An additional $642,378 has been added to Jackson-Reed’s 2025-2026 budget, allowing for the reinstatement of positions lost due to last year’s cuts. While Mayor Muriel Bowser’s supplemental budget this year included a citywide hiring freeze to lower government spending, DCPS schools were able to hire necessary staff thanks to special exemptions related to education and additional funds passed for the current fiscal year, which allowed schools to remain unaffected. 

The school has provided additional staffing to math, science, and world language departments, as well as a new administrative aide and a pathways coordinator, who will assist students in graduation planning and credit recovery were also new additions to the staff. 

Four of these positions were lost last spring due to budget cuts. “With this extra money, we put it back,” explained Principal Brown.

Class sizing has changed significantly as well since last year, with enrollment sitting at 

1732 students. Students used to be capped at 35 in a class; now Jackson-Reed decreased that number to 30 with hopes of getting down to 25 in the future. Brown stated that, “the hiring freeze did not affect school hires, and we were able to, and are in the process of hiring”.

With enrollment and budget changes coming the 2026-2027 school year, Jackson-Reed will be able to continue and better this trajectory of smaller class sizes and more personalized support for each child. •