This year, D.C. schools start budget process earlier
|
Version 0 of 1. The budget planning process for next school year has been moved up for D.C. Public Schools, kicking off with a public hearing at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Stuart Hobson Middle School in Northeast. Over the past three years, the school system has invested in additional elective and academic course offerings in the city’s elementary, middle and high schools to make the schools more equitable and attractive to families. For next year’s budget, schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson has identified four priorities, including funding strategies to reduce the dropout rate; to improve outcomes in the system’s 40 lowest performing schools; to enhance professional development for staff and principals; and to increase instructional time in schools. Currently, 41 schools offer an extended day in at least some grade levels. One school — Raymond Elementary in Petworth — is piloting an extended year program. This school year, it plans to add 10 days of school and offer 190 days of instruction. Next year, it will add 20 days and offer 200 days overall. School officials released an online survey to gauge how parents feel about increasing instructional time. Extending the school day has been a consistent priority for the chancellor. The Washington Teachers Union has been resistent to the idea, questioning the effectiveness of the approach and maintaining that the issue should be resolved through collective bargaining. [D.C. Chancellor Kaya Henderson’s effort to lengthen school day faces union resistance] In addition to the hearing, the chancellor plans to solicit feedback at three meetings of parents, school staff and community members in schools across the city — at Deal Middle School on Nov. 10, Brookland Middle on Nov. 19, and Kelly Miller Middle School on Nov. 23. These meetings are for the local school advisory teams and not open to the general public. According to a timeline from the school system, a student hearing is also scheduled on Nov. 19. By starting the process earlier, officials said that school-level budgets will also be available earlier, and schools will have a few weeks before they have to submit them in March. Historically, school leaders have had a very quick turnaround — sometimes a week — to review their budget allocations and make funding decisions. Soumya Bhat, education finance and policy analyst for the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, said that the earlier timeline is an “important step that will give principals and parents a greater say in their school’s budget.” |