Publications & Resources
- Newsletters
- Apr 10, 2024
Is it too late to protect what’s working as the cliff hits districts?
Next year's school district budgets will be locked in this spring. After that, influencing spending for 24-25 gets a lot harder.
- Newsletters
- Mar 14, 2024
Winding down ESSER. Is it working? What’s left to do?
Just 6 months remain on this massive federal program. While there's still work to be done, we can already see it's legacy taking shape. Here are a few highlights...
- Newsletters
- Mar 05, 2024
Bringing communities along during painful budget choices
For leaders facing tight budgets, there are better and worse ways to handle the next several months.
- Newsletters
- Jan 18, 2024
Did the feds just extend the ESSER deadline?
In early January 2024, the U.S. Dept. of Education sent a letter to states with the latest on the ARP ESSER extension. Here's our take on what it all means.
- Newsletters
- Jan 09, 2024
How legislatures can ensure school funds do more for students
K-12 funding is the biggest line item in most state budgets. Here are five policy levers that states can pull to help districts maximize the value of every dollar for students.
- Newsletters
- Nov 30, 2023
Who decides what to cut? Technically school boards do
School boards face tough tradeoffs as they decide what to keep and what goes away when federal relief funds dry up. Here's what we've been learning about how boards engage in making financial decisions.
- Newsletters
- Oct 26, 2023
Mayday…Mayday…Distress signals are appearing in some districts’ data
A quick look at a district's data can show whether it's chipping away at learning losses, how quickly ESSER is being spent down, what’s happening to enrollment and more. In a few districts, some of the numbers amount to a distress signal.
- Newsletters
- Sep 21, 2023
The ESSER cliff will be worse in high-needs districts
High-poverty districts got more ESSER (which means the cliff will be steeper) and have spent their funds more slowly (leaving more to spend in the last year) than more affluent counterparts.
- Newsletters
- Aug 09, 2023
The answer to: How to sustain efforts when ESSER ends?
Some ESSER-funded efforts are clearly worth saving. Doing so will require being aware of tradeoffs and making intentional choices.
- Newsletters
- Jun 15, 2023
Districts just approved their last ESSER-fueled budgets
With the deadline for spending ESSER approaching, now is the last chance to ensure these funds get students back on track. It also means the days of financial surplus are ending.
- Newsletters
- Mar 09, 2023
Sharing tough financial news? Odds are you’re doing it wrong
Edunomics Lab has commissioned lots of messaging research on district finances. Here’s some of what we’ve learned about sharing tough financial news in a way that doesn’t erode trust with staff and parents.
- Newsletters
- Feb 02, 2023
Tough finances ahead for districts. Will states come to the rescue?
Come September 2024, when ESSER runs out, districts will need to adjust annual spending down by $60B. What might that mean for employee layoffs?
- Newsletters
- Jan 10, 2023
District are sending large sums out the door to vendors
We estimate 20-30% of ESSER is going toward contracts for purchased services, curriculum, supplies, one-time-projects, and more. Smart contracts and smart approval processes can help ensure they deliver real value for students.
- Newsletters
- Dec 01, 2022
Districts play a starring role in school finance
For decades, the field of education finance has focused heavily on states (revenues, funding formulas). Now that attention is shifting to school districts' spending choices, especially regarding federal ESSER funds.
- Newsletters
- Oct 21, 2022
Did public education miss the data revolution?
What data can shed light on whether recovery efforts are working? Are rates of chronic absenteeism coming down? Are students back on grade level in math? District leaders will only know to pivot if they look at the data.
- Newsletters
- Sep 27, 2022
ESSER money is now pouring into schools
School districts have two years left to spend about $5 billion a month, raising spending about 9% above normal expenditure levels. Then, the spigot shuts off.
- Newsletters
- Aug 25, 2022
Back to school… for school board members?
School boards are facing financial conditions unlike any before. We think practical, strategic financial skills will be particularly useful in the coming months.
- Newsletters
- Jul 15, 2022
A perfect storm is brewing for K-12 school district finances
Districts across the country have just inked budgets that reflect more growth in spending than any time in the past. And yet the financial outlook has never looked gloomier.
- Newsletters
- Jun 03, 2022
Do districts need new budget moves?
It’s that time of year, the last step in what we call “The Budget Dance,” where school boards vote on a spreadsheet that officially becomes next year’s spending plan. What steps are missing in the process?
- Newsletters
- Apr 18, 2022
Look what the ESSER bunny brought!
Our new ESSER Expenditure Dashboard is now live. It tracks actual federal relief spending by district. We've got data for nearly half the states so far with more on the way.
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