DCPS Budget Timeline

Fall

  • School year begins – August
  • New fiscal year begins – October 1
  • Public budget hearing – November
  • Community engagement

Winter

  • Student budget hearing – December
  • LSAT budget engagement 
  • Enrollment projections finalized for upcoming fiscal year to determine DCPS local funding
  • School budgets
    • Schools receive their initial allocations for upcoming fiscal/school year
    • Local School Advisory Teams (LSATs) provide input regarding school budget development
    • Schools submit final budgets for upcoming fiscal/school year
  • Central Services budget finalized

Spring

  • DCPS budget hearing – March
  • DC Council approves the upcoming fiscal year budget

Summer

  • Optional: Schools may request an amount of local Non-Personnel dollars from the upcoming fiscal year budget to spend on goods and services (July-September) to get ready for the upcoming school year. This is known as “Summer Advance.” Unspent summer advance funds return to the school’s budget in the winter of the upcoming year.
  • School summer reprogramming requests capture and process changes needed to make in the local budget. Changes to non-personnel dollars are reflected in the budget in the winter of the upcoming year.
  • District leaders present the next fiscal year budget to the U.S. Congress for approval.