Introduction

Chancellor’s Letter

Dear DC Public Schools (DCPS) Community,

Since last budget season, DCPS has achieved some of the most significant milestones in the history of our district. We continue to lead the nation as the fastest-improving urban school district in the country, reaching an all-time four-year graduation rate (78%) and posting the strongest annual proficiency gains since the pandemic. Our 2025 DC CAPE results showed strong momentum, with proficiency rising 4.4 percentage points in ELA and 4.2 percentage points in math, the largest single‑year increase in math on record, since the statewide assessment began in 2015. 

These results demonstrate the resilience of our students and the commitment of our educators. With 94% retention of our Effective or Highly Effective teachers, our achievements also reflect the clear impact of our investments in school leaders, teachers, and staff. 

Looking ahead to School Year 2026–2027, I remain proud of our progress and confident in the strategies that are delivering results for students. Today, schools are receiving their initial Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budgets, which are built on projected enrollment and a continued focus on classroom teachers. Like school districts nationwide, DCPS is navigating a tighter fiscal landscape, but our priorities—outlined in our five‑year strategic plan, A Capital Commitment 2023–2028—remain clear: ensuring students succeed academically, feel connected to their school communities, and are prepared for what is next. 

The progress we have seen over the past several years underscores the importance of staying the course on what works. To build on what is working for students and educators, the FY27 budget provides the following supports for schools: 

• Continuation of the School Sustainability Fund, so schools can maintain the appropriate number of classroom teachers. 

• A new modernization budget assistance process, allowing schools to apply for one‑time resources when relocating to swing spaces during modernizations. 

• Explicit staffing guidelines match staffing levels to enrollment, while still allowing school leaders discretion over flexible funds. 

To advance the goals within A Capital Commitment 2023-2028, this year’s budget targets investments that strengthen instruction, deepen students’ sense of belonging, and support postsecondary pathways. Key FY27 investments include: 

• $600K for Artificial Intelligence (AI) literacy and instructional innovation, funding staff training, materials, and new personnel to guide the responsible integration of AI tools into teaching and learning. 

• $8.1M in expanded afterschool programming for elementary and middle school, expanding access to enriching athletic and extracurricular activities. 

• $700K to strengthen Dual Enrollment, providing every DCPS high school with the ability to offer up to six college‑level courses to a cohort of students in partnership with the National Education Opportunity Network (NEON). 

The FY27 budget accounts for rising labor costs and reflects our continued commitment to keeping DCPS educators among the highest‑paid in the nation, as well as other inflationary pressures. Even in a constrained fiscal environment, we remain focused on sustaining the people and programs that most directly support student learning and ensuring every school is equipped to meet students’ needs. 

As in previous years, principals and Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) will work collaboratively to refine their school budgets. We know some decisions will require thoughtful deliberation, and we appreciate our school communities coming together quickly to engage openly and with shared purpose throughout this process. 

I encourage you to explore our budget website for more information about this year’s allocations, key updates, and interactive tools that support transparency and planning. 

Thank you for your continued support in finalizing the district’s FY27 budget. 

In partnership, 

Lewis D. Ferebee, Ed.D. 

Chancellor, DC Public Schools 

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Fiscal Year 2027 (SY26-27) Updates & Reminders

This section provides a high-level overview of Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Updates and Reminders including changes in the DCPS funding model, programmatic requirements, and the Budget Development Guide.

Removing Centrally Managed Items from Initial Allocations

Centrally Managed Programming:

Funding for centrally managed programming such as grade level academies, pool maintenance and 3^rd grade swim, library programming, and itinerant ESOL services will no longer show up on school initial allocations. While school budgets will not include funding for these programs as they will be centrally budgeted from the onset, there will be no change to the services provided to schools as a result of this change.

Position Add-ons:

The position cost schools budget will no longer include the administrative add-on, which was a per unit cost charged to each position to fund agency wide personnel costs including fingerprinting, teacher supply cards, IMPACT bonuses, substitutes, and key duty stipends among others. Previously, school budgets included funding for these budgeted add-ons as schools were expected to budget for a higher position cost. In FY27, since schools will not be required to budget for these add-ons, budgets will not include this additional funding. 

Square Footage for Custodial Allocation Updated for Modernized Schools

The custodial allocation model contains updated square footage for all schools modernized up through SY26-27. As schools become modernized or as permanent small capital projects impact square footage, those updates will be reflected as part of the allocation model for the following fiscal year. For more information see the Custodial section.

NPS Inflation

School NPS allocations, including custodial supplies, were inflated by 3% for FY27, aligned to the CPI.

Discontinued Positions

The below positions will no longer be school based position options. Principals who budgeted for these positions in FY26 will still see them as line items on their budgets in QuickBase (with the FY26 quantity shown) but will not have the ability to add these positions for SY26-27 (FY27).

• Art Therapist – The school based Art Therapist position will be discontinued as of FY27. The art therapy program is centralized program supported by the DCPS school mental health program. For mental health services, school leaders may consider budgeting for an additional position within the school mental health portfolio.
• Intervention Coach – The Intervention Coach position will be discontinued as of FY27. The intervention coach is not a fully supported DCPS program.
• Manager – School Administration and Operational Support – The Manager – School Administration and Operational Support position will be discontinued as of FY27. The Manager – School Administration and Operational Support is not a fully supported DCPS program. School Leaders are encouraged to meet with the Strategic School Operations team to discuss if additional School Strategy and Logistics (SSL) positions will meet the needs of the school as an alternative.
• TLI Teacher Leader – Culture – The Teacher Leader Initiative (TLI) program no longer supports the TLI – Culture position. School leaders are encouraged to budget for a different position to fit the programmatic needs of their school.

