69´«Ã½

School Funding

Learn more about how K-12 schools and districts raise money, set budgets, and spend funds
Thermometer under a hot sun. Hot summer day. High Summer temperatures.
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School & District Management Opinion School Modernization Funds Are in Jeopardy. Here's What To Do
Upgrades to ground-source heat pumps keep students learning in hot weather and rack up energy savings, write two former school leaders.
Brenda Cassellius & Jonathan Klein, January 30, 2025
5 min read
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks in Emancipation Hall after the 60th Presidential Inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. His administration's order to pause potentially trillions of dollars in federal spending this week sent school districts scrambling to figure out which funds might be halted.
Al Drago/AP
Education Funding Trump Spending Freeze Hits Roadblocks: How 69´«Ã½ Are Coping With Chaos
The Trump administration appeared to halt the planned funding freeze, but district leaders remain cautious.
Mark Lieberman, January 29, 2025
6 min read
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters at the White House, Jan. 28, 2025, in Washington. She spoke about a pause in federal funding the Trump administration ordered this week as it reviews grants and programs to determine whether they violate executive orders cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as well as "gender ideology."
Alex Brandon/AP
Education Funding Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze Was Blocked. But Confusion Among 69´«Ã½ Remains
The order sent school districts and others scrambling to determine which federal funds for schools could be stopped.
Mark Lieberman, January 28, 2025
9 min read
69´«Ã½ wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Aug. 22, 2023.
69´«Ã½ wrap up their lunch break at Lowell Elementary School in Albuquerque, N.M., on Aug. 22, 2023. Rising costs and staff shortages are squeezing school nutrition programs.
Susan Montoya Bryan/AP
School & District Management 3 Big Challenges School Lunch Programs Face as They Feed 69´«Ã½
School nutrition directors report problems with costs, supply shortages, and staffing.
Evie Blad, January 14, 2025
4 min read
Close up of FEMA paperwork
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School & District Management 3 Tips for Districts to Maximize FEMA Funding After a Natural Disaster
District leaders who have been through natural disasters stress the need for thorough documentation, even if it seems excessive.
Caitlynn Peetz, December 16, 2024
5 min read
Share your financial/budget idea with others; business project. Sharing of experience.
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Budget & Finance 3 Budgeting Lessons School Administrators Learned From ESSER
District leaders recommend maintaining a list of dream priorities and looking closely at return on investment.
Mark Lieberman, December 13, 2024
7 min read
Photo of funny goat with his tongue out.
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Budget & Finance The G.O.A.T. School Fundraising Idea for Principals. (Really.)
For this season of giving, principals are ditching tried-and-tested methods.
Olina Banerji, November 20, 2024
3 min read
Image of a clock, calendar, and a pencil.
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Budget & Finance Districts Won’t Owe Extra Overtime Costs After Court Nixes Federal Rule
The incoming Trump administration is not likely to appeal the decision.
Evie Blad, November 18, 2024
2 min read
TIghtly cropped photograph showing a cafeteria worker helping elementary students select food in lunch line. Food shown include pizza, apples, and broccoli.
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Budget & Finance No More School Lunch Fees for Low-Income Families, USDA Says
Districts have until 2027 to eliminate processing fees for students who get reduced-price meals.
Madeline Will & Brooke Schultz, November 7, 2024
3 min read
Photo collage of U.S. currency and stock market trading graph.
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Budget & Finance Don't Forget About Money for 69´«Ã½: How Public Education Fared at the Polls
Voters approved billions for school construction bonds in California—but rejected more than $4 billion in bond spending in Houston.
Mark Lieberman, November 6, 2024
5 min read
Illustration of a businessman with his hands on his head while he watches dollars being sucked down into a dark hole.
DigitalVision Vectors
School & District Management 69´«Ã½ Take a $3 Billion Hit From the Culture Wars. Here’s How It Breaks Down
Culturally divisive conflicts in schools have led to increased legal and security costs, as well as staff time spent on the fallout.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 30, 2024
4 min read
Illustration of a big fish getting ready to eat a smaller school of fish. All of the fish have a dollar sign on them.
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Budget & Finance From Our Research Center The 'Zero-Sum Game' of School Budgets and Teacher Pensions
Pensions represent a rising cost, but many school district administrators don't understand how they work.
Mark Lieberman, October 29, 2024
5 min read
Large X with 4 different icons represented on each side: Clock, Laptop showing an exclamation mark, a police officer, and a hand holding a magnet attracting a person.
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School & District Management How the Culture Wars Are Costing 69´«Ã½ Billions
69´«Ã½ have increasingly been at the center of conflict in recent years, and it takes a financial toll. A new analysis quantifies it.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 23, 2024
5 min read
Image of a bullseye, darts, and money.
Laura Baker/Education Week with DigitalVision Vectors
Budget & Finance ‘Money Matters. Now What?’: How Districts Get More Funding for Poor 69´«Ã½
Targeting more funding to students who are most in need has a measurable effect on their academic performance, according to new research.
Mark Lieberman, October 14, 2024
7 min read