December 4, 2025

Mayor Muriel Bowser

Executive Office of the Mayor

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20004

Dear Mayor Bowser:

D.C. stands at a pivotal moment for public education. The decisions made in the FY27 budget will determine whether our recent gains accelerate or stall. With the right investments, the District has an opportunity to strengthen academic excellence, advance equity, and ensure that every child in every ward attends a strong public school.

The Center for Strong Public Schools Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization committed to ensuring every student, especially Black, Brown, and low-income kids, in all eight wards of the District attends a high-quality, well-run DCPS or public charter school. We are part of a growing national network committed to transforming public education by making it more effective, more equitable, and more responsive to the students who depend on it. 

D.C. has long been a national leader in innovation and bold leadership. This year, in particular, D.C. was ranked first in the nation for learning recovery in both math and reading for grades 3 to 8 between 2022 and 2024, according to the Harvard Center for Education Policy and Research’s 2024 Education Recovery Scorecard. This milestone reflects your consistent commitment to providing historic per-student funding, investing in academic recovery, and prioritizing evidence-based strategies like the science of reading and high-impact tutoring. They are also a core part of your legacy as a leader who prioritizes student success. 

D.C. has demonstrated that meaningful gains are possible and sustainable. Yet we remain behind most states in academic proficiency. We have set an ambitious yet achievable goal for D.C. to meet the national average in 4th- and 8th-grade math and reading proficiency by the 2030 National Assessment of Educational Progress, which could become a defining accomplishment for the District with the right investments in the FY27 budget. Reaching this goal will require a budget that protects progress, expands what is working, and directs funding where it has the greatest impact on student learning. More specifically, we ask you to prioritize the following investments:

• Equitable funding: Ensure that all public school funding and educator pay are allocated through the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula to ensure that students receive equitable resources, regardless of whether they attend a DCPS or public charter school.
• Public charter facilities: Invest in a 3.1% increase to the public charter facilities allowance to ensure students have safe, well-maintained buildings, even without access to capital dollars.
• Early literacy: Fully fund and implement the recommendations of OSSE’s Early Literacy Taskforce to ensure every child learns to read by the end of third grade.¹
• Math innovation: Fully fund and implement the recommendations of OSSE’s Math Taskforce², along with continued investments in High-Impact Tutoring.

Additionally, we urge you to safeguard ​D.C. students, educators, and schools from any loss of federal support. 

Thank you for your continued commitment to D.C. students. With the right investments now, the District can lead the nation in academic excellence and opportunity. We look forward to working with you to ensure every child in every ward attends a strong public school.

In service of all kids always,

Jessica Giles

Executive Director, DC Office

Center for Strong Public Schools Action Fund

1. September 2023. OSSE. Recommendations for Structured Literacy Instruction in the District of Columbia. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/Official%20Early%20Literacy%20Task%20Force%20Report.pdf
2.  October 2025. OSSE. Recommendations for Evidence-Based Math Instruction in the District of Columbia. Source: https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/page_content/attachments/DC%20Math%20Task%20Force%20Report%20%281%29.pdf