About 16% of 163 district administrators responding to a DA survey say their school systems are experiencing a budget surplus because of the COVID-19 crisis. Among those experiencing a surplus, student transportation, utilities, travel and professional development are the most common areas.
More than two-thirds of administrators are planning to allocate surplus dollars for expenditures in the 2020-21 fiscal year budget according to the survey, launched on April 6. Besides the general budget and any area with revenue shortfalls, respondents noted that those surplus dollars will be used for curriculum, technology and staffing.
The majority of administrators surveyed expect to have less budget dollars in 2020-21. Deficits in state and city budgets, exasperated by less tax revenue, were cited by many as reasons for the anticipated budget decrease.
Click on the infographic below to learn more about the survey results.
Melissa Ezarik is senior managing editor of DA.
Also read: K-12 leaders gaining some flexibility over budgets
DA’s coronavirus page offers complete coverage of the impacts on K-12.
