FY27 Budget a Step Forward, But Funding Inequities Persist

The DC Council today took its final vote to pass the Fiscal Year 2027 Local Budget Act, locking in hard-fought wins for DC's 48,000+ public charter school students. The budget narrows the per-pupil funding gap between sectors by 30%, driven by a UPSFF increase from 2.55% to 3.8% — setting a new per-student foundation of $15,648 and generating more resources for schools, including $15.7 million in additional formula funding for charter schools this fall. 

Additional wins from this budget advocacy season include $2.7 million for St. Coletta PCS to support students with significant disabilities, $10 million in OSSE and DDOT student support investments, $500k to support adult learning and literacy, $42.3 million in charter facilities allotment increases for FY29–30, and Council reaffirmation of the UPSFF as the primary mechanism for equitable school funding.

"Today's vote is a meaningful step forward for the nearly half of all DC public school students who attend public charter schools — but structural funding disparities remain, and the work is far from over," said Ariel Johnson, Executive Director of the DC Charter School Alliance. "As the city prepares to welcome new leaders, our focus will be on ensuring they understand what equitable school funding really means and what's at stake for students when our systems fall short."