School Funding
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Teaching Jobs Saved in 2009-10 But Teacher Layoffs Loom for Next School Year
Read this Center on Education Policy report examining how school districts have spent funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). CEP's report finds that the federal appropriations helped school districts save teaching jobs, but severe cutbacks are expected for the 2010-2011 school year. Center on Education Policy, July 16, 2010
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The Condition of Education
The percentage of public schools where more than three quarters of students are eligible for free or reduced price lunch - a key indicator of poverty - has increased in the past decade.IES National Center for Education Statistics, May 2010
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New Survey Finds Schools Facing Growing Budget Cuts and the End of Stimulus Funding
Students and school systems across the nation are facing serious challenges as a result of the economic downturn, according to a new survey of school administrators released today by the American Association of School Administrators. AASA
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2010 Education Appropriations Guide
The New America Foundation's Federal Education Budget Project(FEBP) released an issue brief on recently finalized fiscal year 2010 federal education appropriations. The New America Foundation, December 15, 2009
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State of the States in Gifted Education
The National Association for Gifted Children released its annual "State of the States in Gifted Education" report finding large disparities in state funding for schooling students labeled "gifted". National Association for Gifted Children, November 23, 2009
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Stimulus Helps Schools, But Not As Much As Hoped, According To National Survey
Federal stimulus funds for education are flowing to states and local school districts, but many of the dollars are simply backfilling budget holes, limiting the ability of districts to implement innovative reforms, according to a study released today by the American Association of School Administrators. Sept. 14, 2009
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The Tradeoff Between Teacher Wages and Layoffs to Meet Budget Cuts
The Center on Reinventing Public Education examines school districts with large budget gaps and what they can do to avoid laying off teachers and to see how much salaries are costing the district. Marguerite Roza, CRPE, July 31, 2009
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The cost burden to Minnesota K-12 when children are unprepared for kindergarten
This study finds the k-12 school system in Minnesota loses $113 million annually because students are unprepared for kindergarten. by Richard Chase, Brandon Coffee-Borden, Paul Anton, Christopher Moore, and Jennifer Valorose, Wilder R, 1/23/2009
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Innovation
In a report released by the Brookings Institution, New America Foundation’s Sara Mead and Education Sector’s co-director Andrew Rotherham proposed that the federal government provide funding for innovation and experiment.
12/12/2008
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Facing the Future: Financing Productive Schools
The Brookings Institution and the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington released the final report of a six-year study examining the finances of K-12 school districts.
Center on Reinventing Public Education - Paul Hill, Marguerite Roza, and James Harvey, 11/12/2008
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Are Private High Schools Better Academically Than Public High Schools?
The study released by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) examines 12 years of data that finds students who attended private schools didn't have much of an advantage over their peers who attended public high schools in regard to test scores, career happiness, and civic engagement. Family involvement is key and the study finds that low-income students from urban public high schools generally did as well if they had a good support system.
Center on Education Policy (CEP) - Harold Wenglinsky, 10/10/2007
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Creating a Successful Performance Compensation System for Educators
This report, funded by the Joyce Foundation, offers guidelines on creating a successful system for rewarding educators based on their performance. Reporters will probably find the stories of school systems where this practice is being used helpful.
National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, 7/24/2007
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School District Perspectives on State Capacity
This report is a supplement to another CEP report, "Educational Architects: Do State Education Agencies Have the Capacity to Implement NCLB?" It confirms that state education agencies are playing a significant role in assisting Title I school districts in carrying out the requirements of No Child Left Behind.
Center on Education Policy - Deanna D. Hill, 7/19/2007
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The Condition of Education 2007
High school students in the United States are taking more courses in mathematics and science, as well as social studies, the arts, and foreign languages, according to an analysis of high school student coursework that is highlighted in this government report. Statistics on student achievement, school environment and a wide range of other topics related to early childhood education through postsecondary education are also included.
by National Center for Education Statistics, 5/1/2007
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Performance Pay for Teachers: Designing a System that Students Deserve
Teachers from across the United States authored this report that concludes teachers would support pay for performance plans that "advance student achievement and the teaching profession." The report recommends rewarding teachers who raise student achievement while working in small groups or agree to work in high-needs schools and paying teachers according to their success in the classroom, not their level of education or experience.
