School Funding

Learn more about how K-12 schools and districts raise money, set budgets, and spend funds
Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King prepares for a Board of Education meeting on April 8, 2026 .
Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King prepares for a Board of Education meeting April 8, 2026. The district faces a roughly $733 million shortfall for the coming school year, driven by funding pressures and declining enrollment that have prompted job cuts in school systems nationwide.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune via TNS
Recruitment & Retention Layoff Warnings Hit Thousands of School Employees
Seven of the nation's 10 largest districts are looking to cut staff as pandemic-era funding runs out and enrollment keeps falling.
Erin Hudson, Bloomberg News, June 16, 2026
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5 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
School Choice & Charters Opinion Microschools Are Booming. Will They Have the Funds to Grow?
This venture can help “small schools” secure space, improve facilities, and grow enrollment.
Rick Hess, June 16, 2026
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6 min read
Graduation cap and dollars. Scholarship or student loan concept.
Getty
School Choice & Charters How Can Public Schools Participate in Trump's Federal Choice Program?
The Trump administration has confirmed public schools can receive federal scholarship funds. Here's how.
Matthew Stone, Evie Blad & Mark Lieberman, June 11, 2026
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7 min read
Cafeteria worker Nuria Alvarenga serves lunch to students through a service window at Firebaugh High School in Lynwood, Calif. on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. Demand for school lunches has increased after California guaranteed free meals to all students regardless of their family's income. Now, districts are preparing to compete with the fast food industry for employees after a new law took effect guaranteeing a $20 minimum wage for fast food workers.
A cafeteria worker serves students at Firebaugh High School in Lynwood, Calif., on April 3, 2024. School districts are increasingly uncertain about whether they can rely on federal education funds, $7 billion of which were delayed for weeks last July, prompting a more conservative approach to budgeting in some places.
Richard Vogel/AP
Education Funding Districts Brace for the Unexpected as Federal Funding Troubles Linger
Last year's formula funding delay has prompted some districts to budget more cautiously.
Mark Lieberman, June 11, 2026
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7 min read
This is an aerial shot of a large public high school complex shot on a Sunday with nobody around. This image features multiple buildings, a running track, football fields, baseball diamonds, tennis courts parking lots and a residential neighborhood surrounding the image. Shot from the open window of a small plane.
Illustration by Education Week + Getty
School & District Management Closing a School? Don't Expect to Save Money, a New Study Warns
The hope is that closing schools can reduce fixed costs. A new study looks into whether that happens.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 11, 2026
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5 min read
Tue., June 09, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Budget & Finance Webinar Creative Approaches to K-12 Budget Realities
What are districts prioritizing in 2026? New survey data reveals emerging K-12 budgeting trends.
Register
June 9, 2026
Gas prices are displayed at a gas station in Wheeling, Ill., on May 14, 2026.
Prices on display at a gas station in Wheeling, Ill., on May 14, 2026. Most school districts in a new survey say they're over budget for fuel costs as prices, particularly for diesel needed to keep school buses running, remain high as the Iran war continues.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
School & District Management High Diesel Prices and Schools: How Districts Are Keeping Buses on the Road
A new survey of school district leaders breaks down what they're already doing to keep buses running.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens & Maya Riser-Kositsky, May 20, 2026
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2 min read
A full lot of parked school buses
School buses are parked at the Dayton Public Transportation center on Thursday, August 21, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio. School districts are already feeling the strain on their budgets as they buy diesel at elevated prices for their school buses.
Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos/AP
School & District Management Schools Brace for Impact as Fuel Prices Climb
Districts are tightening budgets as transporting students and heating buildings grow more costly.
Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 19, 2026
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6 min read
The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021.
The Los Angeles Unified School District, LAUSD headquarters building is seen in Los Angeles, Sept. 9, 2021.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
School & District Management LAUSD Tries to Reclaim $22 Million After Alleged Money-Laundering Scheme
A district manager allegedly steered work to a company in exchange for kickbacks, a lawsuit claims.
Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, May 12, 2026
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6 min read
FemaGrant Maiorella 02
A new gym under construction in Wisconsin's Cuba City school district, pictured April 16, 2026, would have also served as a tornado shelter, thanks to an $8.8 million FEMA grant. But nearly four years after it was awarded the grant, the district still doesn't have the money.
Arthur Maiorella for Education Week
Education Funding A School Wants a Tornado Shelter. A Federal Grant Keeps Getting in the Way
The district still can't spend a FEMA grant it was originally awarded in 2022.
Mark Lieberman, May 1, 2026
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9 min read
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Budget & Finance Whitepaper The Ultimate Guide to Charter School Financial Success
This guide equips charter school leaders with a clear, outcome-driven framework for strong financial management—plus the critical questio...
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School & District Management Whitepaper Driver Shortages and Budget Pressure: The 2026 Student Transportation Report
A new survey of 118 leaders from Zonar and School Transportation News breaks down the workforce and cost pressures squeezing operations ...
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An image representing disputes over property taxes.
DigitalVision Vectors
Budget & Finance How Do Schools Solve a Problem Like Property Taxes?
Politicians or activists in at least 10 states are pitching the end of one of schools' chief revenue sources.
Mark Lieberman, February 12, 2026
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11 min read
Teachers utilize a team teaching model, known as the Next Education Workforce Model, at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025.
Teachers utilize a team-teaching model that spreads out teacher expertise and facilitates collaboration at Stevenson Elementary School in Mesa, Ariz., on Jan 30, 2025. Some of those models depend on having coaches and interventionists—positions that risk getting cut during lean budget times.
Adriana Zehbrauskas for Education Week
Teaching Profession K-12 Budgets Are Tightening. Teacher-Leadership Roles Are at Risk
The positions expanded with pandemic-aid funding. With money tighter, how can districts keep them?
Sarah D. Sparks, February 9, 2026
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5 min read