HELPING D.C. CHARTER SCHOOLS FIGHT FOR EQUAL FUNDING
The Problem
Ensuring equal funding between traditional D.C. public schools and D.C. public charter schools has been the guiding principle of Washington, D.C.’s education funding policy for more than two decades. But in 2023, District of Columbia leaders proposed a budget that would have broken that covenant for the first time.
D.C. leaders proposed budget shortchanged D.C.’s charter students by more than $100 million dollars compared to the traditional public school system.
“Charter leaders have called on lawmakers to direct more money to their schools — about $148 million — so they can afford to give the same retroactive raises as D.C. Public Schools.”
The Response
GPA worked with the D.C. Charter School Alliance to develop a series of digital ads - video and static. We managed a targeted digital campaign to District residents, voters, and public officials.
Watch the ads
The Result
After over a month of sustained advocacy, in May 2023, the D.C. Council increased funding for charter schools by tens of millions of dollars, appropriating and additional $75 million for the District’s charter schools.