DME Presentation – FY26 Schools Budget

W6PSPO’s / Ward 5 Education Equity Committee’s joint meeting on June 17, 2025 featured the following speakers:

  • Bijan Verlin, Legislative Policy Advisor, DC Council Committee of the Whole
  • `Abdu’l-Karim Ewing-Boyd, Director of Strategic Initiatives, K-12, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education
  • TJ Sell, Director of Budget and Performance Management, Office of the Deputy Mayor for Education 

Other updates:

  • Sign-on Letter in Support of DCPS International Educators – A team of WTU international educators has created a sign-on letter to the DC Council asking for $200-$300K in the DCPS budget to restart the DCPS Green Card Program.  DCPS ended this program in October 2024 (see this gifted Washington Post story)

    DCPS has hired between 200-300 educators (dual language teachers, ELL educators, foreign language teachers, math and special education teachers) on H1B visas.  Without the chance to apply for a green card, these teachers will likely leave DCPS.  You can sign the sign-on letter here.  This  provides more background information.
  • SBOE Task Force on High School Graduation Requirements – Before updates are made to the high school graduation requirements, the SBOE must review and approve them.  The SBOE is convening a task force to help in their review.  The task force will begin meeting in August 2025.  If you are interested in being on the task force, you can access their online application here.  Applications will be taken through June 30, 2025.
  • Hill Family Biking Open Streets Ride, June 28th, 10:30 am –  Open Streets DC is coming to Capitol Hill and Hill Family Biking will be kicking off the festivities with a bike parade down the 1-mile car-free route. All ages and abilities welcome.  The ride will begin at Seward Square (6th and North Carolina) and end at 16th and Massachusetts where riders can help create a giant chalk street mural with ChalkRiot!  Register here.
  • Old School Dance Party, June 27, 7pm at Hill Prince DC (1337 H St. NE). Details HERE.
  • Harvesting Justice: Cultivating a Future for DC Schools Thursday, July 10th | 6:00–8:00 PM – True Reformer Building | 1200 U Street NW. Register HERE for an inspiring evening, filled with connection, visioning, and movement-building in the heart of the city. This social gathering will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres, vibrant conversation, and powerful voices committed to justice in education.

Old School Dance Party on FRIDAY June 27, 2025 @ 7:00pm – Come Boogie at Hill Prince!

Capitol Hill’s Chamber of Commerce and W6PSPO invite you to an old school dance party on Friday, February 21 @ 7:00 p.m. at the Hill Prince (1337 H St NE). Grab some friends and dance to all your favorites!

Tickets are $15 (cash) or $10 with proof of same day dinner purchase from an H St. business. Ticket sales go to local neighborhood schools and to H Street beautification and improvement projects.

Celebrity DJ, “Tony T” from the Pug will spin tunes all night!

(Dad bods and Mom jeans are welcome!)

DC Joy Day – Sat. June 14 @ Anacostia Park

Details here: https://freedcproject.org/event-list/dc-joy-day

*W6PSPO will be organizing a pop-up book swap (for all ages) at the park. Bring a book or two to share and/or take a book or two. 📚❤️

Thank You, Ward 6 for a Fantastic Good Trouble Ride!

Our Bike and Roll to School Day Good Trouble Ride was a blast thanks to YOU! Thank you to all of the student performers, educators, and community partners for bringing your flavor of magic that make these events so special. Never change, Ward 6, and see you on October 8, 2025 at Walk and Roll to School Day!

Enjoy these photos, this excellent coverage by Eliot-Hine Network, and  this terrific video put together by DDOT! There also were stories about the event on Fox5 and NBC News4! and be sure to submit your own to the first ever BRTSD images contest!

Special shoutouts to:

  • the Ludlow-Taylor dance team
  • Stuart-Hobson’s Madagascar cast
  • Payne’s cheer squad
  • The Eastern Senior High School Blue and White Marching Machine
  • Eliot-Hine Network
  • the Capitol Hill Community Foundation
  • DC Department of Transportation – Safe Routes to School program and DC Highway Safety groups
  • the DC Metropolitan Police Department’s – Sargeant Ibrahim and the Bike Patrol trainees and to the First District (1D!)
  • DC Public Library and the Book Bike
  • DC Public Schools families and educators, and Chancellor Ferebee and team
  • FreeDC – organizing joyful Good Trouble within Ward 6 and the city 
  • Hill Family Biking – and Mark Sussman – inspiring an active family cycling community
  • National Park Service – Jr Rangers and Ranger Vince Vaise!
  • Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen – Best DC Council Team Ever!
  • the Ward 6 Public Schools Parent Organization school representatives, the Hill is Home, and the Hill Rag, and everyone else who helped us get the word out!

Bike and Roll to School Day is May 7 – Register and Join!

