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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

DCPS FY2027 Budget Hearing: May 1, 2026

Council of the District of Columbia — Friday, May 1, 2026

BodyWashington, District Of Columbia

SessionCouncil of the District of Columbia

DateFriday, May 1, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:47:09

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0:10

I'm calling towards this hearing.

0:12

This is a public hearing of the committee as a whole of the Council of the District of Columbia.

0:20

I'm Phil Mendelssohn, Chair of the Council and Chair of the Committee as a whole.

0:24

Today is Friday, May 1st, 2020 is 11.14 in the morning.

0:31

We are in room 412 of the Johnny Wilson building.

0:34

And the subject of this hearing is fiscal year 2027 proposed budget for the District of Columbia Public Schools or DCPS.

0:44

The committee had uh here testimony with regard to the DCPS budget last week, that is on April 22nd, where we heard from scores of public witnesses commenting on either school operations or adequacy of the DCPS budget.

1:04

So today we're going to hear from the Chancellor and any senior staff from DCPS.

1:10

This is the fourth hearing that we are having in conjunction with the mayor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2027.

1:20

I'm actually sort of thinking as I'm saying that, uh, because we had the hearing earlier today, so this is the fifth hearing that we're having out of nine hearings.

1:30

Uh the mayor submitted her budget on April 14th.

1:33

Uh, this is a proposal for fiscal year 2027, as well as revisions for fiscal year 26, as well as a budget support act, which was legislative changes to the law to support the budget as well as the Federal Portion Budget Request Act, as well as I believe emergency versions of some or all of what I just said.

1:54

And the committee of the whole, all the council committees are having hearings this week, last week, next week on uh the budget proposals for the agencies under their purview.

2:05

That's what today is about for the committee as a whole.

2:09

The um committee of the whole will have a hearing on May 13th on all of the legislation and all aspects of all of the legislation.

2:20

So that's the BSA, FI26, FY27, Federal Portion, May 13th.

2:26

Uh, that will be an all-day hearing.

2:28

Uh the committee as a whole is having hearings on the Office of the State Superintendent's budget next week, May 7th.

2:35

Uh, and uh the DC Auditor Retirement Board, Chief Financial Officer next Monday, May 4th, and the Commission on Arts and Humanities Office Zoning, Office Planning, Department of Buildings next Wednesday, May 6th.

2:49

The council will vote first reading on June 9th on the Local Budget Act for FY 27, and first reading on the Budget Support Act, and on the Federal Portion Budget Request Act, second reading on the Local Budget Act and the revised for FY26 will be June 23rd, and second reading on the Budget Support Act will probably not be that day, but a subsequent week.

3:18

Um I think I'll leave it there for the moment.

3:23

Uh Councilmember Henderson, do you have an opening statement?

3:26

I don't, Mr.

3:26

Chairman.

3:27

All right.

3:27

Well, then why don't we proceed to hear the Chancellor's testimony and then there will be some questions.

3:33

Good morning.

3:34

Thank you, Chairman Menderson and Councilmembers.

3:37

I am Dr.

3:37

Lewis D.

3:38

Fairby, Chancellor of DC Public Schools, and I'm joined today by DC Public Schools two deputy chancellors, Dr.

3:45

Ashley and Dr.

3:46

Bay, and thank you for the opportunity to testify today about DCPS budget.

3:51

Uh thank you to everyone who testified last week at the public hearing.

3:56

We're also really grateful for the continued uh improvement and dedication and value and the feedback we hear from our residents, our educators, and our community organizations.

4:08

Uh Mayor Bowser's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, Grow DC, uh, was formulated to drive growth in our economy, keep residents in D.C., and draw investment to our city.

4:21

These considerations are also necessary to fund the services programs that residents count on.

4:28

The federal dollars that once expanded our programs in an unprecedented way have expanded and been exhausted, and federal workforce reductions have introduced new pressures on our economy.

4:41

While revenues have slowed, we are grateful for Mayor Bowser's budget that prioritizes education and investments that will support our city students.

4:51

Since last year's budget hearing, DCPS has achieved significant milestones.

4:56

And I would like to start my testimony by sharing a few.

5:00

DCPS four-year graduation rate reached its highest level every year, and last year that is true as well.

5:09

Our students posted their largest gains on our state assessment since 2019, with many student groups returning to or surpassing pre-pandemic achievement levels.

5:20

DCPS continues to be recognized as the fastest improving urban school district in the United States and was ranked first among states in math and literacy recovery between 2022 and 2024.

5:34

DCPS continues to improve the retention of educators, continuing a trend of over the last decade, with 90% of DCPS teachers returning to DCPS each school year, and then 83% return to the same school.

5:50

As I shared last year and I share again this year, DCPS budget prioritizes educators at the school level.

