Opinion
Budget & Finance Letter to the Editor

Don’t Knock Schools for Cautious Spending

June 01, 2021 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

To the Editor:

Given articles like “Schools Are Flush With Stimulus Money. Will They Waste It on Unproven Technology?” (April 21, 2021) regarding the influx of federal education recovery funds and how school districts are spending those funds, it is appropriate to highlight the complexities that school district leaders are navigating as they seek to invest these dollars efficiently to support students’ wide range of needs.

School business professionals look at revenues and expenditures for their district over a multiyear time frame and must prepare as best they can for unforeseen developments while allocating resources responsibly, in alignment with the district’s commitment to provide a quality education for all students.

As school districts plan how to spend these one-time federal dollars, which have a myriad of allowable uses, it is important to understand these funds will be invested in many ways depending on local needs. Also, as these funds are used for different purposes, the rate at which districts obligate and spend down these funds will differ. Just because a district has not spent all its federal aid immediately doesn’t mean the funds are not needed.

School business leaders are also concerned about future fiscal uncertainty and avoiding a fiscal cliff. Contrary to the notion that school districts are making purchases randomly and chasing after the latest technology craze, business managers, superintendents, and school board leaders across the country are actively engaging with their communities to redress not only the devastating impact of the pandemic, but the decades of federal and state fiscal neglect that left so many districts poorly supported to begin with.

This long-awaited arrival of vital investment in our schools should be viewed as a bulwark to help shore up the foundations of our nation’s educational infrastructure and not as misguided policy that will yield wasteful district spending.

David J. Lewis
Executive Director
ASBO International
Ashburn, Va.

A version of this article appeared in the June 02, 2021 edition of Education Week as Don’t Knock Schools for Cautious Spending

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Budget & Finance What Trump's Mass Deportations Could Mean for School Budgets
Federal threats against immigrants could depress local and state funding for schools and cause a spike in chronic absenteeism.
13 min read
Photograph of the back of a father and son (wearing a bookbag) holding hands while walking down a brick-paved sidewalk.
E+
Budget & Finance From Our Research Center Some Districts Struggle to Align Their Spending With Instructional Needs
Some districts have more success than others using classroom-level insights to inform spending decisions, survey data show.
4 min read
Idea, thinking out of the box, creativity and design background, banner, poster. Geometrical style vector design with light bulb, brain, pencil.
iStock/Getty Images
Budget & Finance Districts Are Already Bracing for Federal Funding Cuts Under Trump
Schools could struggle to support vulnerable students if Republican proposals for K-12 cuts come to pass.
8 min read
The U.S. Capitol is seen from Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
The U.S. Capitol is seen from Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024.
Jon Elswick/AP
Budget & Finance 3 Budgeting Lessons School Administrators Learned From ESSER
District leaders recommend maintaining a list of dream priorities and looking closely at return on investment.
7 min read
Share your financial/budget idea with others; business project. Sharing of experience.
iStock/Getty