizes of no more than three to four students, and a recruit, train, and retain high quality tutors.

And let me be clear the investment must be targeted.

Schools with the highest need, particularly east of the river, must be prioritized.

High impact tutoring is not optional.

It is essential.

If we fail to invest at the level this moment demands, we are choosing to accept the gaps we say we want to close.

Our students deserve urgency.

They deserve consistency, and they deserve a system that matches its investments with its expectations.

I urge you to fund high impact tutoring at the scale our students need.

Thank you.

So you all are excused.

I don't have any questions for you.

And I'm going to continue with the list.

Tyrell Holcomb, who's with Jubilee Housing.

Crystal Greer.

Laura Mayestis, who's CEO of DC Prep.

Aaron White with Kid Power.

Chelsea Bradford, Chief Schools Officer, Carlos Rosario.

Carol Walchuk, Susan Teacher and Program Manager, Carlos Rosario.

Hane Hakimi, student board member Carlos Rosario.

Online.

Kelly Akun, teacher, Charter Union President, DC X Local 1927.

Online.

Grace Odrick, Hillcrest Children Family Center Consumer Advisory Board Member and UDC student majoring in political science.

Lorena Flores.

Yes.

Mr.

Chairman.

Is that you?

Jose Sousa, COO, Washington U Ying Public Charter School.

I can't chairman.

Dominique Moore, Community Organizer with Empower Ed.

Her.

Mr.

Chairman.

Somebody's speaking up.

Jacqueline Lindsay, DC Scholars Public Charter School.

Yes, I know.

I'm calling witnesses.

We'll get to you in a few minutes.

Okay.

Sorry, no, I don't see that.

But Dominique Moore is not here.

Erin Bibo.

Vice President of Strategic Initiative, CityWorks, DC.

Tanya Borachi, Director of Educational Workforce, Federal City Council.

I do want to see Tom.

Angela Jones, Executive Director of Youth Guidance.

I do not see it.

Colleen McLaughlin.

Okay, I'm going to stop right there.

Um, uh we'll start with Laura Maestis.

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson, members of the committee and staff.

My name is Laura Myestis, and I'm proud to be in my eighth year as CEO of DC Prep, a public charter school network serving families in wards five, seven, and eight.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of public charter schools in Washington, D.C.

For three decades, charter schools have expanded opportunities for families, particularly the families of black and brown students.

DC Prep was founded on the belief that every child should have access to a great public education.

Twenty-three years later, we are evidence that access to a high quality public education changes life trajectories, not only for the students, but for entire families and communities.

I'm grateful to Mayor Bowser for her continued investment in public education, including the proposed 2.55% increase to the uniform per student funding formula in a tight budget year, that commitment matters.

At the same time, equitable funding through the UPSFF must remain a top priority.

Today, charter students receive significantly fewer resources than their DCPS peers.

When you account for funding outside the formula, including facilities costs, charter students receive almost $10,000 less per student.

These differences are not abstract.

They directly impact what we can provide for students.

At DC Prep, equitable funding determines whether we can sustain small group literacy instruction, provide robust mental health supports, and retain excellent teachers.

We are also concerned about decisions that move costs outside of the UPSFF.

For example, tens of millions of dollars in DCPS's fixed costs have been shifted to other parts of the city's budget, costs that up that charter schools like us must still cover from our pupil funding.

When funding decisions hide the true cost of running schools, they create structural inequities for nearly half of DC's public school students.

I also want to speak to the role of the Deputy Mayor for Education.

We value the DME's coordination across agencies and have benefited from initiatives like safe passage and citywide attendance efforts.

Deputy Mayor Kine and his team are incredibly responsive, and I have confidence that his team wants to address the needs of all public schools.

However, I don't think that all schools believe translates to all parts of city government.

That's evidenced by the proposed budget and by the fact that certain types of coordination does not consistently include charter schools.

As evidenced during this year's Snow Creek Storm, DC Prep had to pay out of pocket in order to clear streets around several of our campuses after struggling to access city services.

This reflects a broader pattern where charter schools are not fully included in city planning and operations.

Charter schools should not have to spend resources to cover core city services.

Charter schools must be included in all emergency preparedness and coordination efforts on equal footing with DCPS.

We can and should debate how to allocate limited resources, but we must remain grounded in a simple principle.

Every public school student, district, and charter deserves equitable investment and full access to city support.

When we invest equitably in all students, we invest in the future of Washington, D.C.

Thank you for your time and your commitment to DC students.

Thanks.

Aaron White, who I believe is online.

Yes, good morning, Council, Chairman Mendelssohn and members of the committee as a whole.

Thank you for the opportunity to address the council today.

My name is Erin White, and I'm an assistant program director at Kid Power, and I'm testifying today to advocate for an increase in OST funding.

Uh at Kip Power, our mission is for youth to ignite their confidence and build the skills to thrive academically, strengthen their social and emotional wellness, and advocate for themselves in the communities.

Along with my team at Kit Power and like many of our colleagues, we're working tirelessly to provide high quality after school and summer programs in order to offer a safe and supportive environment to DC students and families.

But like many community-based organizations around the city, we are faced with federal cuts, rising costs, and higher cost of living.

And despite these funding challenges, the current budget we're discussing today maintains the OST funding of the past three years and does not adjust the challenges we face, nor adjust the need for OST funding for youth.

We have seen time and time again the need for youth in DC to have places to go.

Places not only that they're safe, but have friendships, relationships, and connections that build them up and give them purpose.

And while the options have expanded in recent years, it's not as simple as build it and they will come.

Providing safe, enticing and free programs require high quality staff, strong curriculum, supplies, and often even meals.

And these elements require funding to ensure programs are not just available, but they're truly high quality, meaning programs that young people want to attend, engage in, and then meaningfully support their growth.

Additionally, the lack of increased funding means that the future of many of these programs aren't secure, and the ability to grow and meet the needs becomes tighter or non-existent.

Without multi-year funding, slots and programs become reduced, which makes them uncertain for currently enrolled youth.

The hours and days open become shorter, which means accessibility is uncertain, and the staffing becomes smaller, making safety and capacity up in the air.

Working families need to know that their child has a safe, reliable place to go.

Schools need to know that programs are there to support their students.

And youth need to know that there's a place to welcome them.

But without an increase in funding, all those options might not become available, and plans and safety get disrupted.

But I outline all this to say that after school matters and it's a really critical part of the DC ecosystem, and it deserves to be funded as such.

But unfortunately, these supports are costly, and as the costs continue to rise with inflation and cuts in federal spending, OST funding gaps widen evermore.

Community-based organizations like Kid Power can't meet the needs of the city to provide safe, consistent and enticing programs to DC youth and families at the current funding rate.

So I urge you to increase OSD funding so that all students can access the support and care that they deserve.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, Ms.

White.

Chelsea Bradford.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelssohn and members of the committee of the whole.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is Chelsea Bradford, and I serve as the Chief Schools Officer at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.

I'm also a proud resident of Ward 6.

Carlos Rosario is an adult public charter school that serves thousands of adult learners across the district each year.

We offer English language instruction, high school diploma programs, and workforce training that lead directly to employment and post-secondary education.

Our students come across from all eight wards and represent the rich diversity of the district.

I've been with Carlos Rosario for four years and can share that Carlos Rosario is more than a school.

It is a community.

Our students often describe it as a second home.

That sense of belonging and purpose is at the heart of our success.

I'm here today to urge the council to increase the adult learner weight and the uniform per student funding formula from 1.0 to 1.3, consistent with the findings of the 2023 DC school funding study.

I also want to emphasize the importance of equitable funding for public charter schools by keeping all funding within the UPSFF.

Because for adult schools, inequities in the formula are compounded by the fact that we do not receive additional categorical weights.

Adult learners bring unique strengths and needs to our classrooms, and current and the current structure of the UPSFF does not fully account for those realities.

Unlike K-12 schools, adult public charter schools do not receive additional funding weights for English learners, students with disabilities, or students considered at risk.

These needs are real and they are significant, but they must be addressed within a single base weight that is currently insufficient.

I see the impact of our work every day in our students.

Recently, after years of persistence and struggles with confidence and uncertainty, one of our GED students graduated with her GED, an achievement that was a powerful reminder of what is possible when students are supported and believed in.

Another student completed both our small business program and GED program and recently opened her own business just this past month, demonstrating how adult education can translate directly into economic mobility for families and communities.

Access to reliable transportation is critical for adult learners, many of whom are balancing work, caregiving, and schools across multiple locations each day.

Increasing the adult learner transit subsidy from $70 to $100 per month would better reflect the true cost of getting to and from school and help ensure that transportation is not a barrier to persistence and completion.

Investing in adult education is not a cost, it is a strategic investment in the district's economic future.

Our students gain the skills needed to fill essential jobs, contribute to the workforce, and support their families in doing so.

I ask you to recognize the full value of adult learners and to fund our schools accordingly.

Increasing the adult learner weight to 1.3, increasing the adult learner transit subsidy, and maintaining equitable funding through the UPSFF, regardless of sector, will ensure that we can continue to provide high quality, accessible education to those who need it most.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, Miss Bradford.

Carol Wolchuk.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelston.

Thank you for holding these hearings.

I've also been a ward one resident for over 45 years, and I'm here today to urge you to increase support to adult learners in the fiscal year 2027 budget.

My field of expertise is the naturalization process.

I've been teaching citizenship classes at Carlos Rosario for over 20 years.

As you've heard, Carlos Rosario delivers high quality education, career training, and supportive services that enable adult immigrants to realize their dreams while strengthening our community.

Preparing immigrants for citizenship is one of the most gratifying pursuits of my career.

Hundreds of my former students are now proud and engage U.S.

citizens.

Naturalization is an important step in the ability of immigrants to integrate into American life and contribute to our nation and the district's economic growth and well-being.

Naturalized citizens commit to defending our nation, supporting the constitution, respecting democratic principles, and respecting democratic principles.

Naturalization also helps grow our economy.

New Americans earn more and therefore pay more in taxes.

They are more likely to pursue higher education and have greater home ownership than non-citizens.

Aspirants for U.S.

citizenship face numerous requirements.

Passing a civics test is just one of many.

In order to pass the test, applicants must learn the structure of US government, U.S.

history, important leaders, core principles, and the declaration of independence, the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Symbols and Holidays, Rights and Responsibilities, and more.

Moreover, applicants must accomplish this in English, a second language for the great majority of them.

The civics test covers content drawn from subjects studied in U.S.

grades eight through twelve.

That's five years of education to be mastered in addition to learning English.

In DC, adult education is public education and a critical part of the city's workforce and economic mobility strategy.

The current funding levels do not reflect the realities of adult learners or the role adult public charter schools play in the district.

As you consider the 2027 budget, I'm sorry, yes, the 2027 budget.

I ask you to consider the following investments.

Increase the adult learner transit subsidy to 100 a month, maintain a strong social safety net for DC families, increase the adult learner weight in the uniform per student funding formula to 1.3, and fund charter schools equitably in the fiscal year 2027 budget by funding all school costs through the UPSFF.

Together, these investments ensure that adult learners can succeed and contribute.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Walchak.

Good morning, Chairperson and Councilmember.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify to today.

My name is Hanana King, and I'm a student is Carlo Rosario International Public Charter School.

