When that happens, it’ll be clear which districts are prepared and which aren’t. It’ll also be obvious which districts put equity and student needs at the center of tough decisions.

I know, because as the former chief financial officer of the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), I grappled with many of these issues after the 2008 global financial crisis. I understand the difficulty of making tough decisions about staff and eliminating programs while prioritizing student success, particularly for students of color and those experiencing poverty.

Preparing for the coming fiscal cliff isn’t the responsibility of chief financial officers alone, since most districts will simultaneously spend the ESSER money even as they look for budget cuts. Because of that, this pending perfect storm will require a partnership of district leaders, school administrators, teachers and families—a community partnership built on trust, respect and transparency.

Facing the financial reckoning

Here are five things districts should consider doing to keep students and their successes at the center of discussions about budget reductions:

1. Inventory district-funded programs, then examine student data. Districts notoriously layer reform on top of reform, creating what I call “school reform lasagna.” After a while, these well-meaning interventions blend together so seamlessly that it’s nearly impossible to know what works and what doesn’t. DCPS’s inventory was illuminating because of administrators’ lack of oversight and the sheer number of programs—programs that in some cases leaders didn’t know the district was funding in the first place.

Once you have the inventory, the next step is to investigate the return on those investments. This could be as simple as comparing dollars spent, students impacted and outcome data, which can provide directional information or more complex academic ROI. What does your data tell you about the areas of greatest student need? Is it middle school math? Social-emotional supports? This data should inform a district’s highest priorities.

2. Engage in strategic abandonment discussions. This is the most difficult work since every program has users and families who won’t want it to end. For example, DCPS freed resources by eliminating a popular but ineffective early-grades reading program. Transparency and communication are key when you are working to end programs.

3. Set your district’s priorities and create (or update) your five-year financial plan. Typically, school districts budget one year at a time, rarely considering the impact of today’s spending decisions on tomorrow’s budgets. Because district revenue has increased over the last decade, districts have been able to get away with the lack of long-term planning. As the fiscal cliff looms, though, that strategy is a recipe for disaster. School systems must begin thinking in the long term.

More from DA: Kentucky superintendent suspended as two other leaders call it quits

I created DCPS’s first five-year financial plan. It provided insight into the “total cost of ownership” of any program—and whether the costs were sustainable based on future revenue projections. It also provided transparency when we had to make hard choices. In fact, long-term financial plans are a tool for engaging community stakeholders in decision-making.

4. Budget for equity. Research is clear that principals have an outsized impact on student outcomes. Exceptional leaders need the resources and autonomy to make decisions on staffing and instruction that best serve their students. In addition, it’s known that money matters for student outcomes. Systems can accomplish two things simultaneously: empowering principals and preparing for fewer resources by implementing student-based, equity-driven systems for funding schools.

5. Innovate and experiment with new school models or staffing approaches. Necessity is the mother of invention. Around the country, districts are piloting different types of school models, such as large multi-teacher classrooms and multi-school leadership teams. These new ideas allow the best educators to reach more students without expanding budgets. They also expand a district or state’s ability to offer student interventions that are flexible, customizable and, most importantly, sustainable. Now is the time for schools to test different approaches and strategies that, if successful, can be scaled district- or even statewide.

These actions build on each other and can’t be rushed. It takes time to work through each step. Wait too long and districts will be forced to resort to seniority-based layoffs and across-the-board cuts. While that’s a plan designed to look like everyone feels the pain equally, this approach typically is felt the hardest by students furthest from educational equity. Districts need to start planning ahead—while they also focus on the here and now.

The post 5 steps districts can take to prepare for a big financial reckoning appeared first on District Administration.

School districts have the potential to save millions by hiring administrators, otherwise known as sustainability directors, who focus solely on energy-saving and sustainability solutions, according to a new report from the Center for Green Schools at the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council. Included in the report are findings based on responses from 59 sustainability directors that represent nearly 6% of the nation’s K12 students.

