Dear DPS Community,
For most of our schools, Monday marks the first day of the new 2025-26 school year. Over the past few weeks, staff across the district have been preparing to welcome students back in anticipation of what I know is going to be a very successful year. From our July Leadership Week for school leaders, to the Office Support Summit for front office professionals and the New Educator Welcome Event, these events were opportunities for our staff to reconnect, learn from one another and ground ourselves back in our essential function: to provide high quality education to all our scholars.
In picking up where we left off last year and gearing up for a new year, a large focus of our preparation has been rooted in our DPS Instructional Framework, which provides the basis for our 2025-26 priorities:
The ongoing cultivation of Safe and Welcoming Environments in our schools.
Continued implementation of High Quality Instructional Materials (HQIM).
Meaningful collection of student data resulting in Assessment Informed Instruction.
Continuous Professional Learning to ensure our educators have what they need to best support the experiences of our students.
Reflections of the Last School Year
The 2024-25 school year was a year that defined how we showed up when faced with challenges like declining enrollment, a new presidential administration, threats to the federal funding we heavily rely on for essential programming, the safety of our immigrant and LGBTQ+ students, staff and families — and more. Through these challenges, we came together to evaluate our options, have the hard conversations and find pathways forward that led to the best possible outcomes for the communities we serve. That spirit of collective resilience is one that teaches us valuable lessons that allow for reflection and refinement as we tackle known and unknown challenges this school year and beyond.
Our Final Year of the Strategic Roadmap
As we head into the final implementation year of the current Strategic Roadmap, I recognize that we have our work cut out for us to meet the ambitious goals laid out in that plan. In addition to the priorities previously mentioned, we are focusing on building upon previous years’ growth to continue getting better at getting better up until the moment the roadmap expires.
While we are carrying out the necessary work that is aligned with the current roadmap, we are already looking ahead to the development of a new one. The Board of Education will soon begin holding engagement sessions around modifications to its End Statements, which are the high-level goals that I am responsible for completing. The modified Ends Statements that are developed using your feedback from the sessions will then drive the development of our new strategic vision. If you would like to participate in an upcoming engagement session, access the schedule and RSVP for the session you’re able to attend.
Celebrating Continuous Improvement
Our school support teams made great strides last year that resulted in organizational changes that moved the needle in improving the Student, System and Adult Experiences. Some of these successes included the passing of the largest bond in DPS history, expanding the International Educator Institute to include 85 new educators and implementing CrisisGo to streamline communications during emergencies. Additionally, we reached tentative agreements on three-year contracts with DCTA (teachers) and CFSSP (patrol), as well as tentative financial agreements with CWA (custodians), FMA (facility managers), VTF (EGTC Adult CTE teachers), DFPNSE (food), DFPNSE (para) and ATU (transportation).
Read a summary of 2024-25 progress and get a sneak peak of what’s to come from each of our school support offices.
Next week, we will publicly share our 2024-25 CMAS/PSAT data and although I can’t share much now, I will say that we have much to celebrate. Stay tuned to that announcement on Thursday, Aug. 21.
In the meantime, I look forward to seeing students, families and staff during the back-to-school tour next week and wish everyone a great start to the year!
In collaboration,
Dr. Alex Marrero
Superintendent