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February 29, 2024

Dear School Without Walls Families,

DCPS proposed a substantial budget cut for our school next year, and we need the school community to get engaged. Though the initial budget appears to increase--and is being described as a win by the Mayor and Chancellor--it is in fact a significant budget reduction due to increased personnel costs, inflation, and the loss of pandemic-related federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding. Essentially, costs have shifted to local schools, and we have less funding. 

The Walls administration, along with LSAT and HSA representatives, have advocated through the budget process to address this deficit. Principal Isaac requested budget assistance to make up for the $235,210 shortfall, but that request was denied by DCPS. The administration has been left with no choice but to cut positions and other expenses for School Year 2024-25 to make up for the shortfall. Without intervention from the Mayor or City Council, our school will lose two valued full-time faculty members from our world language and performing arts departments, which are essential to our school.

We request our staff remain whole, so we can provide the same level of service and programming to our students as in School Year 2023-24. The situation and our rationale are described in the letter below, sent to the Mayor and Chancellor, from parents of the Walls LSAT with support from the HSA.

At this point in the process, we need our whole school community to engage. We ask you to contact one or more of the Mayor's Office and DCPS decision-makers identified below to share your concerns and request that our school’s budget be made whole. We also suggest that you contact your Councilmember to share concerns.  To maximize efficacy, please do so before March 20, when the Mayor submits her budget for DCPS to the City Council.

We will keep you informed of opportunities to speak at upcoming public budget meetings and other venues.

Expressing your view in your own voice is critical to making the case. The letter provides a basis for your input.  If you want to reinforce your statement by forwarding a formal copy, the letter is linked here (the text of the letter is also included below).

To help us keep track, please let the LSAT and HSA know if you make a contact by copying or sending a note to swwhsbudget@gmail.com.

We will keep you apprised and thank you for your support.

Local School Advisory Team parent representatives, 2023-24

School Without Walls Home & School Association Board, 2023-24

DC GOVERNMENT CONTACTS TO EXPRESS VIEWS

Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee -- lewis.ferebee@k12.dc.gov

Deputy Chancellor Drewana Bey -- drewana.bey@k12.dc.gov

Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn -- paul.kihn@dc.gov  

COUNCILMEMBERS

Phil Mendelson (Chairman) -- 202-724-8032, pmendelson@dccouncil.gov 

Anita Bonds (At- Large) -- 202-724-8064, abonds@dccouncil.gov

Christina Henderson (At- Large) -- (202) 724-8105, chenderson@dccouncil.gov

Kenyan R. McDuffie (At- Large) -- (202) 724-7772kmcduffie@dccouncil.gov

Robert White (At-Large) -- 202-724-8174, rwhite@dccouncil.gov 

Brianne Nadeau (Ward 1) -- 202-724-8181, bnadeau@dccouncil.gov 

Brooke Pinto (Ward 2) – 202-724-8058, bpinto@dccouncil.gov

Matthew Frumin (Ward 3) -- 202-724-8062, mfrumin@dccouncil.gov

Janeese Lewis George (Ward 4) -- 202-724-8052, jlewisgeorge@dccouncil.gov  

Zachary Parker (Ward 5) -- 202-724-8028, zparker@dccouncil.gov

Charles Allen (Ward 6) -- 202-724-8072, callen@dccouncil.gov 

Vincent Gray (Ward 7) -- 202-724-8068, vgray@dccouncil.gov  

Trayon White (Ward 8) -- 202-724-8045, twhite@dccouncil.gov 

February 28, 2024

RE:    Budget relief for The School Without Walls High School for School Year (SY) 2024-25

Dear Mayor Bowser and Chancellor Ferebee, 

On behalf of our community of nearly 600 students and their families—who come from every ward across the city—parent representatives of the School Without Walls High School (SWWHS) Local School Advisory Team (LSAT), with support from the Home & School Association (HSA), requests that you provide budget relief in the amount of $235,210 in our SY 2024-25 budget to ensure our school operations are fully funded. 

Our enrollment is currently at 597 and projected to increase to 609 next year, and yet we are facing a budget shortfall amounting to two full-time positions and other expenses. While DCPS claims to be raising average school budgets by 12.4%, the latest SWWHS budget proposal is effectively down by 22%. If you do not restore the requested funds, SWWHS will need to eliminate two faculty full-time equivalents (FTEs). Based on the budget submitted to DCPS on February 23, this means cutting a world language and sacrificing classes and programs in the performing arts. This is devastating on many levels.  

Over the past three years, our school has worked hard to recover from the pandemic and from past budget instability. Our focus has been on providing programs and services that not only support our students academically but that help them feel connected to the school and community. Losing staff and programming will set us back—class sizes will be larger and it will be impossible to fully schedule all students. Moreover, students will lose out on opportunities to engage globally and in the arts. This also sends a message to students that they are not important and that their teachers are expendable. The budget impacts will also undermine the adopted SWWHS Comprehensive School Plan and a school culture that has led to decades of successful student outcomes.

We are not seeking new resources beyond what is required to maintain our operations and deliver the same level of service as this year, to a projected greater number of students, which amounts to $2.17 per student, per school day. 

SWWHS parents and students will participate in upcoming hearings and seize other opportunities to reiterate our request. However, if this issue cannot be favorably resolved, the LSAT and HSA expect City and DCPS leadership to explain its rationale to our school community at our next LSAT meeting on March 6.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

The School Without Walls Local School Advisory Team parent representatives, 2023-24

The School Without Walls Home & School Association Board, 2023-24

cc: Deputy Mayor for Education

      Deputy Chancellor

      DC Councilmembers