(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a 5.9% increase to the uniform per student funding formula (UPSFF) foundation level for Fiscal Year 2023, for a total of more than $2.1 billion to serve an estimated 98,860 students in DC Public Schools (DCPS) and public charter schools. The UPSFF is the primary funding source for DC’s public schools and allocates funds to each student in DC based on their individual needs, regardless of the school they attend.
“Our public schools are critical to our community and our strongest connection to young people and their families,” said Mayor Bowser. “This is another budget that recognizes that when we invest in schools, we invest in our families and neighborhoods. DC’s educators and public health teams have worked tirelessly to make this year’s return to full-time in-person learning a success. But it will take more than one school year to help our young people recover academically and emotionally from the past two years and these investments reflect our long-term commitment to a strong recovery.”
Mayor Bowser also announced a new $36 million Recovery Fund, which will be used over the next two years to support DCPS and the public charter school sector. For DCPS, this fund will help ensure that no DCPS school receives less than their budget submitted by the Mayor to Council last year and addresses rising costs so that DCPS schools can maximize their locally-funded purchasing power. Similarly, the recovery funding provided to public charter schools will be used to stabilize their budgets and address additional pandemic-related needs.
“DCPS is proud to be a national leader in the amount of funds that go to support each student, and today’s investment continues the historic trend that has powered DCPS to be the fastest progressing urban school district in the country,” said DCPS Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee. “We are excited to transition to our updated budget model. A model that embodies DCPS’ goals of stability, equity, and transparency and aligns with Mayor Bowser’s commitment to pandemic recovery and community resilience.”
Initial FY23 budgets for each of DCPS’ 116 schools will be available on dcpsbudget.com later today. Funding will be provided to schools based on DCPS’ updated budget model, which supports the district’s overall mission and goal to provide equitable resources so every student can excel. With school and community input, DCPS reviewed its budgeting process and these adjustments reflect a commitment to a school budget model that is clear, transparent, an ensures equity and financial sustainability. Through the updated budget model, schools of all enrollment sizes will receive funding aligned to their student enrollment and level of need. Schools will also receive additional funds to support students with greater needs.
Mayor Bowser and DCPS also announced today further investments in substitute teachers. Moving forward, daily substitute teachers, those serving less than 30 consecutive days in a school year, will receive an increase of compensation to $160.00/day ($20.00/hour). Long-term substitutes, those who work 30 or more consecutive instructional days in one or a series of assignments, will receive an increase of compensation to $200.00/day ($25.00/hour).
Information about DCPS school budgets for FY23, including individual school allocation worksheets and a mobile-friendly pocket budget guide, will be available at dcpsbudget.com