According to the report, districts’ efforts to hire sustainability professionals at any level paid off significantly. Based on survey responses, sustainability staff helps districts save on average $1 million, which is roughly 10 times their annual salary. These savings come through strategic endeavors including energy and water conservation and waste reduction through policy implementation that help to regulate districts’ harmful emissions.

However, sustainability in K12 is still an emerging concept, one that will require the embrace of leaders and administrators. Yet, there are already large urban districts utilizing at least one sustainability employee, including New York and San Diego.

Additionally, most districts’ transitions to sustainability required advocacy and support from key stakeholders, including help from administrators or their local school boards, the report suggests. But what exactly do they help districts achieve?

More from DA: How this year’s plague of safety threats is exactly what this expert predicted

For clarity, here’s some insight into what sustainability professionals say are the most important areas of responsibility in their school districts on a scale from 1-5:

While there’s still much to understand in this area, those who are making strides are doing so with great influence as most respondents said they have “high confidence” to influence their direct supervisor, in addition to having the power to influence the district’s strategy and communicate their sustainability efforts.

“For many school leaders, sustainability is a new concept, and the many strategies for leading green schools are outside of their current knowledge base,” the report reads. “Therefore, school district superintendents and school boards across the United States are following the lead of industry and higher education by hiring sustainability professionals to both define their sustainability goals and help facilitate organization-wide progress toward actions that will benefit the schools and the broader community.”

The post This low-profile staff position can save districts millions each year appeared first on District Administration.

The urban Massachusetts district’s FY24 budget proposal provides for newly funded teacher positions that include 10 English language teachers, 31 teachers and professional staff to assist students with disabilities, 20 wraparound coordinators and 14 middle and high school teachers to meet enrollment increases and course offering needs, Superintendent Rachel H. Monárrez says.

Worcester’s $552 million spending plan would also maintain more than 600 elementary-level teachers to set student-teacher ratios at 19.7 to 1 in 2023-24. District spending would increase by $28.4 million, or 5.4%, compared to FY23’s $523.6 million budget. The district has received in $122.4 million in ESSER relief funds and $90 million in Student Opportunity Act funding.

“This level of financial support will allow the district to focus on expanding learning opportunities, improving wraparound services for students’ social-emotional and physical health, increasing and improving professional development, purchasing curriculum materials and equipment, investing in school facilities and school safety, and expanding early education and prekindergarten programs within the district,” Monárrez says.

School layoffs are accelerating as declining enrollment, failed levies and other financial pressures are piling on top of administrations already facing the expiration of ESSER relief funds. Worcester’s plans represent a stark contrast to the financial binds district leaders find themselves in elsewhere—even in the same state. Not far away, an $18 budget million deficit—caused in part by an enrollment drop of about 1,350 students since the beginning of the COVID pandemic—has forced officials in Brockton Public Schools to eliminate 130 certified positions, WCVB reported.

Worcester, meanwhile, is also adding positions around and outside the classroom including:

• Two human resources directors to focus on recruitment, retention, and professional development
• Four instructional coaches to support diversity, equity, and inclusion
• A director of school climate and culture
• Three counselors to achieve an approximate 250:1 student-to-counselor ratio throughout the district.
• Five school psychologist positions to assist with workload balances.
• Two school nurse positions and two certified nursing assistants
• 10 middle school athletic coach positions to provide students with additional sports opportunities.
• Four deans of students at the district’s high schools.

More from DA: 3 big districts make big hires to fill superintendents’ posts

At least one other district, the Utica City School District in New York, is creating new positions in its budget. Under the yet-to-be-approved spending plan, leaders would hire 94 new teachers, social workers and assistant principals, among other positions, the Observer-Dispatch reported.

The district intends to add six social workers, bringing its total to 29, six assistant principals, three deans of students at its elementary schools, a director of English as a new language, a career-and-technical-education curriculum administrator, and dozens of special education positions.

