D.C. Council Allocates Money for Education

WASHINGTON — The D.C. Council recently decided that all students in D.C. will have free access to Metro buses starting in the fall of 2013. This is part of the council’s plan to use the $50 million of unexpected revenue from this year’s strong income tax, the growing population and a lasting city economy.

The council is putting the money to use for numerous other aspects of education, including new investments in technology, school-based mental health, adult literacy, increased access to early childhood education for infants and toddlers and upgraded student information systems in D.C. public schools. The money will be used for several of the council’s plans not related to education as well, such as aiding senior citizens and promoting art and film in D.C.

These spending plans come after council member David Catania’s narrow defeat in the council’s discussion of how the money should be used. Catania felt that the money would be best used to amend the school budget and provide each school with an addition $32 million. This equates to $558 for each student qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. He felt that allocating the money this way would help reduce the wide achievement gap in the D.C. area.

An intense debate ensued regarding Catania’s proposal. Proponents of his plan supported the notion of providing additional funding for schools and students in need, while opponents doubted the ability of increased funds to improve students’ performance in school. Many other members of the council were hesitant to make such a drastic change to the school budget as well.

Catania’s budget proposal lost by a narrow vote of seven to six. He proposed a new bill similar in nature to his failed proposal that would increase funding for students with limited economic means, to start in the fall of 2014. The hearing for his new proposal will be held on Thurs., July 11.