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Trends in the News

State Education Funding

All Posts

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 4/3/17

Wisconsin: Walker’s K-12 budget drops hours of instruction mandate

Supporters of the change say it would allow schools to be more innovative with instructional time and that state report cards would hold them accountable for outcomes such as student attendance, achievement, academic improvement and graduation rates…But some worry that taking away the baseline for instructional hours could have unintended consequences, especially in districts where many students are struggling.

Education Week, 3/6/17

States wrangle over K-12 funding formulas

The debate is especially heated in states looking to overhaul their education funding formulas, some in response to court rulings. And in some states, the picture is complicated by budget shortfalls that threaten deep cuts for K-12 education. Among the states to keep an eye on this year as they look to make fundamental changes to their funding formula are: Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Illinois, Mississippi, New Jersey, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

M Live, 2/27/17

How Michigan public schools spent their money in 2015-16

The state’s Center for Educational Performance and Information recently posted 2015-16 financial data for Michigan’s traditional public and charter schools. Here are some of the highlights of that data, which includes charters schools unless otherwise noted: Michigan public schools’ operating budgets totaled $13.9 billion in 2015-16 about 6% less than 2007-08; traditional, charters spend their money in different ways; and schools are spending less on salaries and insurance, but more on retirement and contracted services, among other findings.

Crain’s Chicago Business, 2/24/17

Editorial: Stop talking and fix the school funding formula

Last updated in 1999, the current setup has been massaged and manipulated into a Frankenstein-ish mess of loopholes and special grants. Wealthy districts such as Lake Bluff can make up the difference with local tax dollars. That’s not an option for towns that have lost their industrial bases and where home values wither, whether in suburban Chicago or downstate.

CT Mirror, 2/17/17

Conn. education funding reform: More for the cities — or maybe less

The governor proposes allowing municipalities facing “financial hardship” to cut spending on low-achieving schools starting next school year. Malloy would leave it up to municipal leaders to determine how to spend the additional revenue they would get from his budget. The governor also proposes the state’s share of school construction project costs be scaled back and that state spending on after-school and summer school programs that provide tutoring for students be significantly cut. Additionally, he proposes cities and towns pick up one-third of the cost of providing retired teachers and other school staff with pensions, and he proposes a new way to fund special education.

Washington Post, 2/10/17

Where school choice isn’t an option, rural public schools worry they’ll be left behind

Rural schools have trouble recruiting and retaining good teachers and principals because housing is so limited, pay is so low and working conditions so difficult, education advocates say. Trump has decried failing public schools that are “flush with cash,” but many rural schools — hobbled by a poor local tax base and weak state support — struggle with tight and often shrinking budgets.