The post These district leaders intend to add 75 teachers as layoffs hit elsewhere appeared first on District Administration.

Superintendents and their teams are making tough choices—and tough announcements to their communities— as they finalize 2023-24 spending plans that they say can only be balanced with, in some cases, substantial staff reductions. In Washington, the Marysville School District conducted its first round of teacher and staff layoffs on Monday, notifying a few dozen employees that their jobs will end along with the 2022-23 school year.

Marysville’s leaders said they have already “reduced district-level administration,” trimmed educational programs and frozen spending in most areas as the district grapples with declining enrollment, inadequate state funding, failure to pass a levy in 2022, and the end of ESSER funding. Further reductions will likely mean larger class sizes and fewer elective courses, among other impacts, the district said in a message to the community.

“The district’s goal is to be fully transparent in this process,” Director of Communications Jodi Runyon said. “To this end, the district has conferred with bargaining groups to provide information on the state of the budget. The district updates families, staff, and the community as new information becomes available.”

In a bit of good-ish news, voters in Bozeman, Montana approved three levies that will reduce the number of layoffs the local school district will have to make to balance its budget, NBC Montana reported. The Bozeman School District will still have to cut about 20 teaching positions as it trims $4.1 million from its spending plan, Superintendent Casey Bertram told the station.

The sting of staff layoffs

On the opposite coast, the Vernon Township School District in New Jersey is laying 45 full-time staff—most of which are teachers—to cover a budget shortfall made worse by $8.5 million in state aid reductions in recent years, News12 reported. And officials in Brockton Public Schools in Massachusetts say an $18 million deficit forced them to eliminate 130 certified positions. The district, which issued layoff notices on Monday, has seen enrollment drop by about 1,350 students since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, WCVB reported.

More from DA: Sexist comments sink one superintendent during a week of high-profile hires 

Non-certified staff will be laid off in the coming days. “While we are confident that our five-year district improvement process will encourage new families to move to Brockton, unfortunately, our current enrollment does not support existing staffing levels,” Superintendent Michael Thomas said in a statement to WCVB. “This is in no way a reflection of the incredible work that our educators do every day.”

And in Detroit, Superintendent Nikolai Vitti says layoffs coming ahead of the 2023-24 school year will mainly impact central office administrators and temporary employees. Detroit Public Schools Community District is cutting COVID-specific positions such as nurses who administered free coronavirus tests during the pandemic, Vitti told Michigan Radio.

“The day-to-day learning and teaching experience of teachers and students will not change,” Vitti told the station. “And that’s intentional because the core of what we do happens in the classroom. And the core of what we do is about raising student achievement.”

The post What’s driving K12 staff layoffs? It’s much more than expiring ESSER funds appeared first on District Administration.

The global K12 education market, led by the North American region, is set to grow by 17.7% through 2031—from $103.5 billion in 2021—with artificial intelligence providing yet more opportunities for new revenue, according to this spring’s Research Dive report. But decreases in government funding could be a drag on growth, say the analysts who also broke the K12 market into several subsegments:

• Type: Public and private
• Region: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA (Latin America, Middle East and Africa)
• Application: High school, middle school, pre-primary school and primary school
• Spend analysis: Hardware and software
• Deployment mode: Cloud and on-premise

While the private K12 sector was slightly bigger in 2021, the global public schools market will grow faster through 2031 as administrators work to further personalize instruction, particularly via online programs staffed by certified teachers. “However, the public school system has significant obstacles, such as a lack of proper infrastructure, insufficient budget, a staff deficit, and limited facilities,” the report warns.

The North American market is predicted to be the most lucrative, due to “massive spending” on edtech while high school will be the most dominant sub-segment by 2031. Growth in the latter will again be driven by technology spending aimed at increasing the quality of instruction.

