As you’re getting ready for those cute and scary trick-or-treaters, it’s also a great time to jot down your top priorities for how the city will invest in educating our wonderful children next school year! That’s because there are two public hearings next week that give DC residents a chance to speak up and influence decisions about spending for DC Public Schools — both in the classroom and on buildings.
Mark your calendars:
- Nov. 2nd Council Roundtable on DCPS School Modernizations — This Council oversight roundtable will focus on changes to the school modernization process this year, as well as an update on current and future capital projects. The witness list is closed, but you can still submit written statements to be included in the public record.
- Nov. 4th DCPS Public Budget Hearing — This budget hearing is being held by DC Public Schools and will allow the public to offer feedback on their priorities for the 2016-17 DCPS budget. The registration deadline has been extended to Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
There also is good news that DCPS will start engaging parents and other stakeholders very soon about what they would like to see at their local schools next year. Typically, DC Public School principals and Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) have very little time — less than a week — to review their school’s budget and make changes. This is mostly due to the timing of the city’s February revenue forecast, which lets the Mayor know how much money the city has to spend on schools in the next year. That information is needed to determine whether or not the city’s school funding formula can be increased or at least adjusted for rising costs from year-to-year. While that decision still needs to happen in March, the school budgeting process does not need to be put on hold until that time.
This year, the budget process will be starting much earlier. DCPS shared at this week’s budget forum organized by DCFPI and S.H.A.P.P.E. that their FY 2017 Budget Development Timeline is starting in November. This means that meetings with LSATs, students, and parents are expected to start next month and school budget allocations will be released in February. DCFPI has testified on this timing issue before, and we are glad to see progress being made to engage schools even earlier when making major decisions that will affect students, teachers, and families next school year.
Have a safe and spooky weekend, District’s Dime readers!
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