Committee of the Whole Public Hearing

COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004 CHAIRMAN PHIL MENDELSON COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE ANNOUNCES A PUBLIC HEARING on Bill 24-570 “Schools First in Budgeting Amendment Act of 2021” (STAFF DRAFT) on Friday, September 16, 2022 at 1:00pm Chairman’s Website (www.ChairmanMendelson.com/live) DC Council Website (www.dccouncil.us) Council Channel 13 (Cable Television Providers) Office of Cable Television Website (entertainment.dc.gov) Council Chairman Phil Mendelson announces a public hearing by the Committee of the Whole on Bill 24-570, the “Schools First in Budgeting Amendment Act of 2021.” The hearing will be held on Friday, September 16, 2022 at 1:00pm via Zoom video conference. The hearing will focus on a staff draft revision, the bill as introduced. The “Schools First in Budgeting Amendment Act of 2021” aims to elevate schools in the budgeting process for DCPS by ensuring that schools receive the funding they need to educate students first and foremost. Bill 24-570 is a prescriptive revision to DCPS budgeting: budgeting the local schools first based on each school’s previous year’s budget, adjusting for inflation. What remains may then be allocated between central administration and school support. The Committee held a hearing on Bill 24-570 on January 20, 2021. As a result of input from educators and school leaders, the bill has undergone changes and it better reflects the Committee’s intention of safeguarding school’s budgets year over year barring significant enrollment shifts. The purpose of this hearing is to receive testimony from DCPS and the public on the revisions (staff draft) made to Bill 24-570 and to continue the discussion about better budgeting to adequately support and stabilize our local schools. The staff draft will be available from the Committee as of September 5, 2022. Those who wish to testify must register at http://www.ChairmanMendelson.com/testify by the close of business on Wednesday, September 14, 2022. Testimony is limited to four minutes; less time will be allowed if there are a large number of witnesses. Witnesses who anticipate needing spoken language interpretation, or require sign language interpretation, are requested to inform the Committee office of the need as soon as possible but no later than five business days before the proceeding. We will make every effort to fulfill timely requests, although alternatives may be offered. Requests received in less than five business days may not be fulfilled. If you have additional questions, please email cow@dccouncil.us or contact Aaron Sayama, Legislative Assistant, at (202) 724-4865. The hearing will be conducted virtually on the Internet utilizing Zoom video conference technology. Testimony should be submitted in writing to cow@dccouncil.us in advance of the hearing. Written testimony will be posted publicly to http://www.chairmanmendelson.com/testimony. If you are unable to testify at the hearing, written statements are encouraged and will be made a part of the official record. Statements for the record should be submitted to cow@dccouncil.us or left by voicemail by calling (202) 430-6948 (up to 3 minutes which will be transcribed). The record will close at 5:00pm on Friday, September 30, 2022.