Budget Advocacy

Budget season is an important time for advocacy, especially if your school has not been allocated the resources needed to pursue your school's goals and serve your students well. Here are some ways you can engage in budget-related advocacy this year:

1. Petition to restore funding to DCPS Schools

A quick action you can do is to sign this petition and share it with your school community: https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-our-public-schools-fc17d362-3481-4811-8d20-8232207697d1

2. Contacting your DC Council representative (and others)

We highly recommend that every LSAT send a message to your DC Council representative informing them about your submitted budget, especially any cuts you were forced to make for the coming school year. [Council has the final say on the budget and has indicated that they are planning to make sure schools get some additional funding, so this will help give them (a) reasons to do this and (b) the information they need to do it well.]*

Here are things to consider covering in your message:

• The number of positions your school cut in your submitted budget

• The specific positions cut, or at least an overview of the types of positions being cut (for example "five subject teachers, two special education teachers, one arts teacher, two members of the academic support team, four members of the climate and culture team...")

• The expected impact of these cuts on student learning, engagement, belonging, support, attendance, or other CSP goals

• How much money is needed to fund any additional positions that your school needs to adequately serve the students (you can find the cost for specific positions for the coming school year at https://dcpsbudget.com/budget-development-guide/additional-information/#Item_Catalog )

Here are people to consider including as recipients:

• The DC Council representative for your school's ward, along with Chairman Mendelson and the at-large reps (https://dccouncil.gov/councilmembers)

• The Mayor's Office: eom@dc.gov

• DCPS Chancellor Dr. Lewis Ferebee: chancellor@k12.dc.gov

• Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn: paul.kihn@dc.gov

• The State Board of Education representative for your school's ward (https://sboe.dc.gov/page/board-biographies)

• The ANC (Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner) for the Single Member District where your school is located (https://dcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant/lookup/index.html?appid=12bb36e8b77a4a8780125e77e990b146)

• Your school's Community Action Team representative (https://dcps.dc.gov/page/community-action-team)

• The DC LSAT Collective team: lsatcollectivedc@gmail.com

Also, submit your letter as testimony for the Council's Budget Oversight Hearing by pasting or uploading it at https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/testimony/350, and consider sharing it live by registering to testify (more on this below)

3. Provide testimony for the Budget Oversight Hearing

The DC Council will be holding a budget oversight hearing for DCPS on April 4. You can register to testify live at the hearing (in person or virtually), or you can submit written or voicemail testimony for the public record, at this link: https://lims.dccouncil.gov/Hearings/hearings/350

Some tips on providing testimony:

• Topics to cover are the same as in #2 above

• If you want to testify live, you should register here ASAP. Check the box to testify on District of Columbia Public Schools. You don't have to have your testimony written before you register -- you can submit it the day of, or even after you testify. The sooner your register, the earlier you'll be on the list, and these hearings can run for 12+ hours!

• You will be given a limited time (probably 3 minutes) to speak, so make sure you plan what you want to say, practice so you know how long it takes, and pick 3-5 main points and be clear on what they are so you can highlight them if you have to cut it short. You *can* submit a longer written testimony for the record if you have more to say than fits in 3 minutes (though keep in mind that the more you write, the less likely it will all get read). 

• If multiple people from your school will be testifying, try to coordinate so you are making the same key points.

• Children are allowed to testify, so if you have a passionate student advocate, they can register and speak, and their testimony is always very impactful.

• You will not be given a specific time window for your testimony. Instead, a day or two before the hearing, they will publish the Witness List on the hearing page. Check that to see what number you are on the list. They will start at #1 and work their way down the list throughout the day. If you aren't available when they call you, there is no guarantee they will fit you in later, so do try to be ready. You can join the DCPS Parent Leaders WhatsApp at https://chat.whatsapp.com/KMCHTlYcKfq4rRJT0wmiyQ if you'd like to receive updates throughout the day about where they are on the witness list, which can be very helpful.

• If you don't want to testify live, you can (and should!) still submit written or voicemail-recorded testimony, which will be part of the public record. This remains open for 2 weeks after the hearing date. You can paste or upload written testimony here, or record a voicemail by calling 202-430-6948 (3 minutes max).

4. Attend the WTU Rally on April 4

The WTU is planning to hold a budget rally / solidarity event on April 4 in conjunction with the Budget Oversight Hearing. Stay tuned for more details in terms of timing, location, etc as they become available!

5. Touch base with Amelia French from Advocates for Justice and Education

For any parents who would like some assistance developing an advocacy agenda and/or crafting testimony to secure more funding for their child's school, feel free to reach out to Amelia French from Advocates for Justice and Education. Email: amelia.french@aje-dc.org / Phone: 202-678-8060, ext 109.

We hope the above is helpful as you prepare to advocate on behalf of your school, and DCPS schools more generally, during this difficult budget season. Remember that many schools are hurting right now, and that this should not be a zero-sum game. We can and should advocate for an approach to public school funding that ensures that *all* schools have the resources they need to adequately educate their students.

Feel free to post to the Google Group with any questions, suggestions, etc as you prepare. You can also reach out directly to the DC LSAT Collective coordinators at lsatcollectivedc@gmail.com -- we are all here to support each other!

Thanks for all you do on behalf of your school and students!

* Currently, the Schools First in Budgeting Act requires that, unless there have been decreases in a school's enrollment numbers (overall, or in special categories of students who receive additional funding weights) that justify a funding decrease, every school should receive no less than its budget allocation from the previous year, increased by "the percentage that is the higher of (A) the projected increase for the forthcoming year in the foundation level of the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula; or (B) the collectively bargained salary increase, for the forthcoming year, for members of the teachers' labor union." As a result, last year DC Council provided additional funds to schools who had not been allocated sufficient funds from DCPS in their initial budgets, and they have implied that they are planning to do that again this year.