Mayor Bowser Presents FY27 Budget That Builds on More Than a Decade of Growth and Creates New Opportunities for DC Residents and Businesses

(Washington, DC) - Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser presented her Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Budget, Grow DC. The FY27 budget prioritizes enhanced funding for education and public safety, preserving core city services, protecting robust health care for DC residents, and growing the District's economy.

"For everything we love about our city-our great schools, parks, transportation, arts, culture, and restaurants-they require us to have robust revenues to make robust investments," said Mayor Bowser. "For that, we need a pro-growth budget, which we are delivering with Grow DC."

Education and Childcare
Years of investing in education have delivered results our city can be proud of-our highest ever graduation rate, continued enrollment gains, and great public schools in all eight wards. The Grow DC budget increases the Uniform Per Student Funding Formula by 2.55%, bringing the foundation level to $15,455 per student, and supports nearly 100,000 public and public charter students.

• $2.4M to expand access to the Advanced Technical Centers, which give high school students hands-on career and technical education.
• $3M to expand high-impact tutoring to help more students recover and grow academically.
• Continues support for the DC Futures Program to ensure residents pursuing degrees at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) can finish their programs. And the six-year capital plan includes more than $2 billion to modernize public school facilities, upgrade technology, and support improvements at UDC, including funds necessary to unlock its first-ever student housing through a public-private partnership.

The District continues to offer the nation's most expansive childcare support system, including paid family leave, universal free Pre-K, and a robust childcare subsidy program that pays childcare providers at a higher rate than any other state in the country. The FY27 budget focuses on programs that provide affordability and access for families, including full funding for:

• Universal Pre-K ($266M);
• Childcare Subsidy ($114M);
• PKEEP ($19M); and
• Healthcare for childcare workers ($12M).

Public Safety
DC is making historic progress in driving down crime citywide. The Grow DC budget builds on this momentum by ensuring the Metropolitan Police Department has the resources to hire, recruit, and retain officers, while also supporting full funding for the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, Office of Unified Communications, Department of Corrections, Department of Forensic Sciences, and other core agencies in our public safety ecosystem.

The six-year capital plan includes more than $500M to modernize public safety facilities, purchase new fire trucks and ambulances, replace aging and outdated equipment, increase housing capacity at our juvenile justice facilities, and upgrade critical communications and public safety technology so first responders have the tools they need to help keep us safe.

• $350M over six years to keep our fire trucks and ambulances modern and functional;
• $46M to improve youth rehabilitation facilities, including new housing units to expand capacity;
• $27M to build a new fire station as part of the RFK campus redevelopment; and
• $75M to support a public-private partnership to build a new DC Jail.

Core City Services
The Grow DC budget maintains strong funding for the Department of Parks and Recreation, DC Public Library, Department of Public Works, District Department of Transportation, Department of Energy and Environment, and Department of Motor Vehicles to ensure reliable core public services for residents and businesses.

• $4.5M to continue DPW's Clean Corridors initiative;
• $61M over six years for IT and cybersecurity upgrades within DC Government;
• $121M to create a new home for the DC Archives;
• $743M for DC's share of operating costs for the regional Metro system; and
• Investments to support the development of digital drivers' licenses, which will let residents have secure, electronic versions of their drivers' licenses stored in their digital wallets.

Major capital investments across the city will modernize recreation centers and public libraries, and fund planning and design work on the 125-acre Kenilworth Park North, which could lead to the creation of a state-of-the-art destination park in Ward 7.

• $900M to improve major bridges and continue maintenance of roads, sidewalks, and alleys; and
• $12M to keep Capital Bikeshare stations and bikes in a state of good repair; and
• $102M for multiuse trails, including the Anacostia River Trail, Metropolitan Branch Trail, and other trail corridors throughout the District.

Health Care and Human Services
Nearly 40% of DC residents depend on our Medicaid, Basic Health Plan, or Alliance programs. The Grow DC budget maintains comprehensive coverage while also responding to rising health care costs.

• $9M to add new dental and vision benefits for Basic Health Plan and Alliance enrollees;
• $2M to fund new chip cards for SNAP participants to help prevent benefits theft;
• $25M to acquire a third bridge housing site and $3M to support ongoing operations; and
• Supports seniors by protecting programs and services at the Department of Aging and Community Living and maintains investment in a new Senior Wellness Center in Ward 2.

Economic Resilience and Inclusive Opportunity
To keep DC competitive and ensure the city's strong economic future, the Grow DC budget reduces the cost of doing business by lowering business-related fees, supports major redevelopment projects through targeted incentives, and continues to invest in grant programs to help our small businesses thrive.

• $110M for development at Hill East, Fletcher Johnson, and Poplar Point;
• $320M for transportation improvements around the RFK campus for pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers;
• $14M to attract businesses and diversify our economy; and
• $1M to help Children's Hospital find a new home here in DC.

Ahead of the budget presentation, the Mayor and District officials presented a retrospective look at the District's economy over the past 12 years, highlighting changing economic conditions and the fiscal impacts on DC government.

• Pre-pandemic years: the District experienced stable, predictable growth, a fast-growing population, and strong Downtown demand which resulted in steady revenue growth that funded the expansion of programs and services.
• COVID years: job losses, significant drop in sales taxes, major disruptions to work patterns, and massive infusions of federal dollars caused huge economic swings, and at times, significant growth.
• Current, driving growth years: the District continues to adjust to changed workplace trends, and has been greatly impacted by the elimination of tens of thousands of federal and contractor jobs and a shrinking federal footprint, but still maintains a strong financial foundation and continues to experience growth.

Find the full FY27 budget presentation at budget.dc.gov. The FY27 budget books will be posted online on April 14 at cfo.dc.gov/budget.

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