Testimony Submitted to the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on Transportation & the Environment

at the Performance Oversight Hearing on the District Department of Transportation.

By Andrew Renard

Associate Director of Policy & Political Affairs

Greetings, Chairperson Allen and members of the Committee on Transportation & the Environment. My name is Andy Renard, and I am the Associate Director of Policy and Political Affairs at the DC Charter School Alliance, the local non-profit that advocates on behalf of public charter schools in the District.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the Adult Learner Transit Subsidy— a program that is critical to the success of adult learners across DC and one that needs your attention this budget cycle.

DC's adult charter schools serve more than 5,000 adult learners across nine campuses. These students are completing their high school equivalency, earning industry-recognized certifications, and building workforce skills for careers in high-demand fields like healthcare, IT, early childhood education, and construction.Over fifty percent are also parents of school-aged children. The evidence is clear: investments in adult education have a generational impact on DC families.

Transportation is one of the most persistent barriers to consistent attendance— and the Adult Learner Transit Subsidy is falling short.

The current $70 monthly benefit has not been increased since 2019. Peak-hour Metro fares now range from $2.25 to $6.75 per trip. A learner attending class three days per week can face monthly transportation costs between $80 and over $200 depending on distance. School leaders consistently report that students face a monthly gap of up to $50 between the subsidy and their actual costs— a gap that grows even larger for parents who must make additional trips for childcare before class.

The consequence is direct and measurable. Adult learners regularly exhaust their transportation funds by the second or third week of the month. When that happens, they face an impossible choice: miss class, arrive late, or go without food, rent, or childcare to cover the fare. When students miss class, their progress stalls. Program completion rates fall. And the District's much larger investment in adult education fails to reach its full potential.

Nearly 80% of adult learners who complete these programs secure employment or enter postsecondary education. These are workers earning family-sustaining wages and contributing to DC's tax base. A stronger transit subsidy is not charity— it is return on investment.

We are asking for two things: First, increase the Adult Learner Transit Subsidy to $100 per month to better align with current transportation costs. Second, index future adjustments to Metro fare increases so this benefit does not erode again over time as it has for the past six years.

Adult learners are demonstrating real commitment. Transportation should not be what stops them. Thank you, and I'm happy to answer any questions.