Software will be more profitable than hardware by 2031 as schools rely more heavily than ever on applications that manage student information, help teachers prepare instruction, facilitate student collaboration, and simplify administrative operations. Finally, when it comes to deployment, cloud computing will show the strongest growth as schools look to minimize data storage costs and boost access and mobility.

More from DA: Sexist comments sink one superintendent during a week of high-profile hires

The post Global K12 education market is charging out of the pandemic in a big way appeared first on District Administration.

In some cases, superintendents and their teams are already cutting new staff positions that were added over the past two years to beef up instruction. Other administrators are scrambling to find the funding to sustain staff and programs that have helped students bounce back in the classroom, reversed attendance declines and amplified the impact of SEL.

For example, Dayton Public Schools in Ohio spent $2.4 million in March alone on “double teachers,” and other positions. There are now two teachers in every first- through third-grade classroom, with one specializing in math and the other in literacy. The model reduces class sizes and allows for more one-on-one instruction.

With the deadline looming at the end of the next fiscal year, District Administration is taking a look at how a handful of districts intend to use the rest of their ESSER III funds to keep students and staff on the path toward academic and social-emotional recovery. Some districts are already cutting positions and programs that will have to be cut when the relief program ends.

Extending essential ESSER III programs

Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia is using its final round of ESSER to support ongoing programs, including extending contracts for special education interventionists that cost the district nearly $20 million in fiscal year 2023. Administrators will also continue to fund school-based wellness staff, an SEL coordinator and two SEL specialists, and general academic interventions and academic tutors for students districtwide.

More from DA: Why some schools are wrapping up the school year with cell phone bans

The D.C.-area district reports that in only one year, about 40% of students with the greatest academic needs made significant improvement while receiving frequent high-impact tutoring in small groups. Fairfax County in 2023 will spend another $6.7 million on its summer learning programs, which more than 30,000 students have participated in the last two years.

In the Florida panhandle, leaders in the Escambia County School District are determined to maintain some programs that have become indispensable since being launched with ESSER funding. One of those is the navigator program, in which a new team of district employees has been helping families access food, clothing and healthcare assistance, the Pensacola News Journal reported. At the bare minimum, the district would like to maintain the program in its most high-needs schools, the newspaper said.

Lake Stevens School District, also in Washington, received $8.4 million from the three rounds of ESSER. In the final round of ESSER III, administrators have earmarked $1.08 million to:

• Summer enrichment programs for student achievement
• Extended day academic interventions for students
• Special education recovery services to proactively address the lack of appropriate progress on IEP goals
• Professional learning and instructional support for our staff
• English language arts and math curriculum
• Strengthening school day interventions to support students

And Agawam Public Schools in Massachusetts is shifting expenses from its mostly depleted ESSER package to its permanent budget to maintain some of the new positions it created during COVID, The Reminder reported.

Where leaders are making cuts

Greenville Public Schools in Michigan has used up the $8.5 million it received in ESSER funding, spending some of the money on CTE staff and paraprofessionals to meet the most pressing student needs in the wake of the pandemic. The district is now having to lay off about 20 staff members, Superintendent Wayne Roedel told his school board this week, according to The Daily News. 

“We used the federal dollars that come through ESSER in a phenomenal way,” Rodel was quoted as telling the school board. “We did exactly what those dollars were given to us for. We hired people to close learning gaps, we’ve run incredibly robust summer programs the last couple of summers and we’ve hired people to address social-emotional issues that students had coming out of COVID.”

Several ESSER-supported expenses would be cut in the Olympia School District’s 2023-24 spending proposal. Administrators in the Washington district intend to eliminate central office positions in teaching and learning and finance as well as an ESSER-related health services director. The district also plans to cut 12 elementary school instructional coaching positions, 12 family liaison positions and a CTE instructional coach.

The post ESSER endgame: What 7 districts plan to fund and what leaders might cut appeared first on District Administration.

