We are parents, educators, advocates, and researchers committed to making public schools in the District of Columbia equitable, just, and high-quality for our city’s students — especially for those furthest from opportunity. 

We, as part of Strongest Year Yet, a coalition for DC students, are unified in ensuring students have the support, resources, and opportunities they need for success in all aspects of their lives. 

This school year has been unlike any other: COVID-19’s enduring impacts in the forms of learning loss, social disconnection, and more are well established. We must use new tools and methods to address these challenges, and your leadership is critical to student and family success.

To support our students, we must make next school year, the #StrongestYearYet. Schools are essential. We must treat them as such and prioritize them in policy and budget decisions. We urge District leaders to support our schools, families, and students in the upcoming budget in the following critical ways:

Reopen Schools In-Person and On-Time in Fall 2021

• Our city must set a goal to open all DC public schools in-person and on-time for School Year 2021-2022. 
• We must proactively plan for fall reopening now. The failure to begin this process early is ultimately what thwarted efforts to provide substantial in-person instruction this school year. We cannot let that be the fate for next year.
• Ensuring educators and school-based staff are prioritized for vaccination is step one. Adult learners, most of whom are also parents, must also be prioritized to keep all of our school communities safe. 
• Setting the goal now for engaging families and school staff,  building parent and community confidence, and establishing the required health protocols to operate schools safely will ensure a smoother return in the fall. 
• Families should not be forced to attend school in person, particularly if a vaccine is not yet widely available, but all families must have the option to attend in-person on a full and consistent schedule, while ensuring that the quality of virtual learning does not decline. 

Increase the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula (UPSFF) by at Least 4 Percent

• Our schools need greater investment given the scale of the challenges students and educators are likely to face in the year and years ahead. While we do not yet know how much it will cost to get all students back on track, we know it is time for an unprecedented investment.
• We must, at a minimum, increase the UPSFF by 4 percent. Our educators and students need more resources, not fewer, to build back stronger. 
• Increased resources will mean schools can scaffold more robust academic and social-emotional supports for students — no matter their background. 

Extend the School Day, Week, and Year 

• To support students' academic and social emotional learning and recovery, we will need to push beyond the normal bounds of the academic calendar, giving schools the option to extend the school day, school week, and school year, and families the opportunity to enroll their children in academic and socio-emotional supports that will best help them recover from the effects of the pandemic. 
• A larger “summer bridge” program, “Social Emotional Saturdays,” and whole-school evening enrichment opportunities are the kinds of expansions that could make a meaningful difference for students. We can leverage the rich array of Out-of-School Time Providers in the city to help support this work, and explore a variety of resource incentives to explore this work. 
• Invest in High-Dosage Tutoring (HDT), especially for at-risk students. Tutors can provide critical additional learning time and have been demonstrated as an effective intervention for students beginning as early as pre-kindergarten. 

Expand the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) as a 5th Academic Quarter and Strengthen College and Career Planning

• The Summer Youth Employment Program is a vital financial support for many District families and offers young people important experience in the world of work. 
• The expansive and lasting toll of school closures means that we must find new time to support student learning and progress, with particular attention to the gaps in early literacy and math revealed by recent studies. 
• Using SYEP as an opportunity for academic and social-emotional enrichment will give our students a better chance of being prepared for School Year 2021-2022 and be able to achieve their dreams for life after high school.
• For over-age students, the reimagined SYEP could re-engage students in schooling, improving long-term employability and economic stability. 
• Expanded college and career planning and mentoring opportunities would ensure that DC’s students are meeting the requirements for high school graduation, completing critical steps to college access (such as taking the SAT and completing the FAFSA), and are equipped to effectively make these life transitions.

While no one strategy will get our students back on track, these policy and budget priorities will provide our students and schools the best opportunity to do so. Our students face a generation-defining moment in their lives. Our leaders can create the pathways so all of our students — especially those furthest from opportunity — can achieve their dreams.

We thank you for demonstrating the depth of your commitment to them and doing your part to ensure that students will have their #StrongestYearYet!