Center for Teaching Quality, 4/11/2007
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Funding Gaps 2006
School finance policy choices at the federal, state, and district levels systematically stack the deck against students who need the most support from their schools, according to a report released Dec. 20, 2006 by the Education Trust.
Education Trust - Goodwin Liu,Marguerite Roza, Ross Wiener and Eli Pristoop, 12/20/2006
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Tough Choices or Tough Times
A bi-partisan commission, comprised of former Cabinet secretaries, governors, college presidents and business, civic and labor leaders, is calling for a total shakeup in how America educates its people. Its findings include ending high school at 10th grade, revamping and reducing pension systems, collective bargaining at the state -- instead of local -- level.
by The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce , 12/15/2006
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GROWTH and DISPARITY: A Decade of U.S.Public School Construction 1995-2004 pdf
Despite record spending on school construction, low-income and minority students, who already experience disadvantages, have had far less investment in their school facilities than their more affluent, white counterparts.
21st Century School Fund - Mary W. Filardo, 10/27/2006
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The Condition of Education 2006
The 2006 Condition on Education summarizes important trends and developments in education. The report includes 50 indicators in five main areas: (1) participation in education; (2) learner outcomes; (3) student effort and educational progress; (4) the contexts of elementary and secondary education; and (5) the contexts of postsecondary education.
National Center for Education Statistics - Patrick Rooney, William Hussar and Michael Planty, 6/1/2006
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Education Spending and Changing Revenue Sources pdf
Some school districts have the ability to set their own spending or revenue levels, while others depend on a city, town, or county to raise revenues. This one-page analysis looks at changes in school financing by type of school district.
Tax Policy Center - Sonya Hoo, Sheila Murray and Kim Rueben, 4/14/2006
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Standard & Poors Issues New Reports on the Performance of School Districts in 21 States pdf
Standard & Poors' SchoolMatters released reports on funding and academic performance in 5,000 school districts in 21 states. This data is presented in a demographic context - meaning that the level of student learning, achievement and personal development is measured within a district's available resources.
Standard & Poors - SchoolMatters, 3/29/2006
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Full Day Kindergarten pdf
Full Day Kindergarten: A Study of State Policies in the United States looks at how many states provide full-time kindergarten and makes recommendations to state policy-makers on the most effective methods of implementing full day kindergarten.
Education Commission of the States, 7/27/2005
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Does No Child Left Behind Place a Fiscal Burden on States? pdf
Two researchers who looked at funding in Texas conclude that complying with the NCLB mandates does cost substantially more than is provided by the federal government.
1/4/2005
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Many States Adopt National Standards for Their Schools
Less than two months after the nation’s governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks. Tamar Lewin, New York Times, July 21, 2010
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Pension rules allow educators to double dip
A taxpayer-funded state pension system encourages career teachers and administrators to retire in their 50s, tap the fund and return to work. If the educators don't retire at that relatively young age after 30 years of service, they are likely to receive far less income in both their working careers and retirement. And much is at stake - for both educators and taxpayers. Dennis Willard, Ohio Newspapers, June 20, 2010
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The Stimulus and Schools: Where Did the Money Go?
New York is a city of tremendous disparities. There are schools where almost all of the students are poor enough to get free lunch. But there are others where hardly any students are eligible. Yet, an investigation by WNYC found the schools with the greatest needs got less stimulus money on aggregate than those with wealthier students. But schools with poor students actually had more resources to fall back upon during last year’s budget cuts.Beth Fertig, WNYC, June 9, 2010
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States Grapple With Funding Education Amid Budget Shortfalls
Classroom cuts are looming, as the school year winds down for many states facing budget shortfalls. Jeffrey Brown, PBS NewsHour, June 7, 2010
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In Teacher Layoffs, Seniority Rules. But Should It?
