Many districts continue to face budget challenges of historic proportions. Decisions made in the coming months will carry significant repercussions for years to come. The path of least resistance is to slash budgets in ways that erode schooling. In this scenario, important reforms are left behind, overall services are diminished, innovations are…

School business officials are best equipped to lead in funding operating and capital needs because they understand the need for a methodical means of funding ongoing costs over time and the benefits of planning for future financial needs rather than letting emergencies dictate spending priorities. A capital-financing plan makes it possible to…

Given the current economic constraints facing the country, school districts in the U.S. have been pushed to develop annual budgets through a new lens and to accept the reality that budget adoption is a complex, political process. Whether a school district is rich or poor, growing or declining in enrollment, serving a specialized population or…

Traces financial aspects of the Chicago Public Schools' reform effort, detailing the prereform growth of bureaucracy that prompted legislated reallocation of the system's funds. Data show that funds have been reallocated to reduce administrative bureaucracy and equalize funding between schools. Schools with many low-income students have more…

Presents national data from the Educational Research Service (ERS) National Survey of school district budgets. The database of school-district budget information provides a consistent and reliable means for comparing local school-district budgets across the United States. Offers information about trends in resource allocation, personnel costs,…

Presents data on school district expenditures for 1984-85, 1989-90, and 1994-95, gathered by the Educational Research Service (ERS). Provides information on budgets; intragroup variations; trends in allocation patterns; personnel costs; school district revenues; and trends in revenue available from local, state, and federal sources. Three tables…

To provide a consistent and reliable means for comparing local school budgets, data provided by approximately 1,100 administrators are assembled by per pupil operating expenditure and allocated to various functional categories. Regional variation in the sources of funding is demonstrated. Instructions for obtaining an individualized district…

Presents data on school district expenditures for budget years 1996-97, 1991-92, and 1986-87, gathered by the Educational Research Service (ERS). Provides information on budgets; intragroup variations; trends in allocation patterns; personnel costs; school district revenues; and trends in revenue available from local, state, and federal sources.…