I'm originally from Morocco.

It's also a server student member of the Board of Trustees.

I'm here not only as a student, but as someone rebuilding her future and as someone with responsibility to represent the voices of many others.

Before coming to the United States, I had an established professional background as an engineer by starting over in a new country, comes with real challenges, adapting to a new system, strengthening my English, interbuilding stability step by step.

Today I'm studying English at Carlo Rosario in IT Fundamental as Carol classes from three semester now.

And each day I'm gaining the skills in confidence I need to succeed.

Carlo Rosario has been more than a school for me.

It has been a bridge, a bridge toward opportunity, confidence in meaningful contribution to the workforce in community here in Washington, DC.

Through my role on the board, I also see the broader picture.

I see how much this program does and how much more is needed to truly support adult learners.

In my story, it's not unique.

Every day I learn alongside classmates who are parents, workers, caregivers, immigrants like me, balancing multiple responsibilities, often commuting long distances.

You show up in with determination and hope.

This is why your decision today matters.

First, I respectfully ask that you increase the adult learning white in uniform for student funding formula from 1.0 to 1.3.

Adult learners need more time, flexibility in support.

It's not a small issue.

It's a daily barrel, increasing adult learning transit subsidy from $70 to $100 per month would directly improve attendance, persistence in student success.

Third, maintaining a strong social safety units is critical.

Program like DC High School Alliance SNAP in champ allows students to stay in school instead of being forced to choose between immediate survival and long-term goals.

Adult public shelter school are not just education providers.

They are workforcer partners.

They support people who are already part of the city, working, rising families in striving to contribute to more.

My goal is to continue improving my English interest workforce in data in the program evaluation field and continuing my education in data science.

I want to contribute my skill to strength program in communities here in Washington, DC.

When you invest in adult learners, you invest in Washington, DC.

I stand here today.

As someone who comes from Morocco with experience, determination, and ambition, and who found in this school the opportunity to build, grow and give back.

As a student board member, I tell you not only my story, but the voices of many others.

I am one story, but I represent tons of thousands.

With your support, you are not just funding programs.

You are a looking futures.

Thank you for your time and your commitment.

Thank you, Miss Hakimi.

Jacqueline Lindsay, who I believe is online.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

My name is Jacqueline Lindsay.

I'm chair of the board of DC Public DC Scholars Public Charter School in Ward 7.

We're proud to serve Ward 7 by putting students on a path to college while building essential life skills.

DC Scholars ranks in the top five schools in Ward 7 on the DC Aussie School Report Card, a citywide measure of student outcomes and school climate.

This success is supported by a balanced student teacher ratio and strong growth in academics and attendance.

Evidence of our commitment to high quality educational experience.

DC Scholars serves grades PK through PK three through eight and develops lifelong scholars with strong academic skills, individual passions, and a commitment to community.

We deliver rigorous instruction, create a joyful environment where students thrive and set the expectation that our scholars can and will achieve academic success.

The need for equitable funding.

Nearly half of DC public school students attend charter schools.

Like all public schools in the district, charter schools must deliver strong academic outcomes and provide safe, modern learning environments and facilities.

We ask the council to fund charter schools as you would any public school in the district and protect and fund facilities fairly.

So schools are not forced to choose between core instruction and the facilities students deserve, between special education supports and modern classrooms, or between wraparound services and strong college and career pathways.

Charter schools do not shortchange students' education, and the district should not shortchange them either.

DC Scholar at DC Scholars, we believe the mayor's proposal, proposed FY27 budget should include equitable funding for charter schools, ensure all education funding flows through the UPSFF without large off-formulas set asides that disadvantage charter schools.

Safe and biding schools maintain a 3.1% annual facilities allotment increase.

Last year, DCPS received $526 million for facilities while charters received $187 million of $335 million, $339 million gap, despite charter schools serving about half of DC public school students.

There are additional steps the council could take to advance equity in the FY27 budget, but I'll close with this.

Equitable funding for all DC public schools, charter, and DCPS ensures every child can excel academically and access the emotional enrichment and other supports that they need in the modern learning facilities they deserve.

Thank you, Mr.

Chairman.

Thank you, Miss Lindsay.

Kelly Akoon.

Good afternoon and thank you for the opportunity to testify again.

I'm Kelly Ukun, a teacher at Mundo Verde, bilingual PCS and the current president of DC Acts, the DC Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff.

First, I want to acknowledge and express appreciation for the 2.55% funding increase that included in this budget.

We see it as an important step forward and as the first leg of what must be a series of intentional actions to close the long-standing gap funding between charter schools and District of Columbia Public Schools.

This is a help, but on the ground, if funding is not allocated more equitably to charter schools, we are putting DC students at rest.

Right now, charter schools are being forced to make the same impossible choices between maintaining staff, functioning their buildings, investing in academic programming, and offering competitive salaries to attract and retain strong educators.

At my school and across many charter schools, we want to provide organ, we want to partner with organizations to provide like high impact tutoring, build stronger professional learning communities so that teachers can refine their craft and better support students.

But we can't consistently do that because the budget is our budget is almost entirely dependent upon the UPSFF.

And when that funding is not equitable, or when we are required to absorb costs like facilities and utilities that are covered elsewhere, it limits what we can do for our students.

The trade-offs lead the trade-off that leads to strong schools, are the trade-offs that do not limit what is possible for students.

This is happening right now in a system where charter schools and DCPS teachers cover nearly half the students in the city.

At the same time, the landscape is changing.

Over the past two and a half years, DC Access organized three additional charter schools.

We represent over 600 educators and staff, and we're still growing.

As charter school educators are organizing and building stability, we believe that our voices matter in how budget and policy decisions are made.

Another point to make is that there's a shared interest between the district and the education sector to recruit, develop, and retain educators who live and invest in our community.

According to our most recent data, out of our four charter schools, about approximately 730 staff that we at that we represent, 334 are DC residents.

That's like 45%.

And but the cost of living continues to rise, and we have to ask ourselves: are we building a system that allows educators to stay in the system, to stay in the city, or one that pushes it at?

So retention is not just about salaries, it's about investment.

So what we have is a clean asking, and that is to ensure that funding flows equitably through the UPSFF to maintain and strengthen facilities funding so charter schools are not forced to absorb costs and deepen the inequity and recognize that unionized charter schools are a growing and stable part of DC public education and system and one that should be included in how we think about long-term investment.

Let's not patch over systemic problems with short-term fixes.

Again, let's build a system that truly values the people who make learning possible for the district.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Ms.

I do not have a copy of your statement.

Grace I will provide it to you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Grace Odrick.

I believe is not here.

Lorena Flores.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson and Council members.

My name is Lorena Flores.

I am a parent following up on my February 25th testimony regarding the systemic lack of accountability within our charter sector.

For two years, my family and others have raised serious concerns regarding student safety and educator conduct.

Each time we have been met with delay, silence, or the shield of charter autonomy, but autonomy cannot be a license for inaction when children are at risk.

To ground this, while at Washington Union Public Charter School, my children were recorded as having between 27 to 92 absences in a single year.

My children showed clear distress around school and fell significantly behind developmentally.

Also, the school's reports suggested academic and social and emotional progress that my children did not reflect.

Despite my concerns, the school insisted this was normal and never took formal notes or follow-up reports.

It wasn't until we transitioned to a DC public school that the depth of the damage became became undeniable.

My children were critically behind in social, emotional, and academic growth.

The burden of this recovery has fallen entirely on our family, our community, and DCPS.

If a school cannot maintain or produce reliable attendance, academic or safety records, it has failed its most basic public duty.

This is a systemic failure of oversight.

Publicly funded charters often hide behind private nonprofit protections to avoid transparency mechanisms like the Freedoms of Information Act.

The dual status of publicly funded but privately shielded undermines public trust.

Participation in our public education system must require adherence to its rules.

Without that, we aren't seeing innovation or fair play.

We're seeing private interests capitalized on public resources without public accountability.

I respectfully request coordinated action from the DME to create a cross-agency protocol so complaints don't fall between jurisdictional gaps.

The State Board of Education to identify policy gaps and recommend enforceable accountability measures.

The ombudsman to conduct a systemic review of complaint handling and expand mediation pathways.

The Office of Student Advocate to establish a guide for charter parents covering legal rights and steps to file a formal complaint.

The DC Council mandate that any entity receiving public education funds must be subject to full transparency, including FOIA and open meeting laws.

When oversight bodies fail to act, the system isn't neutral.

It's permissive.

I urge you to ensure that all students, regardless of their school type, are protected by a system that is transparent and accountable.

Thank you for your service and I'm able to add any documentation for the record.

Thank you, Ms.

Flores.

Jose Sousa, I believe is not here.

Dominique Moore.

Good afternoon, Chairman and SAF.

Again, my name is Dominique Moore, and I stand while I sit before you, not just as an educator and community leader, but as someone who sits with young people in classrooms and community spaces every day.

When I leave here, I'm going to host a youth safe space on MLK.

I'm in classrooms and community spaces and sees firsthand what out-of-school program sees firsthand what out-of-school time program it makes possible.

I would like to begin by echoing what I've shared in previous testimonies as well as my neighbors in the district.

And that is that out-of-school time programming is not an extra, it is essential.

They are spaces where young people build confidence, process trauma, explore interests, and develop social and academic skills their schools cannot carry alone, which is the sole reason why I found in my community-based organization out of the things that I could not do as a teacher.

But what I would like to do today is to ground us in a simple truth.

No other profession is expected to succeed without the tools required to do their jobs.

Doctors are not asked to provide their own operating room materials.

Firefighters are not expected to fund their own equipment.

Construction workers are not asked to provide their own screws.

Dentists are not asked to operate without proper instruments.

Yet, time and time again, educators and youth serving organizations are consistently asked to piece together programming, stretched with limited resources, still to produce thriving outcomes for our young people.

That is not sustainable.

And more importantly, we know it is not equitable.

I know your office also signed off on the dear colleague letter, and we're asking you not to support defunding DEI programming.

When we talk about maintaining and expanding out-of-school time programming, we are talking about we are talking about ensuring that the adults responsible for developing our youth are properly equipped to do so.

We are talking about consistent consistency, quality, and access, especially for our young people who deserve it the most.

Maintaining the funding because we have to maintain the funding because cuts would destabilize programming and they and we know that they are already working.

This is an investment in prevention and opportunity and long-term success of this city.

If we expect our young people to thrive, then we must support and fully resource the ecosystem designed to support them.

Thank you for your time, and I urge you to act boldly in support of out-of-school time programming.

Thank you.

Tanya Baracci, I believe is not here.

Yes, I am.

Please proceed.

Thank you so much.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson, members of the community, committee of the whole, excuse me, esteemed staff and fellow witnesses.

My name is Angela Jones, and I'm the executive director of Youth Guidance DC, and I am pleased to testify today.

Since 2021, Youth Guidance DC has operated the Becoming a Man Fellowship Initiative, also known as the BAM 5 program in six DCPS schools across Wards 4, 5, 7, and 8.

Thanks in large part to the deputy mayor's investment since 2023.

We serve over 60 young men each year during the school year and 40 students during the summer from our almost 350 in-school population with after-school, Saturday Academy, college tours, and a summer academy hosted at Howard University, where students engage in workshops on STEM, social justice, civic engagement, college and career readiness.