Reams of research have found that zero-tolerance discipline policies disproportionately harm students of color and that out-of-school suspensions often fail to correct misbehavior. For instance, one study found that only 12% of principals agreed that suspensions and expulsions give students time to reflect on or learn from their misbehavior.

But a rise in violence and other behavioral problems since the pandemic is fueling a push to bring back move punitive punishments in some states and districts. In Nevada, the state teachers union is backing two new discipline bills, including one that repeals a requirement to use restorative practices before a student is suspended or expelled. A second measure would allow schools to suspend or expel a student of any age who assaults a school employee.

“We believe a strong restorative discipline system could reduce incidents where educators sustain injuries,” the Nevada State Education Association said in a statement. “However, this system would need to be proactive, implemented district-wide across all districts, and would require significantly more training, attention, and resources.”

Where tough discipline is returning

Here’s a look at newly enacted laws and bills being considered in several states:

Arizona: Sets guidelines for suspending students in grades K-4.

Kentucky: New law requires school boards to expel for at 12 months any students who threaten or pose a danger to classmates or staff. Schools can also suspend disruptive students who are removed from class three times in a 30-day period. Principals can transfer disruptive students to alternative education programs.

Nebraska: Educators could physically contact or restrain disruptive students and remove them from class.

North Carolina: More behaviors would be added to what schools could consider “a serious violation,” including the use of inappropriate or disrespectful language, noncompliance with a staff directive, dress code violations, and minor physical altercations that do not involve weapons or injury.

More from DA: How an onslaught of social media threats is disrupting and terrorizing schools

Even such “minor violations” can make classrooms dangerous, Republican North Carolina state Rep. Ken Fontenot, told the EdNC website. “Dress code violations. It is probably serious if a young lady is exposing herself in a way that is not good for her or the male students or vice versa,” Fontenot said. “A minor physical altercation. Who’s to say what is minor if your bully is 6-foot-3 and you happen to be 4-foot-5?”

West Virginia: Black students are being disproportionately suspended compared to their white and Hispanic classmates, according to a report presented to the state’s board of education this week. One-fifth of the state’s Black students were suspended in the 2021-22 school year compared to just 10% of white students and 10% of Hispanic students. While Black children represent 4% of the state’s student population, they accounted for 8% of all suspensions

Students from low-income households were also suspended at twice the rate of other students in West Virginia. Still, state lawmakers are working to codify educators’ power to remove students from classrooms. The latest proposal would allow teachers to exclude students “guilty of disorderly conduct” or who, in any manner, interfere with instruction. Students face suspension after they’ve been removed three times but the bill prohibits students from being suspended for missing class.

The post Stricter discipline may be returning to schools after abandonment of zero tolerance appeared first on District Administration.

The National Council on Teacher Quality released this month’s “District Trendline” analyzing teacher salaries, cost of rent and average home prices to answer the following question: “Can teachers afford to live where they teach?” And the short answer is, well, it depends.

As teacher shortages persist, district leaders are turning to creative solutions to attract and retain staff. One tactic that’s been used quite frequently by districts is helping teachers find affordable housing.

At Holland Public Schools in Michigan, Superintendent Nick Cassidy recently shared with District Administration information bout its “Teachers Live Here” program which launched in January. The grant provides teachers with $25,000 in down payment assistance as long as they commit to at least five years of teaching with the district where property values are “very expensive,” he said.

In districts where this isn’t an option, teachers are forced to either live outside of the district or save up for decades. For new teachers, renting a one-bedroom home is likely the most viable option. But can they afford it?

In this month’s “District Trendline” analysis, the organization broke down some of the least and most affordable school districts for new teachers renting a one-bedroom home. Here’s a look at the data:

Most affordable districts for new teachers to rent a “1BR home”

1. Wichita Public Schools, KS: Rent equates to 17% of salary.
2. Jefferson Parish Public School System, LA: Rent equates to 17% of salary.
3. Laramie County School District 1, WY: Rent equates to 17% of salary.
4. Cleveland Metropolitan School District, OH: Rent equates to 18% of salary.
5. Bismark Public Schools, ND: Rent equates to 18% of salary.

