Districts devote nearly 80 percent of their budgets to personnel costs—leaving little wiggle room for administrators tasked with maintaining fiscal responsibility and boosting the quality of education in a time of nearly stagnant funding. John Hutchison, chief financial and operations officer at Olathe Public Schools in Kansas, began budgetary planning for the 2017-18 school year […]
Integration and simplification top wish lists when it comes to website management tools. Administrators want tools to connect easily and effectively with parents and students as the variety of programs, platforms and devices grows. Many systems handle a range of functions, from overdue library books and bus routes to lunch balances and student assignments. Administrators […]
Xenia Community Schools in Ohio faced a crisis in 2012 that forced administrators to slash $10 million from its annual budget. The district signed a five-year contract with a transportation contractor and saved $458,000. Still, such a move can be a challenging—and sometimes controversial—issue for many districts. Xenia Community Schools in Ohio faced a crisis in 2012 that forced administrators […]
A recent federal court decision on the statute of limitations for families to take legal action against schools sheds new light on compensatory services provided to special education students when IEP goals are missed. Parents still must take legal action within two years, but they may seek several years’ worth of special education services, according […]
Serving meals in schools has changed dramatically over the last few decades. Many students suffer food allergies, and others don’t have enough money in their lunch account. With the latest software, administrators and parents can access account balances, allergies and other important information from their computers or mobile devices. Breakfast and lunch menus, nutrition tables […]
A homeless student in Delaware last year spent about three hours a day riding back and forth to school in taxi cabsÁ‘at a cost to the Delmar School District of more than $10,000. The 2,000-student district did not support the arrangement, but it was settled on after school officials, the student and a social worker […]
District leaders across the country are broadening and personalizing their approaches to attendance because the old way of sending truants and their families to court often fails to bring students back to school. “It’s important to get to the root of why students aren’t coming to school and be able to align the solution with […]