The depth of our program extends far beyond the classroom.

This year, our young men organized 30 community service events that positively impacted the district, strengthening their connection to community and instilling the values of service and leadership.

We are about to celebrate our second graduating cohort.

Last year, the class of 2025 achieved a hundred percent graduation rate and an 100% college acceptance rate.

Fellows are now attending institutions, including Morehouse, Howard, North Carolina AT, and the University of San Francisco.

These outcomes matter because the stakes are high.

In DC, only 77% of black students graduate high school in four years compared to 94% of white peers.

More than 93% of youth arrested in the district around this time last year were black.

Without sustained year-round intervention, the young men we serve face the greatest odds against them.

The BAM Phi program interrupts the trajectory.

95% of our students report the program positively impacts their academic performance and helps them make better decisions.

We are deeply grateful that this budget sustains our out-of-school time programming.

That decision reflects a clear understanding of how critical these programs are for students and families.

We thank the Deputy Mayor's office for that commitment.

But there has only been a three-year consistency of flat funding.

We urge this committee to increase the OST grants budget by at least 3.2% to account for inflation as we enter a new grant cycle and to consider the full 10% increase recommended by the DC OSD coalition.

Anything less is a real dollar cut for the organizations operating in the communities that need us most.

In closing, I invite you to visit our circles in school and out of school and witness this work firsthand.

Thank you for your dedication to the residents of the district and this opportunity to speak.

Thank you, thank you, Ms.

Jones.

Hello.

Good afternoon, uh Chairperson Mendelson and members of the committee.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Colleen McLaughlin, and I am a rising 3L at the University of the District of Columbia, David A.

Clark School of Law.

I'm here to urge you to preserve funding for UDC law at fiscal year 2026 levels.

Because cutting funding this funding is not just a budget decision.

It is a decision that will be felt immediately and directly by some of the district's most vulnerable residents.

UDC law is one of only six historically black law schools in this country, and it's the only publicly available historically black law school in this district.

It was created with a clear legislative mandate to expand access to justice and to serve as a pathway for social mobility.

That mission is not symbolic, it is operational.

Every single student at UDC Law is required to serve the community through its clinical program.

Together, students and faculty provide nearly 100,000 hours of free legal service every year to the district residents.

People who otherwise may not have had access to representation.

These services are not just hypothetical.

Student attorneys represent survivors of domestic violence seeking protection.

They fight evictions to keep families in their homes.

They represent taxpayers navigating disputes with the IRS and the district, and they stand behind immigrants facing deportations while and also advocating for children's and families through their legislative work.

So when the funding is cut, these services will shrink, and the people who lose them are the people with the fewest alternatives.

UDC's clinical program is nationally recognized and ranked among the top in the country, and it is intentionally built as a core of the legal education, not as an add-on.

It reflects a model that this very council chose to preserve when it brought the Antioch School of Law into the district's public system.

UDC law's impact goes beyond its services.

It also helps to shape a legal profession that reflects the people it serves.

The majority of its students are people of color, and 60% of the students are women.

It recruits non-traditional students, working professionals, veterans, caregivers, peoples whose lived experiences strengthen the legal system.

It does so all while maintaining one of the most accessible tuition structures in the region.

Investing in this law school produces lawyers who stay and serve.

Nearly 70% of the class of 2024 entered public sector jobs with most of them being right here in the district, district and surrounding areas.

These are attorneys staffing our agencies, defending our residents, and upholding our laws.

To cut funding to this institution is to withdraw legal services, narrow the pipeline into public service, and to step away from the district's commitment to equal justice under the law.

I urge this committee to fully fund UDC law and to protect its critical role it it serves in the city and its residents.

Thank you.

Have a good day.

Thank you, Ms.

McLaughlin.

Aaron Bibo.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelssohn, committee members and staff.

My name is Aaron Bebo.

I'm vice president of strategic initiatives at CityWorks DC, whose mission is to dramatically improve the early career outcomes of youth and young adults from the city by creating innovative programs and mobilizing employers, educators, and city leaders to develop a local diverse talent pipeline.

I'm also a Ward 6 resident and parent of a Banneker Achiever and Elliot Hein Eagle and Maury Cougar.

I'm here to share what most excites and concerns me in the city's FY27 budget in terms of workforce and education investments.

Let's start with the concerns.

Significant cuts to the Aussie funded adult integrated education and training programs will reduce their capacity to support by half from a thousand adult learners in FY25 to fewer than 500 and FY27.

This is in spite of these programs consistently performing in the top quartile nationwide in terms of learner outcomes on employment, earnings, and credential attainment.

In past testimony, I proactively highlighted how impressed the industry leaders of higher local DC have been about AFE programs' efforts to inform and improve their curriculum, work-based learning offerings, and student coaching.

Programs like UPO, CC Prep Catholic Charities, Youth Build, C SOSA, LAYC Career Academy, Next Step, and so others might eat are truly doing exceptional work with candidates who do not qualify for DVOES funded workforce programs.

This is the second year of funding cuts, cutting approximately three million in local funds over two years.

I implore you to preserve their existing levels of funding at minimum.

Similarly, I am crushed to see cuts to UDC's workforce development and lifelong learning division.

I've been so impressed by the caliber of candidates coming out of WDLL construction programs.

At DC Bills DC's most recent interview event, WDLL candidates were considered job ready by employers and offered rates at higher at higher offered roles at higher rates than the rest of the interview event attendees.

Moreover, Michael Proctor of the WDLL team was recently featured at a DC Builds DC panel on the changes they have made to the construction programming based on feedback from DC Builds DC industry leaders.

With all of the job opportunities on the horizon in the construction trades and in the city, I believe it is short-sighted to eliminate programming that effectively prepares students and residents for these good jobs.

Here's what I'm happy to see.

The city's sustained investment of $200,000 in the education through employment data system will help the office launch new public-facing dashboards to measure the impact of the district's education and workforce programs.

ETEP is also focused on building out dashboards for schools and LEAs to understand their alumni college and career outcomes, a tool that is critically needed and that schools have long requested.

The city's inclusion of formula funding tied to programmatic weight in the UPSF to support the sustainability and planned expansion of the advanced technical center is fantastic news.

The ATC provides students from across the city with exactly the type of career asset building opportunities they need and want.

Thank you for your continued leadership and support of important career pathways investment for our district, its residents and industry.

I'm happy to answer any questions.

She's here.

The challenge with your testimony is that I don't understand exactly what I don't understand the underlying complaint.

So you said you've raised serious concerns related to student safety and school climate.

I don't quite know what that means.

You said you and others.

I don't quite know what that means because all I see is further in your statement reference to your own children.

Not any other families.

And you say they were recorded as having 27 to 92 absences.

I assume that range is because there's more than one child.

So one was 27, another was 92.

I can't tell whether that was accurate or inaccurate.

And then you speak of safety.

But I don't know what that means.

And then you complain that CFSA is limited.

Yeah.

Which suggests something more serious.

Yes.

So what I mean is that we reached out to all the appropriate channels.

First with the teachers and school leadership, board of trustees.

Well, hopefully.

And then the public charter school.

No, I don't want to press too much if this is not the wrong setting.

But what were you reaching out about?

So this goes back to my February 25th testimony.

Which I do not remember.

And it was teachers hitting children.

Hitting.

Yes.

Okay.

And there was I have to go through this again.

No, well, so that would be a physical abuse.

Yes.

Okay.

Did you bring that to CFSA's attention?

So as a first-time parent.

As a what?

As a first-time parent.

Okay.

In an education system.

And I had no idea like what was protocol, and especially it coming from like this prestigious education system that's, oh yes, you ying is a number one school.

So I, in good faith, trusted what they were telling me.

Okay.

Even though I brought it up to them, like all of these issues.

There were multiple incidents of hitting of children.

Yes.

Okay.

And what were the ages of the children?

They were three years old.

Three?

Yes.

Okay.

Three years old.

And then subsequently it happened also to four-year-olds.

Okay.

The next year.

When did this happen?

As in this year.

So it was in 2023 to 2024.

Those are my complaints.

When I left the school, I left an explicit letter detailing everything that once I told my children that they weren't going back, they started confining more information.

And I submitted that information to the school, never got a response back.

Okay.

Then the following year, there were other accounts.

Again, I'm just saying others because not everybody is comfortable speaking up.

Sure.

And everyone is afraid of retaliation.

So I think I understand better.

Can I ask that you work with Ms.

McNeely, who's sitting to my right?

And we can try to pursue this.

There may be too much time that has passed.

But physical abuse is a form of abuse, and that should be reported to child and family services agency.

I did.

And I reported as well to MPD.

And reported this situation also to the district agent, the education agencies, and everyone just refers back to, oh, that's a charter issue.

And also with the charter school board, it's the same loop.

Okay, I understand.

Please we're each out to um Miss McNeely.

And we will uh try to get a little bit more involved here.

Okay, thank you.

I do not have questions for any of the rest of you.

Those of you who are here in person, if I'd brought my gold stars, I would give them to you, although that would be very unfair because I didn't offer that to any other in-person witnesses, but thank you all very much.

And I'm gonna go to the last group of witnesses.

Then we'll go to government, but I'll probably take about a 15-minute recess after we're done with the um public, the non-government witnesses.

Uh Marie Mall.

Are you Miss Maul?

Excellent.

Uh Will Lopez.

I don't see Eddie DeLeon.

Dylan Goover.

John Glover.

We may have a problem.

Let's see, James Morgan.

Okay.

And Sarah Lewis.

She was four six seven.

All right.

Ms.

Maul.

Turn your microphone on.

Thank you, Councilmember Mendelson and members of the committee as a whole for this opportunity to speak today.

My name is Marie Maul, and I am the Teen Center Program Director at the Latin American Youth Center in Columbia Heights.

I'm also a member of the DC out of school time coalition, representing more than 60 organizations that provide quality out-of-school time programming all across the district, and I'm here to testify about the proposed OST budget.

LAYC has been serving DC community since 1968.

LUYC works with nearly 4,000 young people and their families annually to develop skills, confidence, and support young people to make the successful transition to adulthood.

LAYC is a multi-service organization providing housing, counseling, education, workforce, wellness, and of course OST programming.

The Teen Center space is the home of OST at LAYC, providing programming in art, media, leadership, and food and nutrition to 340 young people last year.

Located in the basement of our building on Columbia Road Northwest, the Teen Center is a hub where middle and high school young people can explore their passions and get connected to the support and resources they may need.

We meet young people where they're at.

Whether a youth wants to get a hot snack, lounge with friends, get homework assistance, or play a game, or they want to join a program and learn to paint a mural, conduct an interview for WLAYC radio, support food justice with LAYC EATES, our food pantry, or be part of TC CORD to lead events.

Young people need to have choices and opportunities that engage their curiosity.

For middle and high school age youth, programs like ours provide three critical needs.

One, that it gives them spaces outside of school to develop interests and passions they may not even know they had.

Secondly, to provide a safe space for young people to build their independence and develop their social emotional skills.

Finally, to build relationships with caring adults and with each other to create a community where they can be themselves and they can belong a home away from home.

The OST funding LAYC receives for school year and summer programming provides a critical foundation of support that makes teen centered programming possible.

The OST grant funding does not um when OST grant funding does not increase, staff salaries are also flat.

