By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
As summer comes to a close and the new school year approaches, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) Chancellor Lewis D. Ferebee held a back-to-school pep rally for District educators on Aug. 19. The event preceded a week-long professional development series that D.C. teachers will participate in ahead of the start of school on Aug. 26.
The rally took place at Alice Deal Middle School in Ward 3, which was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education in 2019.
“I want to thank you for your commitment to public education and to training, loving and challenging our young people in Washington, D.C. so that they can have a phenomenal school year but also a phenomenal future,” said Bowser. “We are just so grateful.”
“We spend all year making sure that our schools have their budget, that our buildings have what they need and that our young people are supported not just at school but with all of the agencies that serve kids and families throughout the year,” she continued.
Bowser’s budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 features a number of new investments in education. Some of the largest contributions include $2.2 billion to modernize 33 District schools, $349 million to the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) and $255 million to upgrade the conditions of District school buildings.
During the rally, the mayor highlighted the recovery DCPS has made since the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to gaps in math and reading for students across the country.
“We’re very proud that if you look at this entire region, the kids who have come back to school and are coming back the fastest achievement wise are our students in D.C. Public Schools,” said Bowser. “That’s comparing to the region but it’s also comparing to our own schools in Washington D.C. We know that’s because we have the most highly-effective teaching core in the United States of America.”
According to a May report from EmpowerK12, an education consultant in D.C., District students in grades four to eight experienced academic gains equal to two additional months of learning in reading and one additional month in math than expected over the last year. These students would have been in grades kindergarten through fourth grade during the pandemic and most vulnerable to learning loss while schooling was virtual.
However, their math and reading test scores are still not yet on par with pre-pandemic expectations.
At the rally, Ferebee noted that the District is sustaining efforts to increase educator pay. The latest data from the National Education Association (NEA) ranks D.C. fifth in average teacher salary at $84,882 and one in average teacher starting salary at $63,373.
“We are ensuring that you continue to be one of the highest-paid groups of educators in the nation,” said Ferebee. “We also want to continue to ensure that you are encouraged, inspired and that you are receiving the best professional learning experiences to guide the young Washingtonians who are attending school at Alice Deal Middle School.”
He also encouraged educators to take advantage of DCPS’ Inova Employee Assistance program. The benefit provides free counseling services and legal and financial assistance to teachers 24 hours a day year-round.
“Take care of yourself,” said Ferebee. “We know when you do that well, you are able to support our young people, our number one stakeholder, and that’s our students.”
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