Budget & Finance
Education news, analysis, and opinion about district and school finances and budgets.
- Budget & Finance Data See Which School Districts Declined Federal Pandemic AidAdministrative hassle, philosophical disagreements, and abrupt school closures are among the reasons districts rejected ESSER funds.Budget & Finance Why a Handful of School Districts Rejected COVID Relief FundsSome districts thought ESSER funds weren't worth the bureaucratic hurdles. Others had philosophical disagreements.Budget & Finance COVID Relief Funds Are on Their Way Out. Scrutiny Is Only BeginningAuditors and policymakers are ramping up efforts to hold schools accountable for investing in helping students recover post-pandemic.Budget & Finance How Sloppy Math Makes Budgeting Harder for SchoolsAn ongoing school funding mishap in Virginia highlights the precarious business of providing adequate funding for education.Budget & Finance More Districts Are Paying Big to Resolve Sexual Misconduct ClaimsA new report says schools and colleges had to pay out 69 damage awards and settlements of $1 million or more last year.Budget & Finance Q&A Letting Students Decide Where Money Should Go: How One District Did ItCyndi Tercero-Sandoval leads an effort to let Phoenix Union High students decide how significant chunks of money are spent.Budget & Finance Leader To Learn From Giving Students a Say in School Spending? A District Leader's Bold Idea Pays OffCyndi Tercero-Sandoval's initiative empowers students by allowing them to vote on how portions of their school's budgets will be spent.Budget & Finance Schools Are Heading Into a Perfect Financial StormSchool districts will lose the lifeline of COVID relief funds as they struggle with inflated costs and rising economic uncertainty.Budget & Finance COVID Relief Funds Dry Up Next Year. Here's How Districts Can CopeSchool systems need to figure out how they'll pay for programs and staff funded with those federal dollars.Budget & Finance Meal Debt Is a Growing Problem for School Districts, Survey ShowsStudent meal debt is one of a host of challenges facing district food services. Inflation and supply chain shortages are big ones, too.Budget & Finance The Bleak Outlook for Teacher Pensions: What You Need to KnowPublic pensions for teachers and other school workers were only 75 percent funded by states and districts last year—a steep drop from 2021.Budget & Finance Opinion What Districts Need When Investing Their FundsHere's how you can decide if your district's recovery dollars are going to the right interventions.Budget & Finance 6 Ways Districts Can Tackle Meal Debt—and Some Pros and ConsDistrict leaders face tough choices for dealing with families who can't pay for students' meals—but there are lots of humane options.Budget & Finance The Year in School Finance: 10 Stories You Should KnowFederal relief funds, persistent labor shortages, and looming environmental threats are among the year's most pressing issues.Budget & Finance Student Lunch Debt Is Expected to Rise. TikTokers to the Rescue?The heartwarming phenomenon can solve local issues, but probably not what's expected to be a nationwide rise in lunch debt.