What are the major budget pressures facing school districts?
Local school districts have very few opportunities to raise additional funds, no matter what their needs. The state decides how much revenue they have to work with each school year. State leaders do not finalize that decision until they pass the state budget, an action that is legally required by the end of June but which has in some years been delayed to as late as September. Further, the state provides its support for schools through income and sales tax revenues that can change dramatically from year to year. When the state faces a difficult or uncertain budget, school districts must prepare for the worst and hope for the best. They have to adopt their preliminary budgets by June 30, regardless of state action or inaction. They are also required by law to provide notice by March 15 to most employees, particularly teachers, if layoffs are a possibility. Yet they may not know the exact amount of revenue they will be able to spend until months later. This is why teachers sometimes rece
Related Questions
- Has the school district examined best practices from other schools and/ or districts facing similar loss of enrollment and economic dilemmas?
- Why are districts facing budget cuts even though state K-12 funding is growing and taking an increasing portion of the state budget?
- What are the major budget pressures facing school districts?
