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Finance

How to keep families on your side during downsizing

Micah Ward -
Closing schools is often the only answer to declining enrollment. Here's how to win support from impacted families.
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The one funding source flying under your radar

Micah Ward -
Leaders must start paying closer attention to activity funds before the rollout of the Education Freedom Tax Credit.
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Concerns over spending skyrocket among superintendents

Micah Ward -
Teacher retention and improving academics were last year's problems. Now, superintendents are warning that rising costs are outstripping revenues.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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9 ways superintendents are absorbing rising healthcare costs

Micah Ward -
Employee health insurance benefits consume nearly one-third of operating budgets in 92% of school districts, new research suggests.
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New budgets spark questions about teacher pay

Micah Ward -
Amid nationwide budget constraints, one issue remains a point of contention between superintendents and their staff: compensation.
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What’s behind the ‘big shrink’ in K12 funding?

Micah Ward -
Declining birth rates remain the top reason why districts are enrolling fewer students, says one expert.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Inflation is now sapping the power of teacher pay raises

Micah Ward -
Elected officials are barring districts' ability to adjust teacher salaries, according to NEA President Becky Pringle.
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Budget Pressure Is Rising. 3 Practical Shifts to Support Attendance and Student Access.

DA Staff -
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 2 p.m. ET

In this webinar, we’ll explore three practical shifts districts can make now as districts prepare for the 2026/27 budget cycle,: aligning transportation decisions more closely with attendance and access goals, improving efficiency by using the right transportation mode for the need, and connecting transportation outcomes more clearly to budget priorities.
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These leadership qualities make superintendents more hirable

Micah Ward -
District Administration's analysis reveals a profession in transition, not retreat, even as expectations are growing more complex and school boards become more risk-averse.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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A look at the big bonds districts hope voters will approve

Micah Ward -
Infrastructure, technology and maintenance upgrades make up the bulk of bond proposals in districts nationwide, new research suggests.
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Expert: School vouchers will create new money for K12

Micah Ward -
Nearly $28 billion could be generated annually, Georgetown University's Edunomics Lab predicts.
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How to get creative and save the world in this year’s budget battles

Dana Godek and Michael Moore -
This fiscal year, let’s pledge to be architects of opportunity, not defenders of the status quo.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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$5.5 billion in frozen funds released by Trump administration

Matt Zalaznick -
Restored grants support after-school programs, English language learners, migrant education and professional development.
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How one big district is saving on health care

Jen Colletta -
In an uncertain economy—and with a workforce that includes employees across income levels—the affordability of advanced primary care has been a game-changer for Orange County Public Schools.
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Expert: Budget pressures will force districts to make tough cuts

Micah Ward -
Without the help of ESSER this school year, leaders will have to make difficult decisions to make the most of their budgets, argues one expert.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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ESSER withdrawals force mass layoffs in schools

Micah Ward -
As predicted by one K12 finance expert, school districts are laying off hundreds of staff members to account for the end of ESSER funding.
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The 10 best—and worst—states for teacher salaries

Micah Ward -
The average teacher salary hovers aroudn $72,000. Yet, teachers still make 5% less than they did 10 years ago when adjusted for inflation.
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Look out for these financial risks to your budget

Micah Ward -
At a time when federal funding is determined by compliance with federal policy like Title IX, questions like "How can we forecast at a time like this?" and "What else is coming down the pike?" are top-of-mind for superintendents.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Are tariffs impacting schools? Not as much as labor costs

Micah Ward -
Tariffs can drag on the economy and the state revenues that play a major role in school districts' finances.
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Budget season: How to achieve financial agility and sustainability

Lin Johnson III and Tutonial “Toni” Williams -
This budget season is critical due to the end of ESSER funds, declining enrollments, uncertain federal K12 funding, rising costs and looming local and state tax base declines.
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States sue to bring back ESSER spending extensions

Micah Ward -
On Thursday, a lawsuit was filed in New York suggesting that K12 schools were stripped of their previously promised pandemic relief funds "with no advance notice or warning." 
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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What’s next now that ESSER spending extensions are canceled?

Micah Ward -
Billions of dollars in pandemic aid reimbursement may have vanished. Here's how education leaders are responding.
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Successful Budget Planning: A Practical Approach to Aligning Financial Resources with Educational Goals

DA Staff -
Date & Time: Thursday, April 17th at 2 p.m. ET

In this 30-minute Ed Talk, experts in the field, including a former Purchasing Manager at Eau Claire Area School District, will explore key strategies for successful budgeting practices, from optimizing spending, to addressing common financial challenges, to ensure your financial decisions support both your district’s immediate needs and long-term goals.

***All attendees will be able to securely downloadCooperative Purchasing 101: A Guide for Public Agencies, a valuable resource that will help you explore how cooperative purchasing can support your district's budget planning efforts.
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How to better guide budget discussions at board meetings

Micah Ward -
More than half of board members are labeled "silent observers" during budget deliberations, new research confirms. Here's how superintendents can prompt meaningful discussions.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Expert warns schools may face a ‘fiscal buzzsaw’ this year

Micah Ward -
As talks about dismantling the Education Department and DEI continue, here's some expert advice on how to navigate the upcoming school year.
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Strategic plans are a big deal, right? Take a look at the latest from 3 districts

Matt Zalaznick -
Here's a look at the goals your fellow superintendents are setting, their key objectives and how they plan to measure the progress of their strategic plans.
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Public-private partnership to result in accelerated building of six new schools

Melissa Ezarik -
Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland has closed on the first ever K-12 schools Public-Private Partnership (P3) Concession Agreement in the United States. Other districts are watching.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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Updates to public education financial survey called for

Charles Hendrix -
The only source of annual statistics about total revenue and expenditures for public elementary and secondary education at the state level needs changes in light of COVID, according to the U.S. Education Department's National Center for Education Statistics.
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State legislatures face challenges for education in 2021

Charles Hendrix -
As states move into COVID recovery mode, lawmakers and policymakers are assessing the impacts of the pandemic on budgets, accountability and student achievement gaps.
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Here’s where student voice inspires eighth-grade activism

Matt Zalaznick -
Students on the Superintendent's 8th Grade Council in the Pendergast Elementary School District have a voice in planning budgets and organizing big events.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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6 options for serving school lunch, based on cost and safety

Matt Zalaznick -
Whether districts are resuming with in-person or online learning, models for adjusting foodservice come with different capacities for social distancing and nutritional variety.
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How teachers are returning to schools in some districts

Matt Zalaznick -
District leaders who have invited teachers back into their buildings to close out the school year have made detailed plans to reassure employees about the coronavirus risk.
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Helping school districts receive and spend education stabilization relief funds

Charles Hendrix -
In an example of how a state could help districts with coronavirus-related federal funding, Montana releases Education Stabilization Fund guidance for LEAs, plus an estimate of allocations for each district and school.
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The Always-On Insight and Networking Platform for Superintendents and Their Teams

AI-driven insights, peer-to-peer collaboration and more — built exclusively for K-12 Superintendents and their leaders.

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K-12 leaders gaining some flexibility over budgets

Matt Zalaznick -
Superintendents in some states can carry budget surpluses over to the next school year or shift unspent dollars among different accounts. And state and federal waivers are giving districts yet more leeway.
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Making it easier to collect payments campuswide

DA Author -
In this case, Jefferson County Public Schools selects MySchoolBucks to accept and process credit and debit card payments in person and online. Sponsored content by Heartland School Solutions.
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