State Budgets/Funding
Learn about how much money states spend on K-12 schools and their funding priorities
Federal
Shutdown's Impacts Starting to Trickle Down to Schools
More than four weeks into the longest-ever federal government shutdown, school district officials in some communities are mobilizing to blunt the impacts on students, families, and their own operations.
States
States Are Flooding Schools With Cash, But Teachers Are Missing Out
The push to boost teacher pay was a big factor in the flood of money states pumped into school districts in recent years, but much of that money has been soaked up by competing school budget priorities, rather than landing in teachers' pockets.
States
Is Geography Destiny? The Debate Over Boosting K-12 Quality
No one likes the idea that where you live sets your future. But there's division over just how education can help break that link.
School & District Management
Explainer
Education Statistics: Facts About American Schools
How many K-12 public schools, districts, and students are there? And how much are we, as a nation, spending on the education?
Education
School Spending is Broken. So Why Is it So Hard to Replace Funding Formulas?
The legislative session hasn't even started and yet efforts to replace funding formulas are already starting to unravel as states realize they don't have the political capital to raise taxes.
Federal
Federal Education Aid: State Winners, Losers
Federal education funding is on the rise—but there are disparities in which states are reaping the most benefits.
School & District Management
Cosmetics and Clothes: Parents Misspent $700,000 in Arizona's School Choice Program
An audit by Arizona’s attorney general revealed that parents with children in the state’s education savings account program were making prohibited purchases with public money meant for educational purposes.
States
Wisconsin Chief Tony Evers Upsets Incumbent Scott Walker in Governor's Race
The contest had been close from the start, with Evers campaigning on a promise to restore respect for the state's teachers and financially bail out its school system.
Education
State Supreme Court Knocks Ambitious Hawaii School Funding Question Off Ballot
Teachers have argued that the state needs a new revenue source for schools but the state's supreme court said a ballot question they backed was confusing and vague.
Education Funding
Video
The 2018 Election Is All About Education - Part 2: School Funding
While the economy has roared back to life in recent years, public schools in large swaths of the country are still starved for money. State sales-tax revenue has flattened as more people shop online and, while unemployment is at historic lows, earnings have not rebounded to pre-Recession levels. How—or whether—to pour more money into public school coffers has emerged as one of the most divisive issues for states in this year’s midterm elections. Many conservative candidates have accused school districts of wasting tax dollars while more liberal candidates have proposed raising taxes in order to shore up school funding. In part two of Education Week’s series on the midterm elections of 2018, Daarel Burnette and Kavitha Cardoza take a look at how school funding has played into the campaigns. (October 23, 2018)
States
K-12 Funding in Spotlight as Bitter Rivals Do Battle for Wis. Governor's Seat
Discussion of Wisconsin's school spending has come to dominate the gubernatorial contest between Gov. Scott Walker and challenger Tony Evers, both of whom have made their education records a high-profile piece of their pitch to Wisconsin voters.
Law & Courts
School Aid Skirmishes Still Flare in Washington State
The state’s supreme court ended a yearslong fight over K-12 funding earlier this summer, but in districts across the state the battles have continued and tensions remain.
School Climate & Safety
State Election Cheat Sheet: Education Issues to Watch
Public school funding, teacher pay, and improving academic outcomes in the Every Student Succeeds Act era have fueled midterm-election debate in many states. Here's some key issues and states to watch.
School Climate & Safety
DeVos Tries to Steer Clear of Debate Over Federal Aid to Arm Teachers
Some districts are eyeing Every Student Succeeds Act money as a way to provide arms to school staff in order to protect students, but Education Secretary Betsy DeVos plans not to put out guidance on that.