School districts around the country are planning massive layoffs as they struggle to bridge big budget deficits. And as they select which teachers go and which ones stay, many can only use one factor as their guide: seniority. Many districts will have to cast out effective teachers, because local contracts and even state laws require it. Larry Abramson, National Public Radio, June 3, 2010
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Atlanta-area superintendents retain huge salaries
The Atlanta Journal- Constitution investigates metro school superintendents salaries and finds despite record cutbacks to budgets, leaders still receive hefty compensation. Mary Lou Pickel, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 24, 2010
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Push to Spur Innovation Raises Hope - and Eyebrows
The decision by a dozen major education grantmakers to team up on an initiative designed to dovetail with the federal Investing in Innovation grant competition is being seen by supporters as a chance to maximize the power of public and private resources to help transform K-12 education. But it’s also renewing concerns that the Obama administration and the philanthropic sector are becoming too intertwined—in ways that could crowd out support for worthy reform ideas not favored by the federal government. Erik W. Robelen and Michele McNeil, Education Week, May 7, 2010
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Poorer TN schools will get most Race to the Top aid
Tennessee schools are set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal aid through the Race to the Top program, but districts can expect to get vastly different amounts from the effort to raise the state's education standards.How much each district gets will be tied to poverty measures, meaning that urban and poor rural districts will get many times more money per pupil from the program than their suburban counterparts. Chas Sisk, The Tennessean, April 15, 2010
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Obama's plan to reward schools for innovation sparks congressional debate
President Obama aims to reinvent the Education Department as a venture capitalist for school reform, investing more in schools with innovative ideas. The proposal splits congressional Democrats. They are staunch protectors of education funding for their states and districts, but many worry about promoting innovation at the expense of equity.Nick Anderson, Washington Post, April 13, 2010
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D.C. schools, teachers union reach tentative deal
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and the Washington Teachers' Union have reached tentative agreement on a new contract, ending more than two years of closely watched and often-rancorous negotiations, union and District officials. Bill Turque, Washington Post, April 7, 2010
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Race to the Top awards go to Delaware, Tennessee
Delaware and Tennessee won bragging rights Monday as the nation's top education innovators, besting the District and 13 other finalists to claim a share of the $4 billion in President Obama's unprecedented school reform fund. Nick Anderson, The Washington Post, March 29, 2010
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Illinois school budgets at the breaking point
Long before the state's budget crisis led to predictions of dire cuts in education, Wheaton Warrenville School District 200 was spending beyond its means. The K-12 district, based in the affluent western suburb of Wheaton, consistently ranks among the state's top performers. But that performance has come at a cost. Like a surging number of districts around the state, it is spending more than it brings in, forcing a reckoning. Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Chicago Tribune, March 25, 2010
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Could school bus ads save school budgets?
School districts have imposed all sorts of drastic cuts to save money during the down economy, canceling field trips and making parents pay for everything from tissues to sports transportation.And some have now resorted to placing advertisements on school buses. Donna Gordon Blankinship, The Associated Press, March 22, 2010
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Obama seeks money, interventions to stem dropouts
President Barack Obama took aim Monday at the nation's school dropout epidemic, proposing $900 million to states and education districts that agree to drastically change or even shutter their worst performing schools. Darlene Superville, The Washington Post, March 1, 2010
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Layoffs loom for teachers: education secretary
Many teachers and educators across the United States are at risk of losing their jobs in the next few months, the nation's education secretary told a meeting of the National Governors Association on Sunday. Lisa Lambert, Reuters, Feb. 22, 2010
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Unions in Massachusetts balk at school aid program
Although many school districts in Massachusetts have rushed to take part in a federal program that offers new funds in exchange for cooperation on educational reforms, a number of others will have to sit on the sidelines because their teacher unions opted out. The unions say participation in the program, Race to the Top, would have unfairly tied their jobs to student test scores. Robert Knox, Boston Globe, Feb. 5, 2010
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R.I. working on new school-financing formula
