Optimism is high that ed vendors can help our schools. But with only a small slice of public ed funding to spend on procurement, how will the end of ESSER and tightening budgets impact district purchasing? We discuss this in today's #edfinance newsletter. us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=179e2a9db6c…

Should states (or districts) spend down reserves as revenues tighten? Per GOVERNING: "rainy day funds are not well-suited for helping states close shortfalls caused by structural imbalances in which ongoing spending chronically exceeds ongoing revenue." governing.com/finance/as-bud…

Some academic recovery appears to be independent of the ESSER dollars. But, I can’t help feeling that the results could have been better if there had been more emphasis on academic recovery. 9/n

For months, Milwaukee PS hasn't been issuing required financial reports.. now risks losing federal dollars. Why is this is only coming out now? @wisconsindpi has financials behind a password-protected site. With more transparency, could the public have noticed this earlier?

In our newsletter, we cover the ed vendor market: Optimism is running high. Investors are bullish. Philanthropy sees vendors as better able to innovate, iterate, use data to help districts improve. But there are headwinds. us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=179e2a9db6c…

What’s the forcing factor for school closure decisions? Money, of course. At Edunomics Lab, our rule of thumb is that when a district has under-enrolled schools, closing 1 of every 15 schools saves about 4% of a district’s budget, mostly in labor costs. the74million.org/article/the-ma…

Great chat w Michael Petrilli & David Griffith on financial implications of enrollment declines for districts. Here's what I hope won't happen: districts default to shrinking via staff attrition. Better to be strategic and use data in deciding what to keep and what to cut.

Feds gave $800M to states/districts for homeless youth. With ~half left, Sept deadline coming quickly. NY has $58M left. MI, NE, WI, KY, TX, OK, MO, AR also at risk of sending $ back. lpm.org/news/2024-07-1…

Analysis: MA schools added 6K new staff from 2021 to 2024. Who are they? Where are they? What does it mean for students? And is there still a staffing shortage? Join us Th at 1pm ET for a 30-minute webinar: georgetown.zoom.us/webinar/regist… #maedu

School districts across WA face hard budget choices. As Marguerite Roza & Ash Dhammani write, strategic financial leadership is critical to help communities understand tradeoffs & ensure students get the most for every dollar. washingtonstatestandard.com/2024/07/24/why… Washington State Standard #WAedu

"Districts that have added to their financial reserves will have more running room." Indeed! Districts already depleting reserves? ... that's a good indicator of financial mayhem around the corner. Naaz Modan k12dive.com/news/moodys-re…

Fewer students mean fewer dollars. In the coming years many Washington districts will have no choice but to shrink programs, reduce staffing, and close schools. ow.ly/CbUW50SLvCM Washington State Standard Marguerite Roza Edunomics Lab #WAedu

With 1-in-5 students identified w/a disability, it’s past time we asked whether our investments in special education are paying dividends for students and their families. Glad to see Marguerite Roza and the Edunomics Lab team tackling this! the74million.org/article/resear…

In our next 30-min webinar, we'll cover: The "Big Hire" in MA schools. A typical high poverty school got > 11 new staff: 2.5 new teachers 2.5 new specialists 6 new aides Is it working? What happens next? Thursday: 1pm ET: georgetown.zoom.us/webinar/regist……

The Big Hire: MA schools added 10K+ staff positions since '20, making it one of the higher-staffed school systems in the country. Who & where are these hires? Are students benefitting? We dug into the data in today's webinar. View slides/ recording: edunomicslab.org/2024/08/08/mas… #MAedu

T/F? Students with disabilities have a federal right to a free appropriate public ed => TRUE T/F? Students without disabilities have a federal right to a free appropriate public ed => FALSE We cover what this means for rising costs of Sp Ed edunomicslab.org/2024/08/01/are…

3 things all at once: ESSER ending. Enrollments falling. Big labor commitments. @margueriteroza talks w/ Libby Denkmann at KUOW’s Soundside about the financial challenges facing school districts in WA state and elsewhere. omny.fm/shows/soundsid… #WAedu

...Cardona doesn’t use the word cliff when describing the end of pandemic aid. “We’re passing the baton back to states, we want them to match the president’s urgency on ed funding” Problem: most states must balance budgets. Where do they find $190B? politico.com/news/2024/08/2…

Here comes the ESSER deadline. Which districts might miss it? With one month left to spend out this 42-month grant, many districts are cutting it close… More in today’s newsletter. us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=179e2a9db6c…

Now's a good time to check in on those orgs with larger unspent ESSER balances. Turns out: Lotta of charters on this list too. us19.campaign-archive.com/?u=179e2a9db6c… NACSA publiccharters.org