2023-25 Strategic Plan Updates | July 31, 2024

District of Columbia sent this bulletin at 07/31/2024 02:30 PM EDT

Road to Restoration: Updates on the 2023-25 OSSE Strategic Plan

July 31, 2024

OSSE has been entrusted with managing nearly $1 billion in federal stimulus funds, including $600 million specifically allocated through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER). As this extraordinary funding opportunity comes to a close, OSSE is committed to supporting a strategic transition to a post-ESSER funding environment by providing sustainability supports to maximize the impact of LEA federal funding.

Early in the pandemic, OSSE identified seven recovery focus areas for targeting our state-led investments of stimulus funds towards helping address educational issues. A key component of our strategy focused on building robust financial planning systems to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of our most effective recovery investments.

Planning post-pandemic funding is crucial for schools to address learning gaps and provide necessary support for academic recovery. It also ensures that schools can maintain safe and healthy environments while adapting to new educational challenges and technological advancements.

Read on to learn more about our investments in reimagining systems.

In service,

Antoinette

Antoinette S. Mitchell, Ph.D.
Interim State Superintendent of Education
Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)

Planning for a Post-Stimulus World Through Sustainability Planning

To prepare the end of the COVID-19 stimulus funding period on September 30, 2024, and as part of our Reimagine Systems strategic plan priority, OSSE engaged in a robust internal financial planning and prioritization exercise last year to ensure the long-term viability and sustainability of our most effective recovery investments. Through this process, OSSE 1) evaluated need, reach and impact of each recovery investment to identify ones to sustain in Fiscal Year 2025 and beyond, 2) determined new and existing fund sources that could be used to sustain those investments, 3) prioritized and ranked those investments according to a set of guiding principles and 4) aligned and integrated prioritized investments into our Fiscal Year 2025 budget formulation process.

As a result of these efforts, our approved Fiscal Year 2025 budget enables OSSE to sustain several of our most effective state-led recovery programs into the future. Some FY25 budget highlights include:

$17 million to expand the Advanced Technical Center (ATC) at Penn Center, and $581,000 to help launch an additional ATC site in Ward 8
$14 million over four years to enable currently enrolled DC Futures participants to complete their studies
$4.8 million for High-Impact Tutoring
$4.3 million for Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming including the Advanced Internship Program
$2.9 million over four years for structured literacy and $2 million for high-quality literacy instructional materials for LEAs
$1.8 million to continue our course code collection system
$700,000 for expanded dual enrollment

In addition, OSSE is committed to supporting LEAs to manage a smooth and strategic transition to a post-ESSER funding environment, with a focus on continuing learning acceleration and addressing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. OSSE has provided a set of Post-ESSER Sustainability Supports to help LEAs:

Identify and promote key evidence-based strategies to continue post-ESSER – These strategies are consistent with OSSE’s own recovery investment areas and FY23-25 Strategic Plan, as well as recent guidance from U.S. Department of Education on ESSER liquidation extension and priorities shared by the White House.
Leverage the U.S. Department of Education’s ESSER liquidation extension process – This process enables LEAs to extend the use of ESSER III-ARP funds for the evidence-based strategies and other needs in Fiscal Year 2025, where applicable.
Leverage existing federal grant flexibilities – As LEAs prepare for federal grant application windows for Fiscal Year 2025 to open in Summer 2024 (e.g., ConApp, IDEA), OSSE has developed guidance and information regarding how best to leverage grant flexibilities to sustain evidence-based strategies and other key priorities in Fiscal Year 2025.
Convene in communities of practice – On July 31, OSSE will convene an LEA Community of Practice for LEA budget and finance leaders to discuss how best to leverage existing federal grant flexibilities in planning Fiscal Year 2025 budgets. On August 13, OSSE will convene LEAs to discuss leveraging USED’s liquidation extension request process to extend the use of ESSER III-ARP funds into Fiscal Year 2025.

OSSE is responsible for managing nearly $1 billion in federal stimulus funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were awarded over three bills: CARES, CRRSA and ARP. The majority of funds are passed through directly to LEAs, CBOs and early childcare providers.