Position Title Changes

Behavior Technician (Whole School) – The Behavior Technician position that is budgeted by schools with flexible funds (rather than allocated by DSI for BES classrooms) will now be titled “Behavior Technician (Whole School).” There is no change in the budgeting process for Principals.

Additional Compensation Minimums and Monitoring

Schools will continue to have minimum budgeting requirements for additional compensation based on prior year expenditures. For FY27, schools are required to budget administrative premium at 85% or more of their FY25 administrative premium expenditures. Schools are required to budget overtime at 90% or more of their FY25 overtime expenditures. Schools requesting to go below these minimum thresholds will be provided a request form and the request will go through a standardized review.

Administration of Medication (AOM) Training

To ensure that all schools have the required minimum of two AOM designees, an annual $600 extra-duty payment will be made to staff that serve in the role. Accepting the payment means the staff member is agreeing to serve in the AOM role for the school year. Funding for these two extra-duty payments has been pre-budgeted from flexible dollars and locked on budgets.

For more information, see the School Health Services & Centers section.

Budgeting for Additional Afterschool WTU/CSO Site Leaders

If a school leader is interested in selecting an Afterschool Site Leader who is a CSO or WTU member they will need to petition the Afterschool Site Leader line into administrative premium and budget an additional $16,434 in administrative premium to cover the increased ($60/hour) rate for the year.

For more information, see the Afterschool Programming section.

Teacher Leader Initiative (TLI) Stipend

Central Services is no longer able to subsidize Teacher Leader Initiative (TLI) positions by funding the additional compensation provided to TLIs at schools. For SY26-27 schools will be responsible for budgeting this cost. The $2,500 stipend has been added to the position cost of TLI positions. Stipend payments will continue to be managed centrally—there is no additional step that schools will need to take to ensure staff receive payment.   For more information, see the LEAP section.

Visa Fees

Schools who expect to incur visa costs must budget this in professional services and load it to the PCard.

Custodial Supplies Increase

Central services is limited in the ability to support schools in SY26-27. Schools should ensure budgeting for additional custodial supplies as needed based on historical usage. The Custodial team has put together an updated recommendation by school size.

For more information on the updated recommendations, see the Custodial section.

Removal of ANet

For SY26-27 Central Services will no longer be funding an ANet contract. Schools may continue to budget for services using contractual services.

Blended Learning

Electrnoic Learning may not be loaded onto the PCard and must be procured in PASS.

Attendance Thresholds Updated

The recommended thresholds for schools with High, Medium, and Low attendance needs have all been updated.

For more information, see the Attendance section.

Athletic Coordinators

The Department of Athletics will not be able to supplement any high school staff members with stipend dollars for the Athletics & Activities Coordinator or Athletic Director position.  In addition, schools should budget for additional administrative premium for anticipated time worked outside of the tour of duty in the event an alternative tour of duty is not in place. Opportunity Academies will still be eligible for these stipends.  

Middle schools that offer 14 or more athletic teams should budget for an Athletics & Activities Coordinator position. In the event a middle school with 14 or more athletic teams does not have the funding to budget for an Athletics & Activities Coordinator position, DCIAA will approve Athletic Extra Duty/Stipend Pay after consultation with the respective Principal and Instructional Superintendent in which a clear plan for duties associated as outlined and agreed upon by the employee receiving the stipend.

For more information, see the Athletics section.

Reading Specialist Requirements

Schools budgeting for reading specialists must ensure candidates are ready to take a Praxis exam upon the start of the service. Reading specialists must also hold a Master’s Degree. A comparable position is a Reading Teacher.

Resident Teachers Placement

City Teaching Alliance (CTA) Residents cannot serve as replacements for special education aides. Effective school year SY25-26, City Teaching Alliance will no longer place residents in Pre-K classrooms.

For more information, see the Resident Teachers section.

Safety and Belonging (formerly SEL)

The Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program is now called Safety and Belonging.

Field Trip Transportation for Students with Disabilities

To ensure all students have access to, and the ability to participate fully in, field trip experiences, please make sure sufficient funds are budgeted in transportation to accommodate students with varying needs on their IEPs. DCPS will have a small amount of funds available centrally to support student transportation accommodations. These funds will be exhausted on a first-come first-served basis.

To request OSSE–DOT transportation for a field trip, schools must use the Quickbase Field Trips application. Staff should select “Day Trip/Less than 50 Miles” under Trip Requests and choose “OSSE–DOT” as the intended mode of transportation. The request must include full trip details (date, times, destination, etc.). Requests must be submitted at least 10 business days before the trip, after which OSSE–DOT will confirm or deny service availability within three business days.

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Guiding Principles

Context

DCPS Fiscal Year 2027 school budget allocations prioritize a “Teachers First” approach, ensuring that funding for classroom teachers is paramount in a tight financial landscape. School budget worksheets reflect projected student enrollment and factor required teacher-to-student ratios across the district. We are also providing requirements and guidance regarding critical personnel and non-personnel spending to support you with making budget decisions.

Requirements & Guidelines

In conjunction with required (nonflexible 1) budget positions, we ask schools to prioritize the following:

Requirements

Items in this category must be budgeted to the minimum levels below. Budgets cannot be submitted with values below what is required. School leaders can view their specific school level requirements in the budgeting application “Submit Checklist.”

Guidelines

The guidelines below are designed to support school teams in making budget decisions. The recommended maximums are based on historical data from DCPS schools; schools that exceed the recommended maximums must have a strong rationale for their plans.

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