District Finance
Must budget cuts erode district quality?
This budget season leaders face a long list of rising costs alongside tightening revenues and increasing student needs In some, financial challenges are compounded by falling enrollments. There are options for how districts can spend smarter toward building long-term financial health and growing outcomes for students.
Featured Research, Data, & Analysis
Looking for tools to help set next year's school budget?
Are students benefiting from the rising costs of special ed?
Most districts now have more staff than ever before
Can financially strapped districts afford tutoring? YES
District Finance Network
This collaborative group meets monthly to explore current research and troubleshoot common challenges. The meetings can help guide districts as they consider financial plans for the coming months and years. Topics range from projections of state and district economic outlooks to strategic budget cutting and stakeholder communications, the impacts of enrollment shifts and learning loss on district finances, and the implications of massive federal relief funds for K-12.
To learn more about the network, email edunomics@georgetown.edu.
Related Resources
- Newsletters
- Feb 12, 2026
A reckoning on school staffing. WANDA has your district’s numbers.
You know the story: many districts added staff with temporary federal relief funds just as enrollments began to fall. But who are all the new hires? And what roles grew the most? WANDA (our handy data tool) shows what staffing patterns look like in states and districts. District leaders can use WANDA to examine their staffing and inform efforts to...
- Newsletters
- Jan 21, 2026
Can financially strapped districts afford tutoring? YES
How budget-strapped districts can afford tutoring by redeploying existing staff from non-teaching specialist, administrator and support staff roles.
- Newsletters
- Jan 08, 2026
Fraud, waste, and abuse: Here’s what we see in K-12
Learn how fraud, abuse, and waste drain K-12 education budgets. From gift card theft to ineffective programs, discover why districts need zero-tolerance policies and data-driven budgeting to protect taxpayer funds and restore public trust in schools.
- Articles & Publications
- Jan 07, 2026
Some School Districts Won the MacKenzie Scott Jackpot. What Happened Next?
Three years after districts unexpectedly received large, unrestricted MacKenzie Scott donations totaling millions, their outcomes have varied widely. Roza examines what happened next, showing how inertia in education systems complicates spending decisions, budgeting, and the long-term sustainability of district finances.
Earn Your Certificate in Ed Finance
2026 cohort: Feb. 24-25 in Washington, DC
