District and school leaders believe smart spending decisions start early.
The EdWeek Research Center recently asked K-12 administrators across the country what approaches would help them make strategically sound, long-term budget decisions about academic resources—as opposed to choices guided by short-term thinking.
The top responses focused on timing of those choices—more so than making broad overhauls to the budget process, getting buy-in from the superintendent, or getting outside support.
Forty-six percent of the administrators surveyed said the top approach for making strategic, long-term decisions happen is ensuring that department leaders in districts or schools are discussing their top spending priorities early in the budgeting process.
Nearly as many of those surveyed, 45%, said beginning their overall budget discussions—even preliminary ones—earlier, would be a key step.
The nationally representative, online survey was conducted by the EdWeek Research Center in June of 90 district leaders and 133 school leaders.
The survey was conducted as part of an ongoing research project, backed by the Gates Foundation, focused on how strategic resourcing can support teaching and learning goals. Reporting and research for the project is being carried out by Education Week, EdWeek Market Brief—a publication that explores business dynamics in the K-12 market—and the EdWeek Research Center. (The publications retain sole editorial control over their content.)
The survey results on the district budget process were included in the EdWeek Research Center’s full report breaking down the project’s 2025 findings on strategic resourcing.
School district budgets generally follow a fiscal year, rather than a calendar year, schedule, meaning top administrators typically finalize spending plans by around the end of June, and begin spending for the next year shortly afterward.
So what would it mean for districts to start the budgeting process earlier than normal?
A separate survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center for EdWeek Market Brief in 2024 showed that a strong majority of district and school leaders believe their most impactful discussions about adding or cutting items from their budgets occur in the January through April window. Thirty-two percent said those talks play out in January and February, while 44% say those discussions occur in March and April.
But a much smaller portion of districts, just 10%, say they begin those discussions in November and December. And only 2% say impactful decisions play out in September and October.
District and school leaders also have an eye on sustainability of funding
The K-12 leaders surveyed this year pointed to other approaches that they believe will help them make strategic, long-term budget decisions, as opposed to short-term ones.
Forty-one percent of those surveyed said putting a greater emphasis on reviewing the sustainability of funding resources—such as local, state, and federal—would help make their decisions more strategic.
Forty percent said having more visibility into alternate funding sources would help; the same portion of respondents said putting more stock in the strategies laid out in the district’s strategic plan would help them think long term.
Districts’ year-to-year spending plans are most effective when they’re crafted with a long-term vision in mind, said a South Dakota school leader quoted in the research center’s report.
"“When we do the budget, we look at our goals and we look at the personnel that we have,” the administrator said, “and then we align our personnel according to the goals that we have.”
A California curriculum leader quoted in the report emphasized the importance of administrators collaborating across departments, not making decisions in isolation.
“We have a very cohesive executive cabinet that works closely together representing human resources, educational services and curricula as well as our fiscal and business services,” the K-12 official said.
“[We] just have a very collaborative, cohesive district that has open dialogue relative to finances and where those resources are being put. Human and otherwise.”
Fewer district and school leaders were convinced that other options would lead them to more strategically sound decisions. Ranking relatively low were approaches such as creating a new process that allows for multi-year budgeting (26%), getting the superintendent’s buy-in to think beyond the current budget year (24%), or getting technical assistance/outside advice (9%).
The changes that K-12 administrators are convinced hold the most promise are, by comparison, relatively straightforward — and centered in committing to moving budget planning earlier on the calendar.
Data analysis for this article was provided by the EdWeek Research Center. Learn more about the center’s work.
