What do school and district leaders think about how they budget and spend their money? What would they do if they had more of it? Less? What role do elected officials and the public play in school spending? Is spending really equitable? What might the future hold?
With questions like these in mind, the EdWeek Research Center set out in the summer of 2019 to survey principals and district-level administrators—with a special emphasis on the district-level chief finance officers who have a front seat when it comes to budgeting.
This report delves into the survey data, sharing breakdowns by categories including professional role, district size, locale, district poverty rate, region, and sector (charter, traditional public, or private). The result is a richly textured examination of the ways in which K-12 administrators perceive school budgeting and spending.