No cost of living increases results in staff turnover.

Youth work is built, as I said, on trusting relationships.

Every time a good youth worker decides to leave for economic reasons, there's a loss for the young people, the program, and the team.

Additionally, all is all OST funding should be recurring.

Year-to-year grants create uncertainty.

It's hard to plan and work towards a larger vision.

If you aren't sure your program will exist next year.

Okay.

And I don't have a copy of your statement if you can provide that.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chairperson, members of the council.

My name is William Lopez.

I am the president of Build Within, a certified business enterprise headquartered right here in the District of Columbia and a national apprenticeship intermediary that has supported more than 15,000 apprentices across the country.

We know workforce development.

It's not a side function for us.

It's our core mission.

And that experience gives us a clear-dive view of what works and what doesn't.

In DC, we have had the privilege of partnering with the DC Department of Employment Services to connect district residents to real jobs with real wages through apprenticeship pathways.

We also serve as conveners of the Capital Workforce Investment Council that connects employers, training providers, and DC governments, all with the purpose to better serve DC residents.

We built and operate Skillsnation.org, the front door for DC residents to access workforce programs in one place.

And through Skills Nation, residents of uh can access pathways to public service, the college fellowship program, and other WIOA funding training programs.

It is also where DC residents can enroll directly in training programs like UDC's PMP, project management, certification and data analytic courses.

I'm here to support Talent Capital AI, which was created with a specific and serious purpose to serve federally displaced workers in our region.

When federal employees began losing their jobs, this platform stood up to meet that crisis.

Using artificial intelligence to map workers' uh existing skills, identify transferable pathways, and connect them to training and employment opportunities across the DMV.

It has since expanded to serve the broader DC workforce.

A resident who comes to Talent Capital doesn't just get a job board.

The platform uses AI powered skill matches to assess what they already know and where they can go.

It connects them to training and certification programs, including those available through Skills Nation.

It surfaces networking events to help them build careers, and it points residents towards resources like the DC Small Business Development Center and DSLBD if they want to start a business rather than find a job.

And it helps them apply for positions directly, sourcing jobs with a level of accuracy that generic platforms simply cannot match because the matching is built on skills, not just on keywords.

And additional investment would take this opportunity further.

The funds would be used to bring employers directly onto the site, creating a two-sided marketplace where DC residents and DC employers find each other through the same intelligence system.

That means we can begin tracking the full life cycle from skills assessment to training to job applications to hire.

The district would have an end-to-end visibility into whether the workforce investments are actually producing employment outcomes.

When Talent Capital AI identified real demand for project management professional certification, we responded.

We developed a PMP program in partnership with George Washington University, supported by UDC, and made it available to displaced DC residents.

We moved fast because the intelligence was clear and the need was real.

Build within has the technology and the track record of success in serving district residents.

Talent Capital.ai is the connective tissue of DC workforce system.

And right now, with so many residents navigating navigating uncertainty, it has been more necessary.

Thank you for continuing to support this investment.

Thank you, Mr.

Lopez.

Are you testifying the Build Within is the point of your testimony that the partnership between the district government and your company has been positive, or are you testifying that there's a funding cut and they're going to be adversely affected?

No, that it's been positive.

That's my testimony today.

Okay.

Thank you.

Eddie DeLeon.

Great.

Good afternoon, Chairman Chairman Mendelson, members of the committee and staff.

My name is Eddie Delione.

I am a Ward 5 resident, a new parent, and until recently, a displaced worker navigating one of the most disorienting periods of my life.

I'm here today because the city showed up for me, and I want to make the case that you should let it do the same for others.

I spent 13 years as a federal contractor.

In that time, I built a career, started a family, and bought my house here in DC.

I was impacted by a reduction in force, and my position was eliminated as my daughter turned six months old.

What followed was a stretch of months that I won't forget.

Days were for taking care of my daughter, evenings for job were for job applications, upskilling, interview prep, and whatever I could do to stay competitive in this labor market.

During that time, I came across a talent capital initiative.

Based on my resume, I matched with this project management professional program sponsored by DOES using WIO funds.

This certification is something I wanted to pursue for years, but time and cost had always been barriers.

Through talent capital and DOES, those barriers were removed.

I passed my PMP exam with a score above target, received my certification, and was offered a job by Build Within itself.

My story is one, but the infrastructure that made it possible can serve thousands.

Build within is headquartered here in DC and is a company that walks the walk.

They hired from city sponsored training pipelines, and I am living proof of what that looks like.

Now that I work in this space, I see what it takes to maintain an initiative like Talent Capital in all of its supporting programs.

It requires sustained investment, coordination, and commitment.

We are at a pivotal moment.

AI is reshaping the labor market faster than most workers can track.

The question isn't whether DC residents will be affected because we already know that they are.

The question is whether the city will meet them where they are or leave them to figure it out alone.

I was not left alone, and because of that, I'm standing here today, employed in raising my daughter in a city that I love.

Please fund the talent capital initiative and the supporting teams at DOES and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

DeLeon.

Dylan Groover, who is online.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson and members of the Council.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.

My name is Dylan Gruver, and I serve as the Chief People Officer at Friendship Public Charter School, where we support students and families across the district.

I firmly believe, and I have directly seen that teachers are the most important factor in student achievement.

That belief drives our commitment to investing in and retaining excellent educators across our network.

Our educator retention numbers are amongst the highest in the city, reflecting both the strength of our staff and the intentional investments we make in supporting them.

Among these investments, we recognize and celebrate our very best teachers, provide performance-based bonuses, support professional development and promotion from within, and solicit and act upon feedback from our teachers and leaders.

At Friendship, we currently employ 409 active teachers, and we are deeply committed to providing competitive and sustainable compensation.

Our teacher salary scale is compatible, is comparable to the District of Columbia public school system, with step increases built in each year to reward experience and continued growth.

Like DCPS, we have also built in a 3% cost of living adjustment with step increases on top of that, ensuring competitiveness and teacher pay.

The average teacher salary at Friendship is $94,000.

And as we implement our promised teacher scale next year, that average will increase to 100,000.

At the same time, we are managing significant fixed costs that are essential to operating safe and effective schools.

Utilities alone cost friendship nearly $3 million last year.

These are not discretionary expenses.

We have no ability to negotiate away utilities or telecom costs.

They are fundamental to school operations and directly tied to life safety requirements for our students and staff.

To maintain parity with the DCPS salary scale, teacher salaries at Friendship are increasing more than the UPSF.

Fixed costs are rising and reset and resources are being distributed unevenly across the sector.

We want to compete, not against DCPS, but for the interests of our educators and students, so that they can reach their full potential, but it is not an equal playing field.

We ask for fair and equitable funding for all schools across the District of Columbia.

All students deserve access to high performing, caring teachers who could be a consistent part of their support network year after year.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Thank you, Mr.

Groover.

Oh, and I don't have a copy of your statement if you want to share it.

John Glover.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson and staff.

My name is John Glover.

I'm a Ward 5 resident, a charter school board member, and a charter school employee, but I am here today in my most important role as a parent of two daughters, Lucy and Joni, both of whom attend charter schools.

Like all parents across the city, I want my girls to have every opportunity to learn, to grow, to be inspired, and to thrive.

I appreciate you, Chairman Mendelson, and this council for const consistently investing in children and in schools, and I recognize that this is a tough budget year laden with difficult decisions.

But I am struggling to understand why the consequences of those decisions continue to fall so unevenly on charter schools.

They are educators and their students.

We are asking charter schools to do the same work, serve the same students, and meet the same expectations as DCPS, while providing them significantly fewer resources to do it, and this budget makes that gap even wider.

My girls are no different than their friends who go down the street to boroughs, but this budget treats them as less than.

As others have testified, the proposed budget leads to charter schools receiving about $2,000 less per student for operating funds, to say nothing of disparities in capital funding.

All of this undercuts the basic premise of the uniform per student funding formula.

It's supposed to be uniform and fair, but when large amounts of funding are moved outside of the formula and directed only to one system, it no longer functions that way.

Chairman Mendelson, when previously talking about the importance of schools first in budgeting, you said it clearly.

Schools need more money, not less, and no school, especially those serving at-risk students, should be forced to take budget cuts.

I agree with that.

And I believe those values should apply to every public school in the city, not just DCPS.

And I believe those values should apply both in lean times and in times of money.

Instead, Mr.

Chairman, the office of the DME is referencing your prior moves to support schools first as a justification for moving even more money outside of the formula, which means many schools, including those serving at-risk students, will be forced to take budget cuts.

For as long as dollars are pulled out of the formula and directed only to DCPS like this, it is very hard to move past this unhealthy and unhelpful dynamic of us versus them.

Nearly 75% of public school students in DC attend a school other than their neighborhood school.

All of those families are looking for the best fit and the best option for their children.

And they don't expect those choices will be punished by providing fewer resources.

I simply cannot wrap my head around why my children, their school, and their teachers should have to absorb disproportionate cuts so that another system is protected.

At the end of the day, these are all public school students, and they should be treated the same.

If there are additional resources, they should be shared equally.

And if there are not enough, all schools should be asked to cut equally.

I urge the council to revisit this proposal and move us toward a system that truly funds students fairly, no matter what public schools they attend.

I ask you to demonstrate your values in this budget, even when it is hard, because we are missing the mark in what is right and fair and what has been trans as in what has been transmitted and presented.

Thank you for listening and for your courage to act.

Thank you, Mr.

Clover.

James Morgan, who is online.

Thank you, Chairman Mendelson.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelson and members of the committee of the whole.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.

My name is James Morgan, and I'm the executive director of Higher Achievement and out of school time provider serving middle school scholars across the district.

I'm also proud to share that I'm a member of the DC OST uh out of school time coalition, representing more than 60 organizations providing high quality programming across the city.

Higher Achievement has been serving DC students since 1975, combining rigorous academic support, high school readiness mentoring, and strong consistent relationships with caring adults.

We currently operate in four DCPS middle schools and one charter school.

And our program is free for families, but it costs approximately 120,000 per site each year to deliver the level of quality and impact our scholars deserved.

I am here today to urge the council to reserve an increased funding for the deputy mayor of education's OST grants.

After three years of flat funding, providers like higher achievement are experiencing what are effectively budget cuts due to inflation.

The rising costs of staffing, transportation, and supplies are making it extremely difficult to balance budgets without directly impacting the number of students we can serve and the quality of programming we provide.

At higher achievement, over the past two years, we have already had to make hard decisions to balance our budget, eliminating roles and redesigning staffing structures, delaying hires, limiting expansion, and stretching staff capacity.

These are not abstract challenges.

They directly affect the consistency of relationships and the level of support our scholars receive.

OST programs are not one-time services.

They rely on stability and continuity to be effective, and when funding is uncertain or insufficient, that stability can be disrupted.

If the OSD grants budget were increased by the 3.2% needed to keep pace with inflation, it would allow programs to maintain current service levels, retain high quality staff, and continue providing safe, productive, and enriching spaces for our scholars.

A larger increase, closer to 10%, would allow programs to expand access and serve more students who are currently on waiting lists.

I also want to highlight the importance of ensuring that all is all OST funding is recurring.

One-time funding creates uncertainty that makes it difficult to plan hire and sustain programming.

Our scholars and their families depend on us year after year, and we need funding structures that reflect that reality.