5:58

On average, each school budget is 6% larger than last year.

6:03

We determine a school's budget based on several factors, considering enrollment, special population, and the need to stabilize funding year over year.

6:14

While I do not have the time today to detail each of schools' budget, I do want to provide an overview.

6:34

These investments in school level budgets mean that schools can hire the teachers to meet the growing needs of their school, provide specialized staff support to students who have greater needs, and pay for supplies of materials needed for student success.

6:49

For 27 of our schools, fiscal year 27 budget either decreased or grew by less than 3%.

6:57

There are a few primary reasons why school budget would grow less than 3%, and I want to be transparent with the council and the public about those reasons.

7:06

The most common reason is that we have fewer students who are projected to attend the school the next year.

7:13

This means that schools will not have the need as for many general education as the teachers that they had before.

7:19

In some cases, the number of students who receive special education services are also shifting or projected to decline, meaning that the school will need fewer specialized roles to support students with IEPs.

7:34

DCPS self-contained district wide classrooms provide specialized support with 20 or more hours per week for specialized instruction outside of general education, and each year we adjust the location of these classrooms.

7:49

So if a school is no longer one of the schools that host those programs, the staff will also be removed in transition and will also be taken off the school's budget.

8:00

I hope these explanations are informative for you and for staff, and I firmly believe that this year's school level budgets provide the appropriate level of resources for schools.

8:11

I also want to highlight the capital investment that DCPS is making.

8:24

Students deserve world-class facilities, and Mayor Bowser's proposed capital improvement plan reflects a commitment to clean, safe, and modernized learning spaces.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Education█████████████████████████████████████████41%

Education Funding████████████12%

School Funding███████████11%

Student Screen Time██████████10%

Procedural████4%

Engineering And Infrastructure████4%

Technology and Innovation██2%

Public Benefits██2%

Fiscal Sustainability██2%

Summary of Proceedings

DCPS FY2027 Budget Hearing: May 1, 2026

The Committee of the Whole of the Council of the District of Columbia, chaired by Councilmember Phil Mendelson, held a public hearing on Friday, May 1, 2026, at 11:14 AM in Room 412 of the John A. Wilson Building to examine the Mayor's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for DC Public Schools (DCPS). Chancellor Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee testified, joined by Deputy Chancellors Dr. Ashley and Dr. Bay. The hearing followed public testimony heard on April 22, 2026.

Consent Calendar

No consent calendar items were discussed.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public testimony was taken during this hearing (public testimony occurred on April 22, 2026). However, Chairman Mendelson referenced testimony from that hearing regarding funding equity at John Lewis Elementary School.

Discussion Items

Budget Overview and Priorities

Chancellor Ferebee reported that DCPS's four-year graduation rate reached its highest level, and students posted their largest gains on the state assessment since 2019. DCPS was ranked first among states in math and literacy recovery between 2022 and 2024.
On average, each school's budget is 6% larger than last year. For 27 schools, the FY27 budget either decreased or grew by less than 3%, primarily due to projected enrollment declines or shifts in special education classroom locations.

School Funding Equity (John Lewis Elementary)

Chairman Mendelson presented data showing John Lewis Elementary is budgeted at $14,860 per pupil (excluding special education and ELL), while comparable schools received $16,154 (Tacoma), $18,970 (Dorothy Height), and $20,091 (Truesdale). He asked how this disparity arose.
Chancellor Ferebee explained that John Lewis received a $278,000 sustainability fund investment, but its rapid enrollment growth (38.2% over four years) contributed to the lower per-pupil figure, while Truesdale's enrollment declined 14%, inflating its per-pupil funding under the Schools First in Budgeting stability policy. Chairman Mendelson acknowledged the stability benefit but stressed the need for greater equity.

Enrollment Projections and At-Risk Student Funding

The Mayor's budget reduces at-risk student funding for DCPS by $7.2 million, projecting a decline of approximately 2,000 at-risk students in the upcoming school year, while charter school at-risk enrollment is projected to remain flat.
Councilmember Henderson questioned whether the decline reflects actual student loss or changes in federal benefit eligibility (SNAP/TANF work requirements). Chancellor Ferebee noted that enrollment projections were made before those policy changes took effect and that DCPS is monitoring the situation. He also cited fewer school-age children citywide and some shift of adult education programs to charter schools as factors.

English Language Learner (ELL) Funding

The budget cuts ELL funding by $4.2 million, attributed to a projected decrease of approximately 600 multilingual learners. Councilmember Henderson expressed concern that community trust may take time to rebuild after recent immigration enforcement actions, and asked about contingencies if enrollment rebounds.

