State Budgets/Funding

Learn about how much money states spend on K-12 schools and their funding priorities
States Push for Teacher Pay Maintains a Foothold in States
More than a dozen governors have proposed raising teacher pay so far this year, an Education Week survey finds, and teacher advocates vow to keep the heat on.
Daarel Burnette II & Madeline Will, February 25, 2020
7 min read
Education Funding With Cash to Spend, States Throw Down Big Bucks for K-12 Finance Studies
At least three states in the last few months have forked over half a million dollars or more for comprehensive studies of their K-12 finance system, a politically fraught process.
Daarel Burnette II, February 25, 2020
2 min read
close up image of money
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Teaching Profession Interactive These Governors Are Calling for Teacher Pay Raises
The state-level push for increased teacher pay continues as governors—prodded by public support and teacher activism—roll out ambitious proposals that could impact some of the poorest and most-rural parts of the nation.
1 min read
School & District Management What the Research Says State Ed. Spending at Odds With Public Schools Support
Breakdown of recent research reports made easier for the public to understand.
Sarah D. Sparks, October 22, 2019
1 min read
States State-District Tensions Swell Over School Pensions
There’s a tussle over the right balance for who should pick up the tab for teacher retirements and how that affects wealthier and less-wealthy districts.
Daarel Burnette II, October 1, 2019
7 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Federal How Another Recession Could Test K-12's Resilience
It took years to recover from the last big economic downturn. What’s changed since then—and what can schools expect if and when tough times come again?
Andrew Ujifusa, August 23, 2019
6 min read
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States State Auditor's Battle Cry: Open the Books on K-12 Spending
A West Virginia official turns up the heat on financial disclosure for the state’s beleaguered schools, and ruffles feathers in the process.
Daarel Burnette II, August 2, 2019
6 min read
School Choice & Charters If Charter Schools Build It, Will States Help Pay For It?
A report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools says most states have some kind of policy supporting charter schools' facilities needs, but their approaches to the issue vary significantly.
Andrew Ujifusa, July 31, 2019
3 min read
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States See Where Teachers Got Pay Raises This Year
More than a year after teachers began walking out en masse to demand higher salaries, at least 15 states have given their teachers a raise.
Migrant children play soccer at the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children earlier this spring in Homestead, Fla. The Trump administration said a budget crisis is forcing it to stop paying for recreation, schooling, and legal aid services that are provided to migrant children being held in the shelters. Most of the facilities are run by private companies and non-profit groups in contract with the federal government.
Migrant children play soccer at the Homestead Temporary Shelter for Unaccompanied Children earlier this spring in Homestead, Fla. The Trump administration said a budget crisis is forcing it to stop paying for recreation, schooling, and legal aid services that are provided to migrant children being held in the shelters. Most of the facilities are run by private companies and non-profit groups in contract with the federal government.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Equity & Diversity Trump Administration to End Schooling, Recreation, Legal Aid for Migrant Children in Shelters
Officials say the massive influx of immigrant children from Central American countries has created a budget crunch. Educators and advocates called the move inhumane and illegal.
Corey Mitchell & Kavitha Cardoza, June 5, 2019
4 min read
Teachers and education activists march from Riverfront Park to the Oregon State Capitol for a day of action Wednesday, May 8, 2019 in Salem, Ore. Tens of thousands of teachers across Oregon walked off the job Wednesday to demand more money for schools, holding signs and wearing red shirts that have become synonymous with a nationwide movement pushing lawmakers to better fund education.
Teachers and education activists march from Riverfront Park to the Oregon State Capitol for a day of action Wednesday, May 8, 2019 in Salem, Ore. Tens of thousands of teachers across Oregon walked off the job Wednesday to demand more money for schools, holding signs and wearing red shirts that have become synonymous with a nationwide movement pushing lawmakers to better fund education.
Anna Reed/Statesman-Journal via AP
Federal Public Torn Between Support for School Spending and Actually Paying the Tab
Policymakers feel the squeeze as popular support for increased education funding collides with an aversion to taxes and the education bureaucracy.
Daarel Burnette II, June 4, 2019
8 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
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Every Student Succeeds Act What Researchers Wish They Knew About School Finance
The field may be swimming in data, but there’s still blank spots when it comes to assembling a complete picture of how $600 billion in public school funding gets spent.
5 min read
USD 443 Superintendent Dr. Fred Dierksen poses for a photo in Dodge City High School, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Dodge City, Kan. Dr. Dierksen is the superintend of one of the school districts asking the legislature for more funding for Kansas schools.
USD 443 Superintendent Dr. Fred Dierksen poses for a photo in Dodge City High School, Thursday, May 30, 2019, in Dodge City, Kan. Dr. Dierksen is the superintend of one of the school districts asking the legislature for more funding for Kansas schools.
Brian Hayes for Education Week
Every Student Succeeds Act Student Outcomes: Does More Money Really Matter?
Fresh research bolsters the case for more public school funding—but debate rages on how to spend it in a way that boosts achievement.
Daarel Burnette II, June 4, 2019
9 min read
Education Funding Inside School Finance: A Special Report
The second installment of Education Week’s annual Quality Counts series examines how much the nation and the states spend on public schools and how fairly that money is spread around.
June 4, 2019
1 min read