At a time when families are facing increasing economic pressure and students need more support than ever, OST programs are essential.

They provide safe spaces, academic support, and meaningful relationships that help young people thrive.

Thank you for your time and your continued commitment to DC's youth.

I urge the council to sustain, strengthen, and invest in the OSD ecosystem so all young people in the district have access to the opportunities they deserve.

Thank you again, Chairman.

Thank you, Mr.

Morgan.

Uh Sarah Lewis, who's also virtual.

Yes, good afternoon, Chairman Mendelssohn and Council.

I am uh Dr.

Lewis, executive director of Achievement Prep Public Charter School.

We serve about 435 scholars in Ward Eight.

And this year makes, of course, 30 years of public charter schools in DC, three decades of expanding access and opportunity for families across the city, as you well know.

We are grateful for the proposed increase to the UPSFF and for the district's continued investment in public education.

At Achievement Prep, we serve a population that reflects both the promise and the responsibility of this work.

Approximately 80% of our scholars are designated at risk, and 21% receive a range of special education services.

These are scholars who require and deserve intentional, well-resourced support.

And we are seeing what is possible when that support is in place.

Over the past two years, we've increased teacher retention by 25% and maintained 100% senior leader retention for three consecutive years.

Our scholars are making incremental but meaningful academic progress, and our teachers are committed to the work.

With increased enrollment year over year, families are choosing us, staying with us, and entrusting us with what we like to call our most important, their most important persons every day.

And with that trust comes increased responsibility and higher expectations for what we are able to provide.

That progress and that trust depend on sustained and equitable investment.

There remains a meaningful gap in how charter schools and scholars are funded compared to their peers.

And when funding decisions happen outside of the formula, it creates real constraints for schools like ours.

And those constraints show up in very tangible ways.

At achievement prep in equitable funding means we are constantly weighing decisions like whether we can offer competitive compensation to recruit and retain strong educators, whether we can fully staff classrooms, intervention blocks, and critical support roles, whether we can expand high dosage tutoring and small group instruction for scholars who are not yet on grade level, whether we can sustain high quality services for our scholars with IEPs without overextending our staff, whether we can provide strong social emotional and trauma-informed supports for scholars and families, maintain enriched opportunities like arts, athletics, et cetera, and whether we can invest in curriculum coaching and professional development at the level required for strong instruction.

These are real decisions that directly impact the experience and the trajectory of the young people we serve.

Funding for public school scholars in DC should be consistent, transparent, and equitable across sectors.

We are committed to continuing our work in partnership with the district to deliver strong outcomes for our scholars, and it's ensuring equitable funding is a critical part of making that possible.

At the end of the day, this comes down to whether we are willing to resource every child in this city as if they matter equally because they do.

Thank you so much for your time and for your leadership.

I had a couple notes here.

Mr.

Grover, I falsely accused you of not submitting your statement.

I do have it, so that was my bad.

Mr.

Morgan, I will repeat what I said to a witness some time ago.

Given the number of cuts across the board with the mayor's proposed budget, I think it's highly unlikely that we will be able to increase funding for OST programs.

I think we're pretty lucky that the mayor didn't cut it.

In fact, there is a challenge, and you spoke to multi-year assurance or recurring funding.

That is one of the problems we have with the mayor's submission, is that it shows, if I remember correctly, about a $10 million cut after FY27.

So I agree that it ought to be recurring on a consistent basis.

But to increase for 27% is probably going to be difficult.

Mr.

Glover, I think you make the point very well, and you're not the first to make the point about the unequal funding between the two sectors and the fact that it is inconsistent with the theory or the actual policy behind our public education system, which is that we have a charter sector, we have DCPS, and they are the sectors or the LEAs are to be funded on a pro-pub basis, and that's not what's happening.

I don't know what we're going to be able to do about it, but we're going to try.

So thank you for that.

And the others of you, thank you for your testimony as well.

That's gonna conclude all of the public witness testimony.

As I said before, I'm gonna take a break before we turn to the government.

The time is 108 and uh 15 minutes would be 123.

What is that?

Uh so the time is 108.

We will do our best to reconvene at 125.

Let's come back together.

Um we have government witnesses now and the government witnesses in this order, I'm going to call up Kenneth Owens Executive Director of District of Columbia State Athletic Association, Jacques Patterson, who's president of the State Board of Education, Kimberly Humphrey, who is Ombudsman in the Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education, and Dan Davis, who is the Chief Student Advocate Office of Student Advocate.

After these four, which I'm guessing will be half an hour to an hour, uh, we'll turn to UDC.

Um and that I have on the list, Dr.

Morris Eddington.

And then after UDC, we will turn to the deputy mayor for education, Paul Kine.

And I'm guessing an hour, maybe a little longer with UDC.

So um Mr.

Owens, do you want to go first?

Sure.

Chairman, members of council and staff, good afternoon.

My name is Kenneth Owens, and I'm probably serve as the executive director of the District of Columbia State Athletic Association.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the ADC's budget and the continued importance of investing in interest classic athletics across the district.

DCSA serves as the official statement body for interschool asset athletics in the district.

Our mission is not simply to administer championships, it is to create opportunities for young people to grow as students, athletes, and leaders in their schools and communities across our great city.

As someone who grew up in Washington, DC, benefited from school-based athletics and later competitive at the collegiate level.

At DCSA, we work every day to ensure that more students across the district have the access to these experiences.

Studies repeatedly show the importance of industrial asset athletics in the development of our young people.

We continue to host events at high-level collegiate venues, which gives our student athletes a first class championship experience.

And more importantly, exposure to college campuses and coaches.

These opportunities matter.

For many of our young people, simply competing in those environments make college feel real and obtainable.

We have also placed a strong emphasis on strengthening girls' sports across the district.

This year, DCSAA again hosted a girls' wrestling invitational as part of our ongoing effort to create more opportunities for female student athletes to compete and grow.

In addition, in partnership with the Washington Commanders, the DCSAA this weekend will announce that it is set to become one of the first state athletic associations in the country to sanction girls' flag football as a championship sport with the first state championship tournament set for 2027.

These efforts reflect our commitment to expanding access, promoting equity, and ensuring that girls from every corner of the district have the same opportunity to participate, compete, and thrive through athletics.

We have also continued to grow participation and visibility in the district athletics.

DCSAA Middle School Championship offerings have expanded opportunities for younger student athletes and helped create stronger pipelines into high school sports.

Our partnership with schools, athletic directors, coaches, colleges, and community organizations have strengthened the overall athletic ecosystem in the district.

Through the NFHS network, more games and events are being broadcast, giving schools, families, and communities greater access to student student athlete achievement.

In addition, DCSAA has continued to focus on compliance, eligibility, and accountability.

Through systems such as Dragonfly and through direct support to member schools, we work to ensure that student athletes are properly certified, schools understand their responsibilities, and competitions are conducted fairly and consistently.

That operational work may not always be the most visible, but is critical to maintaining safety, integrity, and trust across district athletics.

Like many agencies, DCSAA has had to navigate budget pressure and reduction.

Those constraints are real, and they have a direct impact on our ability to deliver the level of programming and services district students deserve.

The cost of hosting safe, high-quality championship championships and events continues to rise.

Venue rental, security, emergency services, transportation, staffing, equipment, officials, event operations, all require resources.

These are not optional expenses.

They are necessary to ensure safe, organized, and meaningful experience for student athletes and their families.

This is especially important as we continue expanding programming, including new opportunities in girls' sports while managing rising event and operational costs.

Despite these challenges, DCSAA has remained committed to putting students first.

We have worked hard to maintain strong events, deserve opportunities, and continue growing participation.

But it's important to be clear.

Any reductions are insufficient investment will directly affect our ability to sustain and expand work that has made DCSAA such a valuable asset to the district.

Budget support for DCSAA is not simply investment in games and championships.

It's an investment in youth development, school culture, public safety, academic engagement, and community pride.

Athletics gives students a reason to stay connected to school.

For some students, they are the reason they remain in school.

Athletics provide structure, mentorship, and purpose.

They create positive pathways and help young people see themselves as part of something bigger than themselves.

A strong DCA, DCSAA also supports equity.

Because we serve students across sectors, our work helps ensure that access to quality athletic opportunities is not determined solely by zip code, school type, or available local resources.

That matters in a city like ours, where athletics can and should be a bridge across communities.

As the council considers the budget, I respectfully ask you fully support DCSAA with the resources necessary to fulfill its mandate.

Continued investment is essential to sustained championship operations, support compliance and eligibility oversight, expand opportunities for student athletes, continue to build building equitable access to sports across all school sectors.

Any reduction in resources will directly affect our ability to deliver safe, high-quality events and to continue the progress we have made, growing participation and strengthening programming, particularly for underserved students and emerging girls' sports.

I also want to acknowledge the many partners who helped make this work possible.

Our school leaders, coaches, athletic directors, officials, staff, college and venue partners, public charter school partners, DC public schools, participating private schools, and the council members and community leaders who attend and support our events.

Their collaboration helps us create an experience that our student athletes will remember for the rest of their lives.

DCSAA has shown the strategic investment in intersclasting athletics produces real returns for young people and for the district.

With the council's support, we can continue to build a system that reflects excellence, equity, and opportunity for every student athlete in Washington, D.C.

Thank you for your time, your support, and your commit continued commitment to the student athletes of the District of Columbia.

I'm happy to answer the questions.

Thank you, Mr.

Owens.

Jacques Patterson is the president of the State Board.

Mr.

Chairman, members of the Council of the District of Columbia and staff, thank you for holding this hearing today to discuss the fiscal year 2026 budget needs of the DC State Board of Education.

I am Dr.

Jacques Patterson, the at-large representative and president of the State Board.

I am testifying today on behalf of the agency.

Our testimony today will reflect on the State Board's accomplishments, stewardship, and plans to continue to serve as the public's voice in education through the fiscal year 2027 budget.

Specifically, the board will demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the critical initiatives that shape the educational landscape in the District of Columbia.

Last fiscal year, the State Board held 11 public meetings, 12 working sessions, and 45 committee meetings.

We heard and received testimony on various topics, including high school graduation requirements, education governance, safe passage, chronic absenteeism and truancy, teacher retention, indoor air quality updates, and out-of-school time programming.

Programmatically, the SBOE hosted a robust series of expert panels on various education topics.

This public panels range from high, highly technical issues such as indoor air quality to student-centered concerns, such as bullying and in several cases, these explorations informed concrete calls for action.

For example, in December 2024, the State Board hosted a panel to explore the benefits and drawbacks of in-school cell phone restrictions.

In February 2025, the State Board passed SR 25-2 calling for the elimination of student cell phone usage during the school day and transmitted it to the D.C.

Council, which then passed B26-0073, the Heads Up Distraction Free Learning Amendment Act of 2025 in July 2025.

The Board also passed resolutions to elevate civic engagement civic education among D.C.

students, SR 25-12, to ensure equity and access to grafting calculators for high school students, SR 25-5, and to support public funding for charter school athletics, SR 25-A.

As a result of expanded LEA engagement and strategic recruit recruitment, the State Board's Student Advisory Committee saw an impressive increase in membership from 90 to 150 high school students, solidifying student voice as a central force in policymaking.

You have a committee of 150 members?

Yes, sir.