Least affordable districts for new teachers to rent a “1BR home”

1. San Francisco Unified School District, CA: Rent equates to 47% of salary.
2. Portland Public Schools, OR: Rent equates to 42% of salary.
3. San Diego Unified School District, CA: Rent equates to 41% of salary.
4. Hawaii Department of Education, HI: Rent equates to 41% of salary.
5. New York City Department of Education, NY: Rent equates to 40% of salary.

As the data suggests, to afford to live in some of the more expensive districts would require teachers to save up for years. But for some, “it is an ordeal.”

More from DA: Many teachers no longer feel safe. Here’s what they want from their district leaders

“It takes a little over four years for the average household in the U.S. to save for a 20% down payment for a home,” the analysis reads. “In the largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with a single teacher income, it would take 13.6 years for this teacher to save up 10% of their income each year to make a 20% down payment on a median home in their locality.”

With this in mind, here’s a look at how districts vary on how long it takes for teachers to afford a 20% down payment of a ‘”median home.”

Where teachers can afford to buy a home soonest

1. Kanawha County Schools, WV: It takes seven years to save for a 20% down payment.
2. Jackson Public Schools, MS: It takes eight years to save for a 20% downpayment.
3. Pittsburgh Public Schools, PA: It takes eight years to save for a 20% downpayment.
4. Detroit Public Schools, MI: It takes eight years to save for a 20% downpayment.
5. Cleveland Metropolitan School District, OH: It takes eight years to save for a 20% downpayment.

Where it takes teachers the longest to buy a home

1. San Francisco Unified School District, CA: It takes 30 years to save for a 20% downpayment.
2. Los Angeles Unified School District, CA: It takes 29 years to save for a 20% downpayment.
3. Hawaii Department of Education, HI: It takes 28 years to save for a 20% downpayment.
4. San Diego Unified School District, CA: It takes 25 years to save for a 20% downpayment.
5. Portland Public Schools, OR: It takes 22 years to save for a 20% downpayment.

“As the nation turns its attention to raising teacher pay, states and districts may want to consider how to increase salaries or provide other incentives, so teachers can keep pace with increases in the cost of living, in particular with a focus on the coastal metropolitan areas where housing affordability issues have persisted over the years,” the analysis concludes.

The post How long does it take teachers to afford an average home in their district? appeared first on District Administration.

Hourly workers are the backbone of K12 schools, serving as bus drivers, custodians and substitute teachers among others. And one of the most important ways administrators can retain their staff is by providing consistent, accurate and timely pay. In fact, a 2020 survey of more than 2,000 hourly K12 workers revealed that compensation has a major impact on job satisfaction, ranking higher than having a good relationship with one’s boss, working in a convenient location, and whether the job tasks are enjoyable.

Based on this research, administrators must keep accurate time and attendance records to ensure that their essential workers are compensated regularly. One of the best ways school systems can do this is by transitioning to web-based technology which can help free up time for HR personnel to prioritize other issues.

A new research brief by Frontline Education, a leading provider of administration software for K12 educators, outlines some of the most current trends surrounding time tracking and aggregated data informing payroll information.

According to the analysis, the average school district has 339 hourly employees logging time, 241 payroll records generated by each employee, and 29% of records include at least one hour of overtime pay.

“Time at school districts across the country is very limited in today’s staff shortage environment, and school leaders should not be burdened with manual, paper-based time tracking processes,” said CEO of Frontline Education Mark Gruzin in a statement.

“The perspectives shared will enable K12 administrators to make data-backed decisions when it comes to payroll and compliance while freeing them up to focus on their missions of supporting positive educational outcomes.”

