Council of the District of Columbia

Committee of the Whole

1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20004

 

MEMORANDUM

 

TO:        Nyasha Smith, Secretary to the Council

               

FROM:  Phil Mendelson, Chairman

                                 

DATE:   October 9, 2024

 

RE:        Request to Place Measures on the Agenda for October 15, 2024 Legislative Meeting

 

 

              The following measures are placed on the agenda for the October 15, 2024 Additional Legislative Meeting:

 

• Early Childhood Educator Pay Scales Emergency Declaration Resolution of 2024
• Early Childhood Educator Pay Scales Emergency Amendment Act of 2024
• Early Childhood Educator Pay Scales Temporary Amendment Act of 2024

 

              This legislation would revise the current early childhood assistant and lead teacher compensation scales to the Early Childhood Equitable Educator Compensation Task Force recommended compensation scales.

 

The Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund (“pay equity fund”) was established in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget to create salary scales for early child educators comparable to DC Public School salaries. By FY24, the pay equity fund spent over $140 million in early childhood educator salaries. The FY25 budget necessitated reductions across DC Government, and $70 million was appropriated for the pay equity fund. In the FY25 Budget Support Act, the Early Childhood Educator Equitable Compensation Task Force (“task force”) was instructed to recommend changes to meet the FY25 budget and further limit fiscal pressures on the program through the financial plan and beyond.

 

              On September 30, 2024, the task force released a report (RC25-0240) that includes a proposal for a lead and assistant teacher compensation scale based on the FY25 budget appropriation. The proposed compensation scale establishes new minimum salaries based on credentials, balancing the limits of the pay equity fund and the compensation and benefits of pre-k and kindergarten teachers employed at the District of Columbia Public Schools and District public charter schools. The compensation scale in current law expires on December 1, 2024 — therefore, in the interest of timeliness and accuracy, I am moving this legislation to ensure the District has an updated compensation scale in place for this fiscal year.

 

Draft