And they all meet at once?

Most of them come on a regular basis.

They're usually you're seeing 70 to 80 students coming to meet on the times that they meet during the month.

So, yes, sir.

They turn out and they show up.

Yes, sir.

And do they vote on things?

Yes, they do.

And actually, last night, they always issue our equity reports on any type of resolution that we're doing.

So, yes, they do vote.

They're very big as far as R of our policy making in any resolution that we that we do, sir.

Yes, sir.

And they also were highlighted recently at our NASBEA conference, at our NASBEA conference.

Our students were highlighted as one of the most effective student advisory councils in the nation, in the country.

So, yes, yes, sir.

That's a lot of kids.

Okay.

All right, sir.

Thank you.

I'll try to find my place again.

One of the hallmarks of our work this fiscal year has been our focus on being good stewards of public funds.

Thanks to the council's FY 2026 budget allocations, we have hosted the high school graduation requirement task force, are currently supporting the planning and execution of a youth civic leadership summit in partnership with MICVA Challenge and have recently launched focus groups and research on the needs of early career teachers.

SBOE is also using a portion of our FY26 funds to finalize the renovations of the board's operational office to comply with ADA requirements and cover unanticipated Octo assessments.

As the State Board looks forward to FY 2027, we will be doing more with less, similar to other DC agencies.

With all of this in mind, we are still planning an ambitious agenda for the next fiscal year, including executing a set of school visits to evaluate the implementation of education standards that SBOE has passed in FY24 and 25, renovating the SBOE website for improved readability and greater ADA compliance and accessibility, expanding our student advisory committee to at least one student from each DC high school.

The State Board acknowledges the budget constraints facing agencies across the district.

However, SBOE had to make additional cuts to cover an unexpected 90% increase in our octo assessment fees related to software, help desk tickets, wireless internet costs, and cell phone maintenance.

We respectively asked the council to allocate an additional $35,000 in the FY 2027 budget to help SBOE cover these costs.

Moreover, after several outages during our February public meeting, calls by outdated equipment in the 441 Old Council chambers, SBOE can no longer hold hybrid public meetings.

Neither Octo nor DGS have funds to replace the equipment in FY2026.

Despite DGS owning the building, they have invoiced SBOE 38,000, forcing us to suspend hybrid meetings that enable test expert testimony and public participation from afar.

SBOE urges the council to allocate this 38,000 in the FY26 supplemental budget to restore hybrid meeting capabilities.

To close, Mr.

Chairman, while the State Board may be relatively small agency, our impact is undeniable.

Despite limited resources, we have remained steadfast in amplifying community voices, elevating student voices, and strengthening interagency collaboration.

Work that the State Board is eager to continue.

We look forward to continuing our work in FY 2027 and further strengthening our impact on education in the district.

Thank you for your time and your consideration, and I welcome any questions you may have.

Thank you.

Why don't we hear from the Ombudsman and then the student advocate?

Hello, good afternoon, Chairman Mendelssohn, members of the committee and staff.

I am Kimberly Humphrey, Ombudsman for Public Education.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the impact of continued investment in our office.

Our office serves as a confidential, neutral, and independent resource for families navigating DC's public and public charter schools.

I have submitted comments, but these are shortened today, so feel free to review my full testimony.

We help resolve concerns related to discipline, safety, special education, communication, attendance, and more, ensuring that families are heard and students are supported.

This work is both high touch and high impact.

So far this school year, we've received 944 hotline contacts and supported over 300 families through case management.

We've also conducted 452 outreach touch points, connecting families with critical resources.

Last year alone, we supported 3,000 families and caregivers.

This reflects both the scale and need and the trust families place in our office.

Our casework is concentrated in key areas, special education, safety, and communication and engagement.

Through case management, we guide families through complex issues of academic progress, student discipline, school placement, and attendance, helping them understand their rights and navigate the systems that can feel overwhelming.

Families often come to us at really difficult moments.

We regularly work with parents who have tried unsuccessfully for weeks or months to get answers, clarifications, and other supports.

They have felt ignored, frustrated, and unsure of what to do next.

By the time they reach us, often communications have completely broken down.

Through our support, we help families and guardians understand their options.

We facilitate more productive conversations, and we work work toward a path forward for that better supports their scholar.

By the end, parents tell us they have felt heard, and more importantly, that their child is getting the support they need.

A critical part of our work is also our impactful DC special education hub.

This year we supported 288 hotline calls and 27 trainings, reaching over 200 participants.

We are expanding multilingual resources and increasing Spanish language trainings so that more families can feel fully can fully understand IEP's 504 plans and their rights under the law.

Importantly, 97% of families report satisfaction with our services.

This tells us this investment is working.

We are also strengthening our outreach and prevention efforts.

Through partnerships, school listening tours tours, excuse me, and new training tools.

We are working to address issues earlier before they escalate.

And when conflict does arise, our mediation services play a critical role.

We help families and schools rebuild trust, improve communication, and reach resolution.

Your investments in the Office of the Ombudsman for Public Education is not just about services.

They enhance access, equity, and trust.

I want to thank Mayor Bowser, this committee, and the entire council for your committed support of our programmatic operations and FTEs.

As the only neutral family-facing office prioritizing dispute resolution, we offer a unique and necessary service that helps build bridges across schools and communities.

I also want to give deepest thanks to the entire Umbuds team, including members of the operations and leadership leadership team here today.

I'll close by returning to the families we serve.

Every day, parents come to us feeling overwhelmed and unheard, and they leave with clarity, support, and a path forward.

This is the impact of our office.

If anybody needs to reach us about school related concerns, educational resources, or has any other questions, we can be reached at 202 741 0886 or via email at Umbudsman at DC.gov.

Thank you for your time and happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Ms.

Humphrey.

Mr.

Davis.

Good afternoon, Chairman Mendelssohn and staff.

My name is Dan Davis, and I serve as a chief student advocate, leading the Office of the Student Advocate.

Office exists to support students, families, and community members as they navigate districts the district's complex public education system.

Our office operates a request for assistance hotline that serves as a critical early warning system for challenges across DC's education landscape.

During school year 2425, we provided individualized coaching and direct support to more than 700 families.

School year 2526, we're on pace to exceed that number, reflecting both both the growing demand for our service and trust families placed in our office as a reliable advocate.

When families contest us, they are often navigating complex and urgent issues that directly impact their children's education.

We provide hands-on individualized support by connecting families with school leadership, attending meetings alongside them, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge, knowledge to advocate effectively.

When issues cannot be resolved at the school level, we coordinate across agencies and community-based organizations to secure solutions.

For many families, we are the only entity ensuring their concerns are heard and addressed.

The data we collect through our RFA provides a clear view into systemic challenges and help us respond, helps us to respond strategically.

Our work's transform individual requests into broad impact by equipping families with accessible tools to advocate for the children, delivering targeted workshops driven by real-time needs, advancing policy recommendations grounded in lived experiences.

Three issues consistently emerge as the most urgent: special education, student safety, and enrollment access.

Special education remains the most significant area of need.

Families frequently seek support navigating IAPs and seeking appropriate services.

In response, we have expanded our know your rights special education workshops and strengthened partnerships with community-based organizations to better reach multilingual families.

Without the support, many families are left to navigate complex education systems on their own, often resulting in delays or gaps in services for students.

At the end of April, we will be collaborating with the DC Developmental Disability Rights Council and School Talk DC to host a student-facing workshop around self-advocacy in their own educational journey.

Student safety continues to be a persistent and growing concern.

Far too often families are seeking out support for issues in school buildings regarding bullying, harassment, peer balance, and/or failures to communicate incidents.

So, school year 1920, we have gathered critical data directly from students across all awards.

This school year, our work will culminate in our upcoming biannual student safety report, which we share our day, share our data from student focus groups, student safety family surveys, and uncompany student-led videos.

Enrollment access highlights enrollment access, continues to highlight highlights systemic barriers preventing students from accessing education, particularly among unhoused and immigrant families.

Challenges related to documentation service access and school placement disapportionately disproportionately affect these communities.

In response, we have we have expanded direct outreach and strengthened partnerships with trusts, trusted organizations, including Community Hope, Edge Brooklyn Family Support Collaborative, The Brooks, the Terrell, and Hortons Kids.

This targeted report helps us assure that the families facing the greatest bears are not left behind.

Working collaboratively with the DC Developmental Rights Council, we have shared information on DC educational landscape and special education rights at community forums.

These sessions have been offered in Spanish and with an amortic interpretation when presenting to the Ethiopian era tree and special needs community.

Since the beginning of school year 25-26, we have reached more than 2100 families through direct assistance, workshops, and community engagement.

This growth reflects both increasing demand and the effectiveness of our approach.

Our strategic partnerships allow us to extend our reach into communities that are often hardest to engage.

We have delivered a targeted workshops and community settings and shelters, expanded multilingual programming, including Spanish language sessions and a marked interpretation, and embedded service directly, embedded service directly in trusted community spaces.

These efforts ensure that families with the highest needs can access support where they already are.

We are equally committed to empowering empowering students as advocates for their own education.

We are doing this through initiatives like student fests in partnership with DHS Youth Service Division, actively engaging students who struggle with attendance with opportunities to get back to get back on track or to stay on track.

Our upcoming youth leadership summit, our upcoming youth leadership summit partnership with the Mickley DC, SBOE, and Ed Trust creates a direct pathways for students to engage with decision makers and shape policy solutions.

Our work ensures student voice is not symbolic.

It leads to action and better outcomes for students and families.

Students are developing advocacy plans, presenting their priorities, and receiving commitments from leaders.

This work is critical to building stronger, more responsive school community school communities.

Despite this growing impact, our office remains a small team operating at maximum capacity.

We currently have five full-time staff members supported by two grad fellows.

Every team member contributes across direct service, policy, outreach, and operations.

Demand for our service continues to rise, but our staffing has not kept pace.

An additional investment would allow us to convert a part-time grad fellow position into a full-time role would expand our capacity, would expand our capacity by approximately 20 percent.

This is a modest, this is a modest high impact investment that results in serving more families, faster response times, expanded outreach to high needs to communities, stronger policy insights driven by real-time data.

Without investments amid increasing without without investment amid increasing demand and rising operational costs, we risk limiting access to critical support for families who rely on our office during some of the most most challenging moments.

We do not duplicate service, we connect them, strengthen them, ensure they reach the families who need them the most.

We are grateful the district has maintained support for work despite budget constraints.

The growth we have achieved is a direct result of the council support and demand for families who rely on us as trusted advocates.

Thank you, Chairman Mendelson, Council members and your teams for continuing to share our resources with your constituents.

If anyone would like to contact our office, we can be reached at 202, 741-4692.

4692.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Give me just a minute.

I'm going to begin with this.

So the Athletic Association is separate from the state board, although we always have you testify together.

Um you're both independent as opposed to subordinate agencies of the mayor.

Um I want to ask about the budget process.

Did you receive a mark from the mayor's budget office for something like an 8% cut?

That question isn't so much whether it was 8%, but did you receive a mark for a cut?

Yes.

And you're going to have to speak into the microphone.

Yes.

We did as well.

I didn't hear that.

We did as well.

Okay.

Yeah.

Um then I assume there was some back and forth with the mayor's budget people to formulate your budget.

Is that correct?

Correct.