The state Department of Education is developing a proposal for a school-financing formula that education officials hope will receive prompt legislative support, even if it means some Rhode Island cities and towns will lose out — a prospect that has derailed previous attempts to establish a formula. Jennifer Jordan, The Providence Journal, Jan. 25, 2010
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Schools bracing for deep cutbacks
School administrators across the state are crafting bleak budgets for the next school year and warning of steep cutbacks, including teacher layoffs, to cope with a probable sharp drop in funding from Beacon Hill and dwindling federal stimulus money. Peter Schworm, The Boston Globe, Jan. 13, 2010
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Private schools feel pinch of recession
About 100 teenage heads bowed in prayer as students attended a midday chapel service at Mount Vernon Christian School. A faith-based message is something that some parents want their children to receive in a school setting, but the nationwide recession is affecting the finances of private religious schools just like everything else. As a result, those schools are having to go beyond their normal avenues to find the to find the money needed to continue their mission. Kate Martin, Skagit Valley Herald, December 8, 2009
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Why a recall of tainted beef didn't include school lunches
When health officials identified an outbreak of salmonella poisonings last summer, they traced the dangerous strain of salmonella to ground beef made at Beef Packers Inc., a major supplier to the National School Lunch Program. The recall, announced by the government covered only ground beef sent to certain retailers. In the days after it was announced, government and company spokesmen said meat sent to schools was not included. Second story in a series. Blake Morrison, Peter Eisler and Anthony DeBarros, USA Today, Dec. 2, 2009
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State's school funding process is failing
Read this Los Angeles Times column written by Michael Hiltzik lamenting the lack of funding that California schools receive from the state. You can also read this New York Times story reported by Tamar Lewin on how deep budget cuts has affected the University of California system. November 20, 2009
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After Criticism, the Administration Is Praised for Final Rules on Education Grants
Three months after provoking an outpouring of criticism with preliminary plans for the nation’s largest competitive education grant program, the Obama administration has added flexibility in the final rules, released Wednesday, drawing praise from a state governor who was initially critical and from leaders of the national teachers’ unions. Sam Dillon, The New York Times, Nov. 11, 2009
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Financial decisions made by the Burlington-Edison School Board in Mount Vernon, Wa., could harm the quality of education for the district’s students for years to come. This is a fourth in a series. Kate Martin, Skagit Valley Herald, September 16, 2009
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Schools look to teacher furloughs to trim budgets
High school librarian Melissa Payne is starting her new school year with $1,000 less in her paycheck and three days that she'll be forced to stay home from her job. It's a similar story across the country, where teachers — once among the groups exempted from furlough days — are being forced to take unpaid days off amid massive state budget cuts. Dorie Turner, The Associated Press, Sept. 1, 2009
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Schools start on note of thrift
As Maryland's public schools reopen for a new year during a time of economic turmoil, some systems are taking tough measures to stem the fiscal bleeding, such as furloughing employees, denying teacher pay raises and increasing class sizes. Nicole Fuller, The Baltimore Sun, August 24, 2009
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Learning with less in schools
Triangle students will walk into schools this week that, like their parents, are tightening their belts as they hope for better days in the future. T. Keung Hui, Sadia Latifi and Sarah Nagem, The Raleigh News and Observer, August 24, 2009
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Teacher pay could be linked to student performance, graduation rate
In the decade since he helped pass a new pay system in Manitowoc, union leader Jim Carlson has labored to spread the idea of reforming teacher compensation plans elsewhere. Finally, he thinks, Wisconsin might be ready. Amy Hetzner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 18, 2009
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Layoffs, raises: It's a mixed bag for Sacramento-area teachers
Most teachers in the Sacramento area will receive raises when they return to school.These increases are automatic "step" increments, and many teachers don't consider them raises.They are improvements, though, and few other public employees have been able to avoid big pay cuts this spring and summer. Those raises will cost school districts millions as education budgets continue to shrink. Not all teachers have been spared: Another layoff wave takes effect Aug. 15, adding to the more than 500 teachers let go in May at five local districts. Melody Gutierrez, The Sacramento Bee, August 10, 2009
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Furloughs alter teachers' schedules, paychecks