Dual Language Programs

Chancellor Ferebee confirmed plans to expand dual language programming into middle school at Jefferson Middle School, with a full strand (similar to McFarland) launching in SY 2027-28. The school currently offers Spanish humanities for grades 6-8. Councilmember Henderson asked how this model compares to charter school programs like DC International; the team had not conducted such a comparison but offered to learn from Dr. Walker Davis.

Central Office and School Support

The budget shows a $46 million decrease in central school-wide services. Deputy Chancellor Ashley clarified that most of this ($49 million) is a transfer of utility-related costs to the Department of General Services (DGS), leaving an actual cut of about $17 million.
Central office personnel are projected to decrease by 8% this year, following a 6% decrease last year. Impacts include shifting some software licenses and teacher leadership stipends (TLI—Teacher Leadership Initiative, approximately $2,500 per stipend) to school budgets. Councilmember Henderson argued this reduces school flexibility, while Chancellor Ferebee maintained that schools have adequate resources.

Security Contract

The security budget is projected to increase from $30 million to $39 million (30%), driven by higher labor costs, expanded after-school/extracurricular programming, and the rebidding of the contract (current contract expires Sept 30, 2026). Chairman Mendelson expressed concern about the lack of analysis on need or potential cost savings from in-house staffing. Dr. Ashley noted that the contract is a labor-hour model, covering school-day and after-school events, and that the RFP has been issued with an expected council review in June 2026.

Food Services

Food service funding increases from $46.7 million (FY26) to $48.6 million (FY27). Chancellor Ferebee attributed the increase to higher meal participation (over 10 million meals served this year) and option-year contract cost escalations. A contract modification with Sodexo was submitted to the council on April 24, 2026, citing increased enrollment in the meal program (not student enrollment).

Testing and Technology

Chairman Mendelson read a statement from a fifth-grade student reporting 93 required tests per year (including 9 iReady diagnostics, 20 growth checks, and 10 DC CAPE tests). Chancellor Ferebee argued that many assessments are brief and teacher-driven, but acknowledged the need for balance. He confirmed that DCPS is evaluating its assessment strategy, including potential reductions, and that a class-action lawsuit against iReady's developer was noted but no data compromise has been found. The council requested a copy of the iReady contract.
Councilmember Fruman raised concerns about screen time and reliance on technology. Chancellor Ferebee agreed to a broader fall conversation on technology's role in schools, comparing it to the recent cell phone ban which reduced altercations.

Capital Investments

The capital improvement plan includes $2 billion over six years for 24 modernizations and numerous small capital projects, with over $150 million in FY27. FY27 projects include finishing Brent and King Elementary Schools, beginning construction at Bancroft Early Childhood Annex and a new Ward 1 middle school, and modernizations at Burrville, Chisholm, Drew, Ketchum, Seaton, and Whittier Elementary Schools. The PACE Act supplement is pending at the Office of the Attorney General and has not yet been transmitted to the council.

Connected Schools

The number of connected schools will drop from 18 to 12 in FY27, as six schools opted out (principals chose to invest resources elsewhere). School-level costs range from $185,000 to $230,000 each (connected schools manager plus non-personnel funds). Four schools losing federal grants received budget assistance to maintain programming (Henley, Kimball, Malcolm X, Turner).

New Initiatives

$600,000 for AI literacy and instructional innovation (2 FTEs for policy/guardrails and 4 for literacy).
$8.1 million for expanded after-school programming (about $1.2 million new): $3.9M for athletics, $700K for middle school extracurriculars, $1.5M federal funds for extended learning, $1.3M for extended learning staff, $400K for after-school staffing, $300K for 6th grade academy staff.
$700,000 to strengthen dual enrollment (all high schools offered minimum 6 additional courses, max 15 students per section).

Other Items

Athletic Trainers: Chairman Mendelson raised concerns from athletic trainers about lack of dedicated funding for equipment maintenance ($10,000 requested), emergency supply replacement ($5,000), and a medical oversight position. Chancellor Ferebee said the current budget includes $36,000 for equipment and committed to follow up.
New Heights Program: Three positions were eliminated; support for parenting students will be absorbed into the connected schools team due to declining population.
Alternative Breakfast Program: The Mayor's BSA proposes repeal; Chancellor Ferebee did not know participation levels and promised data.
Special Education Extended School Year: Projected decline due to decreased at-risk and ELL enrollment.
iReady Contract: The council requested a copy; Deputy Chancellor Ashley confirmed data protection reviews are standard.