Uh not on our end.

Not that I know of.

Well, did they propose more of a cut initially than No, that means less than last year.

It's like 27K.

So that's what they started out with.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um did you request in the budget process for an increase, what I'll call an enhancement.

Start with you, Mr.

Patterson.

No, we did not.

You did not request any sort of a budget.

It wasn't allowed.

Or any request of enhancements now.

Mr.

Owens, did you request an increase or any kind of a budget enhancement?

We did not.

So for the State Athletics Commission.

It's a $25,000 reduction.

I did not hear in your testimony that that's devastating to you.

We have a we have a really lean budget, right?

Like 1.6 million.

So anything that we lose is devastating.

Sorry I wasn't dramatic in the testimony, but it is it does really affect us in especially with us trying to expand the middle school.

And you know, with the flag football growing from 12, we have support from the commanders, but growing from 12 teams or schools to 24 schools.

I mean, with support support from the commanders, it's still uh difficult for us to expand if we continue to get cuts and maintain quality uh programming as well.

So yes, I would like that money back.

And how much is it?

It's like 27,000.

Well, that's the net.

So they increased uh salaries by 11,000.

It's not a lot of money.

Decreased fringe by 5,000.

Increased energy by 12,000, cut other services and charges by 43,000.

What is that cut?

Uh I'm not sure.

I have to ask my finance guy.

All right.

Um while I have you.

The Title IX Athletic Equity Act of 2015 requires all DCPS and public charter schools to submit detailed annual data to you, the State Athletic Association across 14 categories, including participation by gender, staffing, compensation, expenditures, facilities, academic outcomes.

DC SAA is then required to compile this information into a public report, which has not been produced since 2018.

What barriers have prevented you from completing this report?

Well, we've we haven't submitted it, but we do have uh yesterday I submitted several reports.

Um it didn't contain all the information.

Uh the challenge is always to get the individual schools to submit their report um when we request it.

Um then are us honestly being consistent with the request.

Uh so one thing that we we continue to have is the numbers um the of girls participants in by esport and boys' participants by e-sport.

Those are the numbers that we have since uh 2019.

So do I understand that you have submitted just this week uh reports?

Yeah.

For what years?

From 2019 to 206-27 to current.

Current, yes.

But not all that information I just mentioned.

I'm sorry.

But not all the information I just mentioned.

Correct.

What information is missing?

So I mentioned.

It depends on the year.

I I know for the majority of the years we don't have the coaches' salaries, and you know, nobody's really submitted that to us.

Um again, the the main thing that we do have is the participation uh between girls and boys.

That's consistent through all the years since 2019.

Um are the schools is it schools who report or the LEAs who report?

The schools.

Well, DCPS, right?

They they report, they they collect the data as well, right?

But we also collect it from them.

So we have all the DCPS schools, and then the charters report, the individual LEAs uh report directly to us.

So like you get one report from Friendship, one report from KIP?

Correct.

Um any of the uh LEAs resistant?

I wouldn't say so.

Do they provide all the information?

No.

You know, you have to continue to go back and continue to ask to get uh get the information you need.

Um it's a process.

And to be honest, we used to have uh an employee that was her full-time job.

Um you know, when she transitioned, the position changed.

Um her full-time job was you know, how many of these people to get these reports in?

And uh, you know, she transitioned to another uh job and into a school, and when we're hiring um we kind of hired in a different direction.

Um so you know, we're looking to get a contractor that can kind of I mean it's a lot of work uh to put that that report together.

So we're looking to get a contractor that can, you know, work part-time and and working to get that report so we're consistently have the the data uh when we cross request it.

In your testimony, Mr.

Owens, you mentioned plans to continue expanding programming, including new opportunities for girls' sports.

Is this gonna add cost to you?

Absolutely.

Uh absolutely.

I I mean we would like to continue, for instance, our with our middle school uh basketball, I think we started off with six teams and then uh we went to twelve teams because there was so much interest in it.

Um and that costs money, right?

Uh officials, uh, you know, extended gym time and things like that cost money.

Uh you know, we've had requests to uh do track uh baseball middle school.

This is all stuff that you know we want to do, but it's gotta be something that we can sustain, right?

We want to don't want to create a middle school championship that we do for one year, and then the following year we're not able to do it anymore.

So I mean our goal is is to expand the middle school, um, even create, you know, uh similar to what we have as far as like the structure of the rules, we want to create that on the middle school level, so all the charter schools are all the private schools and all the uh uh public schools are playing against playing with the same rules.

Like for instance, you know, we've got this big sponsorship with uh commanders coming up and a big press conference or Sunday on the mall.

And you know, one thing that's uh issue when we have these playoffs, it's the charter schools use a different type of uh flag football belt than the D CPS schools use.

So little things like that and just kind of you know, uh making sure everybody's using the same equipment and playing by the same rules.

I'd like a little bit more information about how much more it would cost.

So does it cost by sport or cost by school?

Well, for us, it's cost by sport.

And so how much does it cost to expand one sport?

It depends on the sport.

Like I mean So football is nine games a year, that number of balls like 160 games a year.

Yeah, but so the way it works is that individual schools are are responsible or the LEAs are responsible for for their uh regular season games, right?

The playoff games are what we control, right?

So depending on like we had you know, we gotta pay for go to Howard, we gotta pay for Howard, we gotta pay for the officials, uh, we gotta pay for EMTs, we gotta pay uh um for trainers.

So and the amount of time like a football game lasts much longer than a soccer game.

So it it varies between sports, right?

A soccer game is 90 minutes, a football game could last four hours, right?

So you're paying the EMTs to be there, you're paying the trainers to be there, uh, you're paying for the facility uh, you know, for extended period of time.

So it I mean I can get you information for sure, but it's definitely it's not something I can just come up off the top of my head and kind of tell you what what the amount is, but I'm more than happy to uh break down what the cost of like each one of our sports uh if we have if we're hosting a game, what it will cost, and depending on the venue.

All right.

If you can provide more detail, that would be helpful.

All right, second year.

This is kind of an interesting question.

I don't know if you can answer it to either the advocate or the ombudsman.

When you look at the kinds of complaints that you're getting or contacts from parents, families.

Are there places where you think the district could save money?

Yes, I think one of the things that we get probably the most are around complaints that deal with incident reporting and kind of the communication or lack of communication that goes with that and some how that leads to a severe mistrust for families and where those families are will legit pull the kids out of that school, seek legal representation and engage in litigation because they felt their child was harmed or the child was received some type of damage without being aware of what happened.

And that is something that can be done fairly better if we had a stronger stronger leadership, a stronger training around fidelity for some of our school leaders and kind of how they are expected to provide some of that customer service.

At the school level, at the school level, correct.

If I heard you correctly, um it stems from poor communication.

Correct.

Not necessarily action, but poor communication, which then creates some friction.

That's one way of characterizing it, which then ends up uh sometimes and leads to folks going to position, going to their corners.

Correct.

Which is more expensive.

Uh thank you for that.

Um Patterson.

President Patterson.

Yes, sir.

Um overall you're looking at a change of 105,000.

Basically, yes, sir.

Now, I didn't hear in your testimony squealing over how this is like going to be devastating and going to be the end.

And in fact, when I look at the budget book.

What the mayor says is that it's uh elimination of one-time funding.

Exactly.

So you spelled it out perfectly.

On the previous budget, what they move they moved some of our funding to one-time funding.

And they took it this year.

So we were kind of anticipating that being taken from us.

So while we may not squeal as loud, so to speak, we do feel that um very real.

So, what kind of one-time things were taken?

I keep looking at my my executive director.

If she can't come up as well.

You can come right here.

Somebody could give up their seat.

Sit here.

Thank you for allowing her to come up.

You should identify yourself for the record.

Good afternoon, Bernie Spotler.

Good afternoon, Bernie Spotler, executive director of the DC State Board of Education.

And so in terms of questions, yes.

Um, the one-time allocations that were included in our cuts were originally not included as one-time cuts.

Um so they were to supplies and to travel, um and to computers.

And so when they gave us that 105 to cut across all three offices, um the Ombudsman, the chief student advocate, and the State Board operations, we went in and obviously supplies cannot be a one-time cut.

So we moved money from other places to ensure that the State Board had the necessary supplies to cover out to cover all of its operations, and we then had to decrease in other areas.

So the areas that we cut in were um the SBOE office will not be buying any new computers.

We completely zeroed out that line for FY27.

We also decreased out-of-city travel to accommodate the 105.

Um, and we also decreased the amount of graduate interns that we would have on the personnel side so that we can move those personnel dollars over to cover not personnel costs.

And I also just wanted to clarify one point.

There was a question about an 8% mark cut.

So the state board did not get an 8% mark cut.

We did get the reduction of the 105, which was one-time funds.

And so there wasn't an additional 8% on top of that.

So what they did was they just said to you, you have one 105 and one time, so we're going to take 105.

You figure out what your budget looks like.

Yes, sir.

And so some of that one time you kept, presumably as recurring, and then you cut some other things.

Yes.

So like we kept our office supplies and cut um computers and out of city travel.

Well, one of the cuts, the biggest was um other services and charges.

Do you know of which office was cut of the services in charge in each programmatic area?

But that's under MPS.

I don't know.

I'd have to look more.

Because all three offices have the exact same line.

We just different offices cut different things to accommodate the 105.

The purchases of equipment and machinery, that would be the computers.

Yes, sir.

Um the 35, is it 35,000 in Octop for Octo?

That's correct, sir.

That's for FY26.

Yes, sir.

So when we submitted our budget to the mayor's team, um we had the Octo assessments that were shared with us.

Um and we cut more because those fees did increase, so we would have to cut even more money to cover the increase in octo assessments.

But in March of like a couple of weeks ago in March, Octo informed us that we would have an additional nineteen thousand dollar annual cost for octo assessment for FY27 that were not shared with us when we submitted our budget to the mayor.

And that nine additional nineteen thousand dollars would be to cover wireless internet charges at our office at 441.

And so they've told us that we already had to go and reprogram money for FY26 to make sure we have internet access, and we need to go and find that money to cover the charges in FY27.

So we didn't even get a chance to include that in what the mayor sent us because Octo didn't share that with us until March.

So we're gonna have to go in automatically, an additional $19,000 in the whole.

And that's annual.

Annual, yes, for wireless internet charges.

And that's not reflected in the budget book?

No, sir, because they did not give us that number until March.

$19,000 a month.

No, a year.

Yeah, yeah.

A year.

And that's for wireless.

Yes, sir.

That pays for the whole building?

No, sir.

That pays for suite $530.

And the Mary and Barry building.

Uh and uh the um President Patterson, you talked about 38,000.

We were just talking about 35.

It's the number is 38, right?

There's another 38 that deals with um Octo, and that's for our ability to have hybrid um meetings.

Um at this particular time, the system that we use has served its license.

Yeah, but no, let's be clear here.

We're talking about, unless I'm wrong.

We're talking about audiovisual in the old council chamber.

That's correct, sir.

That's not your office.

That's not our office.

That's correct.

That's not the octo as far as as the internet.

This is if that's 38,000.

That's 38.

That's 38 for a total of 73 K that they're trying to hold us responsible for at this particular time.

Because if it if if it's 35.

38.

Okay.

I apologize, sir.

