State Budgets/Funding

Learn about how much money states spend on K-12 schools and their funding priorities
Voters file into and leave the Betty Rodriguez Public Library voting center Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 in Fresno.
Voters file into and leave the Betty Rodriguez Public Library voting center Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 in Fresno, Calif. Voters in several states on Tuesday weighed in on measures to unlock new school funding sources or limit taxes that fund schools.
ERIC PAUL ZAMORA/Fresno Bee via TNS
Education Funding How K-12 School Funding Fared in the Midterms: A Nationwide Guide
Tuesday’s elections brought fresh opportunities for increased school investments and new funding constraints.
Mark Lieberman, November 5, 2026
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7 min read
Collage of ballots and language from propositions from Arizona, Washington and Florida.
Illustration by Emily Wright for Education Week + Getty
Education Funding School Funding Is on the Ballot Across the Country. Here's How
Voters will confront questions over how much money schools get and where their funding comes from.
Mark Lieberman, October 28, 2026
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1 min read
School building at the center against a green grid background. Neighborhood homes are on both sides of the school and are made up of tax forms that are collaged together. Some of the forms show things like "School District Residency" and "File a separate form SD 100 for each taxing school district in which you lived during the taxable year".
Illustration by Taylor Callery for Education Week
States A Unique K-12 Ballot Initiative, and Other 2026 Election Highlights
One state would require 'Spar-Spangled Banner' broadcasts in schools. Others would limit taxes.
Matthew Stone, October 7, 2026
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10 min read
Row of three school desks. Each has a different color seat. One is red, one is white, and the third desk has a blue seat. Each desk has a voting booth on top with the familiar voting "American flag" and the word "VOTE".
Illustration by Taylor Callery for Education Week
States EdWeek's Guide to the 2026 Elections: Where Education Is on the Ballot
Education Week reviewed what's on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Matthew Stone, Emily Wright & Jennifer Vilcarino, September 24, 2026
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2 min read
Attorney's representing multiple states pose for a photograph outside court after after tech giant Meta reached a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction in Oakland, Calif., Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026.
Attorneys representing multiple states pose for a photograph outside a federal court in Oakland, Calif., after after tech giant Meta reached a settlement to end a landmark trial over teen social media addiction on Aug. 26, 2026. The settlement terms and payments could have major effects on students and schools, according to legal and technology experts.
Noah Berger/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Billions Will Flow to States Through Meta Settlement. Will Schools Benefit?
Schools could share in the payout. Meta's design feature changes could also help, experts say.
Arianna Prothero, August 28, 2026
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7 min read
An illustration of three school leaders at a desk and one is holding an umbrella. They are all looking up into the sky where a sun is peeking through several clouds that are depicting dollar bills.
Illustration by Robert Neubecker for Education Week
Education Funding From the Feds on Down, School Funding Is Uncertain. What to Know
Federal turbulence during the Trump administration highlights the precarity of state and local funding, too.
Mark Lieberman, August 3, 2026
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7 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
Law & Courts Opinion How State Courts Are Quietly Shaping U.S. Education
In education, the real action is often at the state level, not in Washington, explains Derek Black.
Rick Hess, June 9, 2026
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8 min read
A waterfront home, photographed on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Governor DeSantis has pushed property-tax reform for over a year. “The property tax has become a big, big burden for millions of people in this state,” he said on June 1 in highlighting his proposal, which would expand the homestead exemption for property taxes from the current $25,000 to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.
A waterfront home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., photographed on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session this month to consider a major property-tax reduction measure. Lawmakers scaled it back to shield property taxes that make up almost half of school budgets statewide.
Phelan M. Ebenhack via AP
States A State Puts Property-Tax Cuts on the Ballot This Fall—But Shields Schools
Florida lawmakers turned down a more sweeping property-tax reduction plan, leaving school taxes alone.
Mark Walsh, June 8, 2026
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3 min read
Internal View of the State Capitol. on May 29, 2025, in Albany, New York.
An internal view of the state capitol in Albany, N.Y., on May 29, 2025. Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a budget into law that lowers the retirement age for teachers to collect a full pension.
Kena Betancur/AP
States New York Teachers Win Lower Retirement Age as Lawmakers Pass Pension Reforms
New York teachers can retire five years earlier under pension changes included in a state budget package.
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, May 27, 2026
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3 min read
TahSoGhay Collah, right, teaches a third-grade English learners class at the 700-student intermediate school that serves grades 3 through 5, in Worthington, Minn., on Oct. 22, 2024.
TahSoGhay Collah, right, teaches a 3rd grade English-learner class at a school that serves grades 3 through 5, in Worthington, Minn., on Oct. 22, 2024. Experts say there is no one-size-fits-all funding model for English learners.
Jessie Wardarski/AP
English Learners How to Make English-Learner Funding 'Fair and Effective'
Experts share how state funding models can better support English learners with various needs.
Ileana Najarro, April 8, 2026
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5 min read
Image of desks with money symbolism overlayed on the desktops and seats.
Laura Baker/Education Week & Getty
Budget & Finance 4 Ways States Could Reduce Property Taxes—And What It Means for Schools
Budgets beware: States are eyeing property-tax caps, exemptions, or eliminating them altogether.
Mark Lieberman, February 19, 2026
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3 min read
As the teaching workforce increasingly skews younger, paying for educator's parental leave increases the financial pressure on districts.
As the teaching workforce increasingly skews younger, paying for educator's parental leave increases the financial pressure on districts.
LM Otero/AP
Teaching Profession What the Research Says How Much Would It Cost States to Support Parental Leave for Teachers?
Two-thirds of states do not guarantee teachers parental leave, a new national study finds.
Sarah D. Sparks, January 13, 2026
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2 min read
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington. States are considering whether to incorporate the tax changes into their own tax codes, which will results in lower state revenue collections that could strain school budgets.
Evan Vucci/AP
Education Funding Schools Brace for Mid-Year Cuts as 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Changes Begin
State decisions on incorporating federal tax cuts into their own tax codes could strain school budgets.
Mark Lieberman, January 13, 2026
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7 min read
Illustration in blue of huge hands holding money as silhouette people run towards it.
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Video School Funding: The 3 Big Questions to Watch in 2026
2025 was a disruptive year for school funding, here's what we're anticipating in the year ahead.
Mark Lieberman & Yi-Jo Shen, January 6, 2026
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