Key Outcomes

No votes held during this hearing; it was a discussion-only session.
Chairman Mendelson stated that the committee will focus more on equity in per-pupil funding going forward.
The council requested the following follow-ups from DCPS:
1. A table of budget enhancement requests with attributes (due soon).
2. Small capital project list for FY27.
3. PACE supplemental information (still at OAG).
4. Details on the portion of security costs for after-school/weekend events.
5. A copy of the iReady contract.
6. Data on athletic trainer budget ($36,000) and equipment replacement needs.
7. Data on alternative breakfast program participation.
8. Clarification on a sole-source ELA curriculum contract ($5,281,572.64 multi-year; $846,000 in FY27).
The next education-related budget hearing (OSSE) will be on Thursday, May 7, 2026. First reading on the Local Budget Act for FY27 is scheduled for June 9, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I'm calling towards this hearing. This is a public hearing of the committee as a whole of the Council of the District of Columbia. I'm Phil Mendelssohn, Chair of the Council and Chair of the Committee as a whole. Today is Friday, May 1st, 2020 is 11.14 in the morning. We are in room 412 of the Johnny Wilson building. And the subject of this hearing is fiscal year 2027 proposed budget for the District of Columbia Public Schools or DCPS. The committee had uh here testimony with regard to the DCPS budget last week, that is on April 22nd, where we heard from scores of public witnesses commenting on either school operations or adequacy of the DCPS budget. So today we're going to hear from the Chancellor and any senior staff from DCPS. This is the fourth hearing that we are having in conjunction with the mayor's proposed budget for fiscal year 2027. I'm actually sort of thinking as I'm saying that, uh, because we had the hearing earlier today, so this is the fifth hearing that we're having out of nine hearings. Uh the mayor submitted her budget on April 14th. Uh, this is a proposal for fiscal year 2027, as well as revisions for fiscal year 26, as well as a budget support act, which was legislative changes to the law to support the budget as well as the Federal Portion Budget Request Act, as well as I believe emergency versions of some or all of what I just said. And the committee of the whole, all the council committees are having hearings this week, last week, next week on uh the budget proposals for the agencies under their purview. That's what today is about for the committee as a whole. The um committee of the whole will have a hearing on May 13th on all of the legislation and all aspects of all of the legislation. So that's the BSA, FI26, FY27, Federal Portion, May 13th. Uh, that will be an all-day hearing. Uh the committee as a whole is having hearings on the Office of the State Superintendent's budget next week, May 7th. Uh, and uh the DC Auditor Retirement Board, Chief Financial Officer next Monday, May 4th, and the Commission on Arts and Humanities Office Zoning, Office Planning, Department of Buildings next Wednesday, May 6th. The council will vote first reading on June 9th on the Local Budget Act for FY 27, and first reading on the Budget Support Act, and on the Federal Portion Budget Request Act, second reading on the Local Budget Act and the revised for FY26 will be June 23rd, and second reading on the Budget Support Act will probably not be that day, but a subsequent week. Um I think I'll leave it there for the moment. Uh Councilmember Henderson, do you have an opening statement? I don't, Mr. Chairman. All right. Well, then why don't we proceed to hear the Chancellor's testimony and then there will be some questions. Good morning. Thank you, Chairman Menderson and Councilmembers. I am Dr. Lewis D. Fairby, Chancellor of DC Public Schools, and I'm joined today by DC Public Schools two deputy chancellors, Dr. Ashley and Dr. Bay, and thank you for the opportunity to testify today about DCPS budget. Uh thank you to everyone who testified last week at the public hearing. We're also really grateful for the continued uh improvement and dedication and value and the feedback we hear from our residents, our educators, and our community organizations. Uh Mayor Bowser's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, Grow DC, uh, was formulated to drive growth in our economy, keep residents in D.C., and draw investment to our city. These considerations are also necessary to fund the services programs that residents count on. The federal dollars that once expanded our programs in an unprecedented way have expanded and been exhausted, and federal workforce reductions have introduced new pressures on our economy. While revenues have slowed, we are grateful for Mayor Bowser's budget that prioritizes education and investments that will support our city students. Since last year's budget hearing, DCPS has achieved significant milestones. And I would like to start my testimony by sharing a few. DCPS four-year graduation rate reached its highest level every year, and last year that is true as well. Our students posted their largest gains on our state assessment since 2019, with many student groups returning to or surpassing pre-pandemic achievement levels. DCPS continues to be recognized as the fastest improving urban school district in the United States and was ranked first among states in math and literacy recovery between 2022 and 2024. DCPS continues to improve the retention of educators, continuing a trend of over the last decade, with 90% of DCPS teachers returning to DCPS each school year, and then 83% return to the same school. As I shared last year and I share again this year, DCPS budget prioritizes educators at the school level. On average, each school budget is 6% larger than last year. We determine a school's budget based on several factors, considering enrollment, special population, and the need to stabilize funding year over year. While I do not have the time today to detail each of schools' budget, I do want to provide an overview. These investments in school level budgets mean that schools can hire the teachers to meet the growing needs of their school, provide specialized staff support to students who have greater needs, and pay for supplies of materials needed for student success.

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