So with the 19th century, plus the Board of Education.

I appreciate you, sir.

Uh so that's 19 and the 30 and the 38.

Which comes out to 1740, 57.

Yes, sir.

Is that $19,000 a year?

Is that starting in FY26 or FY27?

So it is started in FY26.

We had to go through a large reprogramming within the last few weeks with our AFO to get money to October for FY26.

And so they did prorate it to start in April because they didn't tell us before then.

So we're paying for we had to reprogram money in FY26 to pay for the wireless internet.

Okay.

And then literally yesterday, Octo billed us for $38,000 for the system that's in the old council chamber for their system.

Yeah.

Understand.

They're quick to send out their invoices.

Yes, they are.

I'm going to change the subject.

So the board submitted to the council uh the expanded authority amendment act.

Is that going to have a cost?

I don't believe we did a budget.

That we looked at it from a from a financial standpoint.

So no, I don't have the answer to that.

Well, if see.

I mean, I'm not sure that this is actually a need, but let's just say that it is that you would get more data.

So somebody has to process the data.

Somebody has to request it, somebody has to process it.

Someone has to process the request again.

And the bill also gives would give the board more authority to initiate policy?

That's correct, sir.

So somebody has to sit around and think up and draft and research new policy.

And then it allows the board to amend policy.

Say that again, sir.

It allows the board to amend policy proposals.

So somebody would need to be thinking there.

Do you have the existing staff to do that?

Mr.

Chairman, uh I was identified yesterday.

No, we don't apologize.

In my office, we call this double dipping.

We saw you this morning.

Thank you.

I just thought you couldn't get enough of me here, Mr.

Chairman.

Well, we can't, because we missed you yesterday.

So uh made up for it today.

But uh anyway, so my name is Eric Goulet, Vice President of the DC State Board of Education and Ward 3 representative.

So I had the pleasure of serving on the the working group that had the myself, uh Representative Henderson from Ward 5, and then Representative Ebony Rose Thompson from Ward 7 that tried to put together uh both the resolution and then the legislative package that has been transmitted to council.

And we tried to make sure that we put together a proposal that was limited and it wouldn't put forth an additional cost at this time on the board.

So that was one of the things that we work towards on this.

Now the initiation aspect is the board asking Aussie to initiate the policy, not the board itself drafting the policy and then putting it forward ourselves.

So it's it's to pass a resolution to get Aussie to initiate it.

So there shouldn't be unforeseen cost from this proposal.

Now, there's been other talk that isn't part of this bill about like the board taking on oversight of Aussie, uh other restructuring of the board.

That could have a fiscal impact and need for more additional staff.

But the way we designed this resolution and bill was to ensure that it didn't require additional staff, and we have staff that do research and policy already.

You have staff already.

Yeah, the that do the the research, the policy of the resolutions the board uh the board passes on a regular basis.

So we didn't believe that ha as simply asking Aussie to initiate policy would create additional workload uh for board staff that they could not uh cover within the existing staff resources we have.

All right.

That may be all the questions I have, but don't get excited yet.

So thank you all.

That was very helpful.

Thank you, Chairman.

I don't know if it seemed like it was helpful, but it was helpful.

So we're gonna turn now to the University of the District of Columbia.

Sometimes it does a long time.

What's tomorrow?

You are getting all excited, and I'm here stalling.

But give me a minute.

Sorry to keep you waiting, President Eddington.

When you're ready.

Oh, thank you, sir.

Good afternoon.

Chairman Mendelssohn, members of the committee of the whole and staff.

I am Maurice Eddington, President of the University of the District of Columbia, the district's public land grant institution.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on the university's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget.

I'm pleased to be joined here at the table by our Chief Academic Officer April Massey, our Chief Financial Officer Rory Lane, and our Chief Operating Officer, David Franklin, and addition, our Board Chair Warner Session is in the audience.

I'd like to begin by thanking Mayor Bowser, Chairman Mendelson, and the members of the Council for your continued partnership and investment in UDC.

Your support ensures that the district's public university remains a cornerstone of access, opportunity, and economic mobility for district residents.

UDC occupies a unique and essential position in the district.

As the only public institution of higher education, we serve as both an access point to affordable, high quality education and the district's most direct workforce engine.

Our students are overwhelmingly district residents, and our mission is closely aligned with the district's economic future, preparing residents for in-demand careers, supporting employers, and strengthening communities across all eight wards.

Now in the third year of my presidency and the second year of implementation of our strategic plan, delivering on the promise, the university is demonstrating clear, measurable progress.

We have stabilized and begun to grow enrollment, strengthens student support, student success supports, elevated our academic and research profile, deepened alignment with workforce needs, and expanded our fundraising capacity.

With the continued partnership and support of the district, this progress has moved from vision to execution, positioning UDC as a national model for urban higher education and economic mobility.

At the same time, we have made meaningful strides in expanding the Student Success Center, increasing advising capacity, improving coordination of student services, and strengthening persistence and completion outcomes.

This progress reflects a deliberate alignment with the district's workforce needs as UDC expands targeted academic programs and high demand fields.

The University has launched the new School of Education and Learning Sciences, strengthening our capacities to prepare the next generation of educators and education leaders for the district while advancing research and innovation in teaching and learning.

We are also advancing the pathways to behavioral health program, expanding academic offerings and workforce partnerships to address critical shortages in the district's behavioral health workforce.

As part of this effort, the Master of Social Work Program remains on track for its next level accreditation review this June, a key milestone in building comprehensive behavioral health pipelines.

In addition, UDC is launching a new paramedicine program in partnership with DC and EMS, creating a critical pipeline to address the district's paramedic shortage.

The mayor's FY27 proposed budget includes several important investments that line up with this trajectory.

First, we appreciate the continued support for the DC Futures program, a critical tool for expanding college access and completion for district residents.

By reducing financial barriers, DC Futures enables more students to enroll, persist, and earn credentials that translate into economic opportunity.

Second, the inclusion of key UDC projects in the district's six-year capital planals a strong commitment to the university's long-term growth.

In particular, we are encouraged by the identification of funding to advance UDC's first student housing project through a public-private partnership.

Student housing will strengthen recruitment and retention, enhance the student experience, and support sustained enrollment growth.

We also appreciate the mayor's inclusion of funding in her FY27 budget to support the critical repair and revitalization of Building 46 UDC's performing arts facility, which is essential to preserving arts education, expanding cultural programming, and ensuring students and the community have access to safe, high-quality creative spaces.

Third, the FY27 budget invests $2.4 million to expand access to advanced technical centers for high school students.

This investment strengthens the district's education to workforce pipeline and aligns with UDC's role in dual enrollment, career connected learning, and pathways into higher demand industries.

While these investments are meaningful and very much appreciated, the proposed budget also represents significant challenges.

Most notably the university's overall funding declines by nearly 13 percent from FY26 to FY27.

This reduction constrains our ability to sustain momentum and deliver on the district's goals for economic growth and workforce development.

To remain aligned with these priorities, UDC requires stable and predictable operating support, particularly for workforce-aligned academic programs, career and technical education pathways, and wraparound student services.

President Edicken, I'm going to interrupt.

You said overall funding declines by nearly 13 percent.

Now it is that including Federal dollars because the subsidy is going down by 9.3%.

Yeah, yeah, that's the total budget.

All right.

Um, which includes capital and um federal It includes capital.

Oh, I'm I'm sorry, not not the capital, but the federal and other uh sources of revenue and income.

Okay.

Yep.

Sorry.

Continue.

The university seeks restoration of 1.688 million for the workforce development and lifelong learning division.

This division is central to UDC's role as a district's workforce engine, providing short-term training and credential programs for adult learners, including those who are unemployed or underemployed.

These programs play an important role in expanding access to skills development and workforce entry.

However, sustained investment is needed to strengthen program quality, scale high demand pathways, and ensure stronger alignment with jobs that lead to family sustaining wages.

Reductions in this area would limit access to critical training, reduce enrollment and credential programs, and constrain the district's ability to build a more effective and outcomes-driven workforce pipeline.

Chairman Mendelson and members of the Council, UDC's trajectory is strong, and our alignment with the district's economic and workforce priorities is clear.

The mayor's proposed FY27 budget includes important investments that support student success, capital growth, and career-connected learning.

At the same time, targeted adjustments are needed to ensure the university has the operating resources required to sustain progress and scale impact.

With your continued partnership, UDC will remain the district's talent pipeline, a driver of workforce development, and a powerful engine of inclusive economic mobility.

Thank you for your time and your support.

I am happy to address your questions.

I'm going to start with this question.

The university is an independent agency.

It's not a subordinate agency.

But I'm guessing that UDC was treated similar to other agencies, and you were given a mark early in the process for reduction.

Yes, sir.

That actually happened.

Yes, sir.

Okay.

And then there's some back and forth.

Did the university submit any enhancement requests?

No, sir.

Why not?

There was no opportunity to submit this year.

Okay.

So you just pretty much dealt with the negative, meaning you were given a mark of a cut, and then you negotiated over that.

Yes, sir.

Without asking for additional enhancements or any sort of a request for additional funds.

Right, not uh via the subsidy.

For the capital, we did submit.

Okay.

For the capital, did you submit an enhancement request?

No, no, I'm saying you said basically I was trying to make clarify that we did have an opportunity to submit funding requests for additional resources on the capital budget requests.

Okay.

Yes.

Okay.

Why don't we go there?

Uh capital.

But it looks like we put money in the budget for the purchase of old Congress Heights.

That's right.

That's been eliminated.

We put money in for the classroom and lab renovations.

And that was maintained.

We put money in for, you know, I wish I remembered what MEP is.

I think that's mechanical, electrical, and plumbing.

HVAC and IT upgrades.

We put in five million, and that was actually reduced in what the mayor submitted.

Yeah, to four million.

Yeah, that's my note.

Is that right?

Yes, sir.

And similarly for roof windows and elevators, we put in three million and that was reduced by a million.

Yes.

There's another project, CRM, I can't remember.

Oh, that's the um technology that was like phased over four years.

This is the last year.

And we put in two million and the uh mayor kept that.

Um you have other priorities, and I'm assuming the priorities are roof window and elevator, roof windows elevators is number one, MEP HVAC IT is number two.

Classroom and lab is number three.

Old Congress Heights is number four.

By the way, I have reason to believe that the owner is interested in selling it.

Like getting out of it now, and so it might be that there's the ability to negotiate a better price.

Okay.

Number five is renovation of university facilities, whatever that means it's not what we already mentioned, but that's a separate project.

Number six is the plaza exterior/slash plaza paver restoration.

And those last two renovation of university facilities, Venus, exterior plaza pay for restoration are not funded in 27.

Council didn't fund them, mayor didn't fund them.

So I'm reading this correctly.

Um what does this revised budget mean?

Does it mean things are slowed down, or does it mean that some of the facilities are substandard?

Yeah.

So uh I believe we actually came out better than we were last year, for example.

There's two two critical new investments in this budget that I'm extremely pleased about.

One obviously is the student housing P3 project, a five million dollar inclusion for FY28, and then in the out years, there's a total of 25 million for uh renovation of building 46.

Uh so those will move us ahead.

Uh those are major priorities for us, so I'm very pleased to see those in the Dr.

Eddington.

Fiscal year 30, 2030 is one, two, three, four years from now.