Bike and Roll to School Day is May 7!

  1. Register your school HERE,
  2. Help us get the word out, and
  3. Join us at Lincoln Park, 7:30-8:30am!

Letter to Senate from DC School Parent/Teacher Orgs Re $1B in Cuts to FY25

Sixty-five city-wide DCPS and charter school organizations and parents signed on to a letter asking US Senators to take action to restore the ability for DC to spend our own local tax dollars and continue to fund essential city services like schools, police and firefighters.

Thank you to the families from the Capitol Hill Cluster School who led this effort, and to the many community organizations who joined to get the word out to school organizations and communities. In less than 24 hours, this letter was drafted, circulated, signed, and hand-delivered on March 12, 2025 to 55 senate offices and delivered electronically to every Senate office.

Letter to Senate Re DC Budget CutsDownload

W6PSPO Meets Tuesday March 18 @ 7pm

Dear W6PSPO Community,

We’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow, Tuesday, March 18 at 7 pm via Zoom (Register/Join here). 

We will primarily be discussing the $1B cut to DC’s current FY year budget, actions taken by leaders/residents and how you can help, and FY26’s budget.

Our guests will be :

  • Anjali Zielinski – Free DC, Ward 6 Representative
  • Brandon Best – Ward 6 Representative on DC State Board of Education
  • Bijan Verlin – Legislative Policy Advisor, DC Council, Committee of the Whole

Updates and Reminders:

  1. Cuts to CURRENT FY’s Budget Across DC, which will heavily impact Schools

From Ward 6 CM Charles Allen: “With the passage of the continuing resolution by both chambers, $1.1 billion in local tax dollars have been cut from DC’s current year budget. A path remains to right this injustice, and the House must now act to pass Sen. Collins’ bill.” This may not happen for weeks, as the House is in recess, so DC government is taking steps to make immediate cuts to spending (hopefully temporary). Here’s a quick explanation from CM Allen. 

Related: Thank you to CHCS parents for leading the effort to send a letter to every Senator on behalf of DC school communities and PTOs, asking US Senators to take action to restore the ability for DC to spend our own local tax dollars and continue to fund essential city services like schools, police and firefighters.

2. Capitol Hill Community Foundation Spring Grants – The Capitol Hill Community Foundation’s spring grant deadline is March 31.  The CHCF has been incredibly generous to our schools, and awards grants up $3,000.  You can apply for a spring grant here.

3. Abrasom Scholarship – The Abramson Scholarship Foundation is currently accepting applications for their 2025 scholar program from students graduating from high school in June 2025. The application closes April 1. The Abramson Scholar program is a comprehensive support system for scholars throughout their college journey. In addition to financial assistance, scholars benefit from personalized mentoring, ongoing community engagement, and programs that address academic, professional, social/emotional, and financial goals.  Scholars receive $14,000 over four years.  Interested students can access the application here.  Please share the attached flyer with interested students.

4. Bike and Roll to School Day – Registration for National Bike & Roll to School Day opens on Tuesday, March 4. W6PSPO will host our annual event at Lincoln Park on May 7, 2025. If you’d like to help organize (it’s FUN!) your school has a student performance you’d like to have at Bike & Roll to School Day, please reach out to us via email.

Video: Ward 6 Middle (and High) Schools Principals Panel 2025

Principals across Ward 6 destination middle schools and Eastern High School share their ideas on what makes a good middle school, how their schools help all students reach their highest potential, what extracurricular activities they offer, and more. 

Moderator: Claudia Lujan, Chief of Staff of The Education Trust.

Join the Ward 6 Middle School Principals’ panel discussion – March 3, 7:00pm

Have middle school on the mind?

All of the principals of destination middle schools for Ward 6 (and nearby Ward 7 and Ward 8) elementary schools will share their schools’ programming, enrichment, and will answer questions. SPECIAL GUEST: Eastern HS’ Principal Miller!

EVERYONE is welcome! Register via: bit.ly/W6PSPO25MSPrincipals

Old School Dance Party on FRIDAY February 21, 2025 @ 7:00pm – Come Boogie With Us!

Capitol Hill’s Chamber of Commerce and W6PSPO invite you to an old school dance party on Friday, February 21 @ 7:00 p.m. at the The Pie Shop DC (1339 H St NE). Grab some friends and dance to all your favorites!

Tickets are $15 (cash) or $10 with proof of same day dinner purchase from an H St. business. Ticket sales go to local neighborhood schools and to H Street beautification and improvement projects.

Celebrity DJ, “Tony T” from the Pug will spin tunes all night! We also invite you to warm up your TranspoBINGO (coming Feb 27-March 6) muscles. We’ll play a mini round of H St bingo in between grooving to *old school beats.

(Dad bods and Mom jeans are welcome!)