Dive Brief:
- In California, fewer than 40 districts — out of more than 1,000 in the state — say they will likely run into financial difficulties during the next two years, although one state representative says the low number might be based on optimistic budget changes still to come.
- Gov. Jerry Brown's budget allotment for next year is set to include only a modest increase in funding for districts that may not cover state pension obligations, which rise about $1B each year. However, a nonpartisan budget group, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, predicts final revenues will shake out to be higher in the end.
- Among the 39 districts that reported financial problems were Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified, two of the largest in the state. Smaller districts were beset by a range of individual problems from enrollment declines to higher special ed costs.
Dive Insight:
Funding for school districts has remained a hot button issue, as states from Washington to Connecticut have debated the merits of giving schools more money. Many experts do not necessarily equate higher spending to better student outcomes, and at least one report has found no link between the two. In the late 1990s an experiment in New Jersey giving the poorest schools as much or more money than the ones in wealthy areas ended with little progress toward closing the achievement gap.
In Connecticut a judge has challenged the way the state is distributing funding for schools, calling it "irrational" and leading the governor's office to propose upping funding to the state's poorest districts. In Washington, the debate centers around an overdue education bill the state is struggling to pay.