At Webb Bridge Middle School in Alpharetta most teachers will be working the last of three furlough days Friday. Yes, working — without pay. The teacher furloughs — believed to be a first for Georgia — are altering the schedules and paychecks of the majority of the state’s 120,000 school teachers. Some teachers are philosophical about the unpaid days. Others are plainly unhappy. Nancy Badertscher and Alyse Knorr, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 7, 2009
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D.C. Area Schools Not Cutting Class
While school districts across the country are cutting back on summer school to save money, Montgomery County is so convinced of its value to students that it spent $1.2 million this year to expand one of its programs. School districts throughout the Washington region are bucking the national trend by maintaining summer school classes, contending that they are cost-effective in the long run because they help keep skills sharp, especially for children without the money to attend summer camps. Nelson Hernandez and Emma Brown, The Washington Post, August 3, 2009
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Dumb Money
Why are so many countries wasting money on school spending and not getting better returns? The author of this Newsweek article gives advice on how they can finally get it right. Stefan Theil, Newsweeek, August 3, 2009
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DPS moves closer to bankruptcy
Faced with a massive, multiyear deficit, Detroit Public Schools took another step in consideration of bankruptcy to help alleviate the district's financial woes. Marisa Schultz, The Detroit News, July 10, 2009
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In 2003, the Bethlehem Area School District was a dozen years and $93 million into renovating every one of its school buildings but had yet to tackle the most expensive projects -- construction of a new Broughal Middle School and renovations at Freedom and Liberty high schools. Part one of a four part series. Tim Darragh and Steve Esack, Of the Morning Call, June 6, 2009
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Retired school librarian fears unhappy ending for profession
When Dennis Donley began his career nearly 35 years ago, he joined a crew of 40 teachers who staffed every middle and high school library in the San Diego school district. As Donley enters retirement, there will be 11 full-time, credentialed librarians assigned to San Diego secondary schools next year. Maureen Magee, San Diego Union Tribune, July 7, 2009
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Free lunch?
A week rarely went by last school year without a plea for help from another newly poor family in South-Western schools. Two months into the school year, half the district's students had signed up for financial assistance on school meals, compared with 35 percent two years earlier. Districts across the state have experienced the same trend. Simone Sebastian, The Columbus Dispatch, July 5, 2009
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Facing Deficits, Some States Cut Summer School
A year ago, the Brevard County Schools ran a robust summer program here, with dozens of schools bustling with teachers and some 14,000 children practicing multiplication, reading Harry Potter and studying Spanish verbs, all at no cost to parents. Sam Dillon, The New York Times, July 1, 2009
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Plummeting tax revenue has left schools across the country on the ropes, but in few places has the situation been quite so dire as in Oregon -- which has no sales tax, severe limits on property taxes, an automatic rebate on tax collections during boom years and a corporate tax structure that allows companies with multimillion-dollar profits to pay as little as $10 a year. Before the Legislature passed an emergency $51-million appropriation last week, the flood of red ink had threatened to close two-thirds of Oregon's 197 school districts before their scheduled last day. The prospect of early closures is particularly alarming in Oregon, where school calendars already are three weeks shorter than the national average.
Kim Murphy -The Los Angeles Times
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Some Oppose Giving Schools Slice Of Stimulus Pie
by Claudio Sanchez
The economic stimulus package before the US Senate contains nearly $160 billion in spending for education. That's enough to more than double what the federal government currently spends. But before schools get a dime, some lawmakers want to put the money into a separate bill - or at the very least make sure it's not wasted on unnecessary, ineffective programs.
National Public Radio, 2/1/2009
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For Catholic Schools, Crisis and Catharsis
by Paul Vitello and Winnie Hu
After years of what frustrated parents describe as inertia in the church hierarchy, a sense of urgency seems to be gripping many Catholics who suddenly see in the shrinking enrollment a once unimaginable prospect: a country without Catholic schools. From the ranks of national church leaders to the faithful in the pews, there are dozens of local efforts to forge a new future for parochial education by rescuing the remaining schools or, if need be, reinventing them.
The New York Times, 1/17/2009
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The high cost of bad behavior
by Patrick Lester
When students carry weapons into school or become persistent truants or troublemakers, they're not the only ones who can pay a steep price for their decisions. Taxpayers also can pay dearly. In the East Penn School District this year, taxpayers will pay nearly $500,000 to place students in alternative schools, according to school district figures. That's a 900 percent increase over the $51,427 spent just five years earlier.
