Testimony of Mary Katherine West before the Committee of the Whole

May 13, 2026

Good morning, Chairman Mendelson, members of the Committee, and staff. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today at the Committee of the Whole Hearing on the Proposed Fiscal Year 27 Budget. My name is Mary Katherine West, and I am a Policy Analyst at DC Action and a Ward 1 resident.

DC Action works to remove barriers that prevent children and youth from reaching their full potential, using research, data, and a racial equity lens. We are also home to the Context Team, a group of young parent advisors whose lived experiences directly inform our policy advocacy.

My testimony focuses on the urgent need for the Council to restore funding for the three FTE positions that support the DCPS New Heights Program, totaling $304,000.

First, I would like to thank Chairman Mendelson for your continued support of the New Heights Program and for restoring funding for staff positions that were previously cut in the FY26 budget proposal. This investment has allowed New Heights staff to continue supporting young parents in DCPS as they access resources and remain engaged in school.

As of January, the New Heights Program served 144 young parents across 14 DCPS high schools and two middle schools. Program staff work to keep pregnant and parenting students engaged in school, connect them to critical resources such as child care vouchers and housing support, and provide educational and relationship-building opportunities.

This support will be even more important in the coming year as barriers to child care vouchers increase due to the new waitlist policy and the closures of child development centers at HD Woodson and Luke C. Moore high schools.

New Heights has consistently served more than 120 parenting students since the 2023–2024 school year, and the current caseload of 144 students is the highest in recent years. Since 2022, there have also been approximately 250 births annually to parents under age 19 in the District.

For the second year in a row, DCPS eliminated the three New Heights positions that serve students across the District, citing the Connected Schools program as taking on this work. However, Connected Schools is not equipped to meet the specialized needs of pregnant and parenting students.

Only three of the 14 high schools and two middle schools served by New Heights will have Connected Schools managers in FY27. As a result, more than half of the students currently supported by New Heights would lose access to these services.

Furthermore, Connected Schools managers do not have the training, capacity, or reach to implement this program with fidelity. Young parents face unique barriers to accessing school, including postpartum and early childhood health navigation, navigating child care access, and the financial pressure of supporting their child’s needs, including housing, diapers, wipes, food, and clothing during this time of rapid development. 

New Heights positions DCPS to exceed national graduation outcomes for parenting youth

New Heights is an evidence-based program that has operated in the District for 20 years and has been shown to improve student engagement, attendance, credits earned, and graduation rates.

In the 2024-2025 school year, three New Heights coordinators and one program manager supported 120 parenting students. So far in the 2025-2026 school year, they have supported 144 students. Coordinators provide direct support to students attending school in person and help those receiving instruction from home remain connected to their education.

As of January, one in-school coordinator at Garnett-Patterson STAY was supporting 59 students. The remaining two coordinators and the program manager serve 14 additional DCPS middle and high schools across the District.

New Heights plays a critical role in improving graduation outcomes. In the 2024-2025 school year, 52% of participants graduated within four years, and 69% graduated within five years. These rates significantly exceed the national statistic: only 51% of teen mothers earn a high school diploma by age 22, compared to 84% of their non-parenting peers.

Persistent systemic racism continues to shape these disparities. Nationally, one-third of Black teen mothers and 54% of Latina teen mothers do not obtain a high school diploma or GED. Because the majority of New Heights participants are Black and brown, the program is essential to disrupting these inequities in the District.

Young parents face substantial barriers to staying in school, including medical needs during pregnancy and postpartum recovery, lack of access to childcare, and financial pressures that may push them to leave school to support their families.

In the context of DCPS’s overall 4-year graduation rate of 78%, it is clear that New Heights is an effective intervention that equips parenting students who have barriers to education with the tools and support they need to succeed academically.

New Heights not only helps students remain in school but also supports their long-term development. Earning a diploma expands career opportunities and improves long-term economic stability for young parents and their children. Any reduction to this program would have lasting negative impacts.

New Heights provides critical social support that helps young parents persist in school 

The 2023 DCNEXT Report found that family support is the leading factor influencing whether young parents stay in or return to school. When young parents have stable housing and access to financial or parenting support, they are more likely to continue their education.

For those without strong family support, New Heights coordinators serve as trusted adults: offering guidance, encouragement, and consistent support as students navigate both adolescence and parenthood.

Feedback from DC Action focus groups underscores the program’s impact. One participant shared how program coordinators help students reengage in school and access childcare assistance:

• “I didn’t come to school when I was pregnant. And I was hesitating to come back to school because I don’t know how to balance all of that, being homeless, trying to find daycare, go to school, get my diploma, and taking care of a baby. And it was just a lot until I actually sat down and talked to people, and I saw that they really cared and were willing to help. ‘Cause I didn’t have anyone who was willing to help me like that before. New Heights was actually real life-saving because I didn’t know how I was going to do this myself.”

• “[My program coordinator] is the reason that I even got a [child care] voucher. Like, I didn’t have to do none of the paperwork, nothing, I just had to bring her my [documents], and she did all that for me. I’m just being honest. And me personally, I was not doing all that.”

Students also described how coordinators help meet their children’s basic needs:

• “New Heights, that is a big help to me. It’s times where my child’s  daycare, you have to bring your Pampers and wipes to the daycare, and [the New Heights program coordinator] helps me.” 

Others emphasized the consistent emotional support they receive and their gratitude for the program:

• “The biggest support I’ve had is from [my New Heights program coordinator] since the beginning. You know, me and her go way back, like, way back. She’s actually the person who’s helping the most. She has been the most support that I’ve had in the whole journey. She’s been the one person who has checked up on me like that… Yeah. It’s all to [my program coordinator].”

• “Having people like her around us in DC schools, that’s the right thing.”

Again, I urge the Council to restore funding for the three New Heights positions in DCPS. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of this vital program for young parents in the District. I appreciate your continued support and investment in ensuring that parenting students have the resources they need to stay in school and succeed.

I welcome any questions.