Holding School Budgets Harmless During Modernizations Amendment Act of 2025

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January 24, 2025

Nyasha Howard
Secretary to the Council
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004

Dear Secretary Howard:

Today, I am introducing the “Holding School Budgets Harmless During Modernizations Amendment Act
of 2025”. Please find enclosed a signed copy of the legislation.

School modernizations are critical to ensur ing the District maintains a world -class public education
system. Having a school facility that is modern, state -of-the-art, and capable of handling increased
enrollment also guarantees that students have a conducive learning environment and that educators
have the tools they need to succeed. Many elementary schools across the District are slated for
modernizations soon, and to facilitate these modernizations, these schools will relocate to a swing space
while construction occurs on site.

Modernizations can be destabilizing to a school community, as the relocation to a swing space may
incentivize parents to place their children in a different school not undergoing a modernization or staff
to find a new job. Recent DCPS enrollment data indicate that the most recent modernizations saw short-
term enrollment declines in the first year of the swing location - as deep as 18 percent. While almost all
modernized schools experience an increase in enrollment post- modernization relative to pre -
modernization figures, the temporary downturn in enrollment during its swing space transition can
reduce a school’s available operating budget. This impacts the resources available to ensure schools
have what they need to support students and staff during the modernization and retain critical
educators as part of the school community bound to return to a new building and see restored
enrollment projection figures.

This legislation aims to protect budgets for individual schools that are undergoing a modernization by
amending the Schools First in Budgeting Amendment Act of 2022 to prohibit the reduction of a school’s
budget when the school is or will be utilizing a swing space due to a modernization or other capital
project conducted in the facility. This bill will hold school budgets harmless and ensure stability for the
school community during a modernization.
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Please feel free to reach out to me or my Legislative Director, Antonio Nunes, with any questions or for
additional information.

Sincerely,

Councilmember Charles Allen, Ward 6
Chairperson, Committee on Transportation & the Environment

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Councilmember Charles Allen 2
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A BILL 6
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 11
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To amend the Schools First in Budgeting Amendment Act of 2022 to prohibit the reduction of a 16
school’s budget when the school is or will be utilizing a swing space due to a 17
modernization or other capital project conducted on site. 18
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this 20
act may be cited as the “Holding School Budgets Harmless During Modernizations Amendment 21
Act of 2025”. 22
Sec. 2. Section 104(a)(6) of the Schools First in Budgeting Amendment Act of 2022, 23
effective March 10, 2023 (D.C. Law 24-300; D.C. Official Code § 38-2851.03), is amended as 24
follows: 25
(a) Subparagraph (B) is amended by striking the phrase “; and” and inserting a semicolon 26
in its place. 27
(b) Subparagraph (C) is amended by striking the period and inserting the phrase “; and” 28
in its place. 29
(c) A New subparagraph (D) is added to read as follows: 30
“(D) No decrease shall be made if the school is or will be utilizing a swing 31
space due to a modernization or other capital project conducted on site.”. 32
Sec. 3. Fiscal impact statement. 33

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The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 34
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 35
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 36
Sec. 4. Effective date. 37
This act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 38
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 39
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 40
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 41
Columbia Register. 42