One of the most important factors for leaders to consider when processing time and attendance is the method of choice. Most systems use one of three system types, which vary in risk and time commitment for HR and payroll personnel:

Manual or Paper-Based

• More time/high risk

Hybrid Technology

• More time/medium risk

Comprehensive Technology

• Less time/low risk

According to the brief, comprehensive technology systems are the best bet for K12 leaders as it lets them manage employee absences, substitutes, time and attendance without taking any manual steps. Both time off and working time can be reviewed simultaneously, minimizing the risk of error.

With this in mind, here are three takeaways from the brief for district leaders to consider when managing time and attendance records for hourly employees:

1. Eliminate the paperwork through automated time tracking.
2. Integrate time tracking with other human capital management systems.
3. Leverage a leave and attendance management system specific to K12 personnel.

More from DA: Districts are using up their ESSER funds. Now comes the hard part

The post How to streamline employee time tracking and attendance to improve retention appeared first on District Administration.

Districts are now spending ESSER money at a rate of $5 billion a month, a pace that will exhaust the funds by the 2024 deadline, according to data compiled by the Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University. Looking ahead to 2023-24, most district leaders are just now setting their final ESSER-fueled budgets.

“That makes the next few months particularly high stakes for ESSER,” Edunomics Lab leaders Katherine Silberstein and Marguerite Roza wrote in an analysis for Education Next. “Worth watching: Will districts take advantage of this last opportunity to leverage remaining funds to meet their students’ most pressing needs?”

Why ESSER funds are being rerouted

The amount of money is unprecedented but so are the learning and social-emotional challenges that only intensified during the pandemic. With ESSER funds expiring, many district leaders may now find themselves in the same bind as administrators in Georgia’s Dalton Public Schools.

Like many districts, Dalton used ESSER funds to hire 35 staffers to help students bounce back academically and the social-emotionally but can no longer afford all of those additions. “Many of those positions are being reduced naturally through attrition such as retirements and resignations,” the district’s school board reported, according to the Dalton Daily Citizen. “There are 24 ESSER positions that the school district is absorbing into the general fund since those are teachers, special education teachers and paraprofessionals, psychologists, social workers, counselors and administrators.”

Leaders in the Sun Prairie Area School District in Wisconsin are facing a different ESSER hurdle. Leaders there say the state’s legislature has forced public schools to use the final round of ESSER funds to balance their budgets, the Sun Prairie Star reported. “Funding meant for COVID relief is being used to meet general operating expenses,” the district’s Director of Business and Finance Phil Frei told the Sun Prairie School Board this week. Districts across Wisconsin are in the same situation as the state provided no new public school funding in either 2021-22 or 2022-23, the Sun Prairie Star noted.

More from DA: Why some schools are wrapping up the school year with cell phone bans

Watertown Public Schools in Massachusetts is also having to use ESSER funds to cover a budget shortfall caused in part by increased costs of out-of-district special education placements. This forced the district to postpone a universal prekindergarten program that administrators had planned to launch with ESSER funds, Superintendent Dede Galdston said, according to the Watertown News.

“I would not want to spend ESSER funding knowing we are in a $1.3 million deficit and not knowing what the future looks like,” Galdston told her school board this week. “It is really not right to start a program we cannot support until we are in a position where we know we can sustain it.”

A soft landing in San Antonio

San Antonio ISD in Texas faces both a drop in enrollment and a $40 million budget deficit that administrators intend to patch with ESSER funds. But administrators there have also planned ahead to prevent falling off the fiscal cliff, according to the San Antonio Report. Last year, the district leveraged ESSER to “create a soft landing post-covid” by reserving $27 million for its general fund to spend in the years ahead, San Antonio ISD spokeswoman Laura Short told the website.

“Our long-term sustainability plan calls for us building reserves during the three years that we have ESSER and utilizing the reserves in the three years post-ESSER,” Short said.

The post Districts are using up their ESSER funds. Now comes the hard part appeared first on District Administration.