ANC 1D Resolution on the DC Public Schools Budget Process

(passed 5-0 on May 6, 2008)

Resolved, that ANC1D advises the Council of the District of Columbia to do the following:

(1) Eliminate Subtitle J of Title IV of the Mayor’s proposed Budget Support Act, thus leaving the current public school budget hearing requirements intact;

(2) Require that the Mayor and Chancellor issue a proposed budget at least 30 days before the Mayor’s submission of the City budget to the Council, requiring specific kinds and levels of detail; and

(3) Support organized forums for public input both before budget development and after the issuance of the detailed proposed budget, in time to permit responsive adjustments before the Council receives the budget.

Issues and concerns:

The regular budget process for District agencies does not provide for the degree of public involvement that has become standard practice for public schools, in the District, and in its adjacent suburbs. The District Code requires the Chancellor to "conduct a public hearing for the purpose of soliciting the views of the public on programs and levels of public funding to be sought for the public schools", prior to budget submission to the Mayor, and the Mayor to "conduct a public hearing for the purpose of soliciting the views of the public on levels of public funding to be sought for the public schools", prior to budget submission to the Council. These requirements for public hearings are modest in comparison to practice in other jurisdictions. Elimination of these hearings would leave the District far behind the standard for public inclusion in the setting of public school budgets and priorities.

The alternative proposed by the Mayor, of providing input "in a manner consistent with that of all cabinet level agencies", appears superficially to be reasonable, but in fact fails to recognize the increased public involvement that has become the standard in budget procedures for public schools. Rather than decreasing the public involvement in the public schools budget process, reducing it to the level of other District agencies, the District might do well to increase public involvement in the budget deliberations for other agencies.