FY26 budget proposal - any surprises?

[Anonymous]

The mayor's FY26 budget proposal is finally out. Any surprises in the DCPS or DCPCS proposals?

On first glance it seems more or less like status quo.

[Anonymous]

How can you tell if it's status quo or not?

[Anonymous]

I'm surprised the cuts aren't bigger, in general.

Maybe losing some charters helped bring the school totals down?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can you tell if it's status quo or not?

Operating budget executive summary shows an overall increase in schools funding. Capital budget, at a glance, still includes the school renovations I would expect. Haven't heard any rumblings from the media or advocacy groups on schools like I have for some proposed changes to other programs.

But I don't know that much about the particulars of the school budget so I'm wondering if I'm missing anything.

[Anonymous]

Our school budget is definitely down a bit from the initial proposal. Around $500K.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised the cuts aren't bigger, in general.

Maybe losing some charters helped bring the school totals down?

Probably not. When charters close, the students wind up at another charter or DCPS and the funding follows them. Also, the overall budget for schools is up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can you tell if it's status quo or not?

Operating budget executive summary shows an overall increase in schools funding. Capital budget, at a glance, still includes the school renovations I would expect. Haven't heard any rumblings from the media or advocacy groups on schools like I have for some proposed changes to other programs.

But I don't know that much about the particulars of the school budget so I'm wondering if I'm missing anything.

Teachers cost more after the new contract so status quo or a slight increase in funding might still lead to staff being cut.

[Anonymous]

FY26 has the expected 2.7% increase in per pupil funding but FY27 has a -3.8% decrease in per pupil funding. I don’t know how common that is to just have a placeholder this far out though, or if that indicates there will actually be a decrease.

[Anonymous]

Are ppl being quietly fired? I know someone being let go do to budget cuts this year in DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised the cuts aren't bigger, in general.

Maybe losing some charters helped bring the school totals down?

Probably not. When charters close, the students wind up at another charter or DCPS and the funding follows them. Also, the overall budget for schools is up.

Well yes, but it may be slightly more efficient to run fewer schools and have the schools that do exist be closer to their enrollment targets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm surprised the cuts aren't bigger, in general.

Maybe losing some charters helped bring the school totals down?

Probably not. When charters close, the students wind up at another charter or DCPS and the funding follows them. Also, the overall budget for schools is up.

Well yes, but it may be slightly more efficient to run fewer schools and have the schools that do exist be closer to their enrollment targets.

There are certainly benefits to efficiency though there’s some evidence that larger school systems have higher ratios of central office personnel than smaller ones. Even so, in DC if there are 50 thousand students in charters, the per pupil amount allocated in the budget does not change whether there are 40 charter schools or 50 charter schools. The number of students drives the allocation, not the number of schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are ppl being quietly fired? I know someone being let go do to budget cuts this year in DCPS.

Yep. W4 teacher being excessed here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Are ppl being quietly fired? I know someone being let go do to budget cuts this year in DCPS.

Can’t speak to this but I know a couple teachers who are leaving and windows t get backfilled.

[Anonymous]

*won’t get backfilled

[Anonymous]

I don't think the budget documents are at all clear when it comes to being able to tell what jobs are being eliminated, etc. It does show some reductions but .....