The DCPS funding formula does differentiate public funding based
on the number of students at each
grade level and in
different special needs categories, including special education, English language learners, and those «at risk» for academic failure.38 DCPS would not disclose how or if it
factors in parental donations when determining school budgets or allocations.39 However, it did report not having a policy to equitably redistribute parent donations or to prohibit these additional dollars from being put toward staffing.40