On July 28th, the Council finalized a budget that was crafted in the face of devastating economic impacts brought on by a global pandemic.
As chairperson of the Committee on Education for nearly six years, Councilmember Grosso’s number one priority has always been to ensure that our schools have the resources they need to improve learning for all residents across the District of Columbia.
Below are the budget highlights for fiscal year 2021, which represents the fourth straight budget of increased investments in our schools and a continuation of Grosso’s work to replace the school-to-prison pipeline with school environments that make our students feel safe, loved, and valued.
Education Investments
Maintains the 3 percent increase in per student funding marking the fourth straight budget cycle of growing education investments, with additional funding students at risk of academic failure.
Ends Metropolitan Police Department’s management of the security services contract for D.C. Public Schools in favor of DCPS managing it directly, and reinvests costs savings into our students’ social-emotional learning.
Enacts and fully funds Grosso’s School Expenditure Transparency Amendment Act which provides the public a clearer understanding of how both traditional public and public charter schools expend public dollars, as well as require greater transparency from charter schools by making them subject to the Open Meetings Act.
Provides $3.2 million to offer students the school-based mental health resources they need to achieve academic success.
Supports the social, emotional, and positive behavioral health of our students with additional investments in grants from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to support positive school climate and trauma-informed emotional services.
Ensures more students are reading at grade level by third grade with an additional $900,000 at OSSE for the successful early literacy intervention grant programs, continuing Grosso’s steadfast support for the program.
Additional $5 million in child care center subsidies.
Improves D.C. libraries with $4.2 million to D.C. Public Library for collections in advance of the grand re-opening of the renovated Martin Luther King, Jr. Central Library and to maintain staff and hours at neighborhood branch libraries. $1 million for general improvements across the D.C. Public Library system, including moving up the planning for the Chevy Chase Library modernization and preserving the funding that Grosso requested for the Parklands-Turner standalone branch library.
Community Investments
Invests $5 million in community-based mental health service organizations allowing them to support our residents behavioral health needs while expanding school-based mental health work.
Fully funds the Strengthening Reproductive Rights Amendment Act to add protections for reproductive health freedom and abortion rights to the D.C. Human Rights Act.
Redirects over $500,000 to the Office of Human Rights for additional staff to clear the years-long backlog of discrimination and hate crimes investigations at the Office of Human Rights and restore the Bullying Prevention Coordinator.
Supports LGBTQ young adults experiencing homeslessness with $600,000 for transitional housing
Creates a study of D.C. government practices in hiring, retaining, and promoting transgender people, co-authored with Councilmember Robert White, including recommendations for how to improve and be a model for other employers.
Supports Councilmember Allen’s amendment continuing combined reporting for corporate income which raises $7.4 million for increased investments in school-based mental health, violence interruption, funding for excluded and undocumented workers,local rent supplement vouchers, and emergency rental assistance.
Approves Councilmember Trayon White’s amendment to lower the threshold for the estate tax raising $1.8 million to invest in violence interruption, school based mental health, and mentoring grants for at-risk middle school youth.
Approves Councilmember Nadeau’s amendment to end high tech incentives and raise $17 million for greater investments in school-based mental health, health care access, permanent and temporary housing supports, early childhood center grants, and homeless outreach.
Other Budget Highlights
Funds the complete implementation of the Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act–introduced by Councilmembers Grosso and Silverman–by investing in enforcement at the Office of Human Rights to hold employers accountable and investing in navigators to help both employers and employees understand the tapestry of leave laws in the District of Columbia.
Permanently ends the celebration of Columbus Day in the District of Columbia in favor of honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Reverses Mayor’s cuts to violence interruption and increased the grants as well as the Pathways Program created by the NEAR Act, while reducing the MPD budget.
Reverses Mayor’s cuts to homeless outreach and prevention programs and added 50 units of permanent supportive housing for individuals.
Maintains Mayor’s investments in TANF, Medicaid local match, and D.C. Healthcare Alliance to cover expected increased reliance on safety net programs as a result of the pandemic and economic downturn.
Reverses Mayor’s cuts to Emergency Rental Assistance Program and increased it by over $5 million.
Creates a new $9 million fund for excluded workers.