Of The Morning Call, 12/15/2008
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The Smokestack Effect- Toxic Air and America's Schools
by Blake Morrison and Brad Heath
Read USA Today's special report examining industrial pollution and toxic chemicals and their effect on public schools.
USA Today, 12/8/2008
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Giving Students Cash for Grades
While growing up in Daytona Beach, Fla., Roland Fryer understood the benefits of becoming the best basketball player or the fastest track athlete in the school. But what Fryer did not understand at the time were the benefits of becoming a good student, and he suspects many other students in cities across the nation now are just as unaware as he was then. To help these largely poor, minority students comprehend the value of working hard in class, Fryer has partnered with administrators in three urban school districts to offer students money in return for their classroom achievement.
U.S. News and World Report - Jessica Calefati, 11/28/2008
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Controversial fees: Metro prep athletes pay to play
by Todd Holcomb
At dozens of metro Atlanta high schools, football programs are asking athletes to pay in order to play. The cost, ranging from $20 to $500 per player, may cover anything from coaching salary supplements to uniforms. It's a controversial, complicated and potentially lucrative issue for many schools.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution, 10/26/2008
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Kids in poorer districts tend to eat healthier
by Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
It's a little known paradox on Long Island: Students in school districts with more youngsters who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch tend to eat healthier in the cafeteria. Government reimbursements to make lunches affordable ease financial stress on poorer districts, which don't have to rely as heavily on snack sales as their wealthier counterparts.
Newsday, 10/26/2008
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School class-size rules may be relaxed in Florida's budget crunch
by Erika Hobbs
Florida's popular class-size law may be put on ice, thanks to a weakening economy and a statewide budget crisis. Despite strong public support, a broad consensus is forming that the goal of limiting class size is simply too expensive during the current economic crunch. School superintendents, grappling with budget cuts, would welcome the move. And the Florida Education Association, the state's teachers' union, said it would not object - but only if the changes were temporary.
Orlando Sentinel , 10/7/2008
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Interest grows in 4-day week for Iowa schools
by Staci Hupp
A growing number of Iowa school officials want the power to shorten the school week to four days, a cost-saving concept that has caught on in other states. In Iowa, the four-day week has found its biggest fans in the smallest school districts, where shrinking enrollment and historically high fuel costs have battered budgets. School districts in 17 states run on a four-day schedule, national data show.
Des Moinse Register, 9/28/2008
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Teachers' income doesn't reflect results
by Letitia Stein
Teacher A has 25 years' experience and a master's degree. Teacher B has just five years in the classroom and no advanced degree. So who's the better teacher? A St. Petersburg Times analysis of teachers earning merit pay in Hillsborough County provides a surprising answer: The teachers who get merit pay bonuses for raising student achievement aren't always the most experienced or best educated. And quite often, they still make less money than teachers who haven't earned bonuses. This story came out of an EWA ed research and statistics bootcamp.
The St. Petersburg Times, 9/13/2008
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Private-school families feel a financial pinch
by Liz F. Kay
The pinch of rising food, fuel and other costs is driving more families with children in private and parochial schools to request financial aid, school officials in and around Baltimore say.
The Baltimore Sun, 9/9/2008
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A place to learn, no place to live
The number of students who are homeless or constantly on the move is growing, prompting schools to work harder to identify them and make sure they stay in school. In Minneapolis, teachers have recently been trained to watch for students who hoard food or wear the same outfit for several days, both signs of homelessness.Minneapolis estimates that about 5,500 of its 35,000 students -- about one out of six -- are homeless or lack permanent housing at some point during the school year.
The Star Tribune - Patrice Relerford, 9/8/2008
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Hard Times Hitting Students and Schools
by Sam Dillon
With mortgage foreclosures throwing hundreds of families out of their homes in Louisville, Ky., each month, dismayed school officials say they are feeling the upheaval: record numbers of students turning up for classes this fall are homeless or poor enough to qualify for free meals.
The New York Times, 8/31/2008
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