OSSE’s planned spending of state set aside federal stimulus funds has included a strong focus on Accelerate Learning, Strengthening the Childcare Sector, Safe Re-Opening and Reimagining Post-Secondary Pathways strategies.

Through the end of FY23, LEAs had spent 64% of their federal stimulus (ESSER) funds on Accelerate Learning strategies.

Currently, more than 350 child development facilities are participating in Early Childhood Pay Equity Fund. In Dec. 2023, March 2024 and June 2024, OSSE issued quarterly award payments to participating child development facilities to use to increase compensation for eligible staff as part of their regular paychecks. More than $48 million has been distributed in the first three quarters. The next award payments will be distributed in September.

OSSE’s Multilingual Learner Institute, “Advancing Literacy, Culture and Multilingualism,” will be held Aug. 12, at Gallaudet University. This convening will bring together educators, researchers and practitioners in the District of Columbia to support multilingual learners enrolled in both English language acquisition and dual language programs.

OSSE will host the Special Education Institute: Building Capacity for a Brighter Future, on Thursday, Aug. 15, at Gallaudet University. This capacity-building opportunity will convene educators to enhance their knowledge and skills and improve special education outcomes.

Grant applications are now open for LEAs to launch, strengthen and expand high-impact tutoring (HIT) programs in schools for DC students. Learn more and submit a Notice of Intent to Apply by Aug. 16.

Make your voice heard on the District’s current high school graduation requirements and the development of a DC-wide Graduate Profile! As part of the Reimagining High School Graduation Requirements initiative, OSSE is seeking feedback on the inaugural development of a DC-wide Graduate Profile and the development and implementation of revised high school graduation requirements that support innovative approaches to preparing young people for life after graduation. To provide feedback, please complete this form: DC-OSSE Reimagining High School Graduation Requirements Public Feedback Form.

On July 11, OSSE welcomed 200 students to Kimball Elementary School for a fun-filled day of activities, partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, DC Public Schools, American Dairy Association North East and anti-hunger advocates. The DC Youth Meals kickoff event encouraged families to participate in the program and celebrated students for staying active and eating healthy.

Families started receiving their SUN Bucks summer EBT benefit cards in the mail in mid-June, with more than 55,000 eligible students' benefits processed and sent for having their card printed and sent.

OSSE Interim State Superintendent Antoinette S. Mitchell, Ph.D., DCPS Deputy Chancellor Patrick Ashley and students during DC Youth Meals Kickoff event.

From wellness events to ensuring employees have access to available resources, OSSE was fully committed to supporting employee wellbeing in July. To celebrate International Self Care Day, OSSE hosted a mini relaxation retreat. During this “mini retreat,” trained coaches offered a session focusing on breathwork, demonstrate stretching techniques and teach the art of guided relaxation.

OSSE is co-hosting a summer wellness series with Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) in July and August, hosting sessions on Soul Body Restore, Tai Chi, Zumba and Soul Line Dancing. We finished the month with a DEIB presentation looking through lens of Immigrant Heritage Month and our DEIB Theory of Action. We learned about newly arriving families and students in the District and discovered resources put in place and those that are still needed to support migrant families and students.

OSSE released new guidance to support LEAs and individualized education program (IEP) teams in making decisions regarding special education transportation services:

Special Education Non-Regulatory Guidance: Determining Eligibility for Transportation as a Related Service supports IEP teams in determining eligibility for special education transportation as a related service by connecting transportation eligibility criteria, IEP team considerations, and student-level data.
OSSE DOT Vehicle Accommodations Guidance provides descriptions and eligibility considerations for services and accommodations provided by OSSE DOT to support IEP teams in making appropriate designations.

OSSE DOT’s Transportation Request Form (TRF) status website provides an overview of the status of each LEA and its TRF submissions for eligible students for the upcoming 2024-25 School Year. This website provides transparency for LEAs and their leaders to monitor the TRF submissions of the students that are eligible for transportation services.