D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is proposing an increase in funding for the city’s school system, one week after warning a tough budget cycle was ahead.
Bowser’s proposal would increase the uniform per student funding formula foundation level to 2.55% next year, bringing the new amount to $15,455 per student.
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“That’s about $50 million more dollars flowing into our schools,” Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn said.
The money supports nearly 100,000 students in D.C. Public Schools and public charter schools and helps cover teacher pay raises from the most recent union contract.
School funding has doubled over the past decade in D.C., from $1.4 billion to more than $2.8 billion, making it one of the best funded public school systems in the U.S.
“If you look at our track record of success, it is really unparalleled in the country,” Kihn said. “We remain the fastest improving urban school system in the nation. We have recovered from the pandemic, according to our standardized test scores.”
In addition to higher test scores, last year’s graduation rate reached an all-time high — nearly 79%.
Teachers in D.C. have the highest starting salary in the nation, with 78% of teachers staying at their schools.
“The most important people in any school system are our teachers,” Kihn said. “We want to make sure that we attract wonderful people to teach in our schools, that we continue to help them develop and grow and hone their craft. And also we want them to stay.”
Revenue has been modest, while costs are soaring. And if President Donald Trump signs the congressional measure preventing D.C. from opting out of the Trump administration’s tax cuts, the city could lose hundreds of millions more in revenue.
Kihn said it’s a year of “very difficult decisions” and “very hard trade-offs.”
He said they’re carefully looking at every single line item in the budget to see where they can find savings, but he did not specify which programs or services could be paused or cut.
The mayor will deliver her final budget proposal in early April.
The D.C. Students Succeed Coalition said it appreciates Bowser’s plan to raise per‑student school funding and will work with the mayor and D.C. Council to close any remaining funding gaps.
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