If you want to learn about how state funding issues impact your own school district, you are in for a treat with the Tools for Education Advocates Webinar that is being hosted by PA Schools work.

On Thursday, January 21st at noon data experts (rock stars in their field!) from the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials (PASBO), will hold a digital workshop to roll out their new suite of tools on their Data Dive website.

Parents, educators, and public education advocates will learn how they can use interactive data maps and graphic visualizations on the site to learn about their districts. We will also learn how to use this information when talking to other members of their community, legislators, media, etc.

Click HERE to to register for the Thursday, January 21st webinar.

In addition, this week Pennsylvania’s school business officials and administrators issued, “School District Budget Report: The COVID Impact.” This report takes a deep dive into both data and survey responses from PA school districts to create of picture of the financial and other challenges that our public school districts are facing as a result of COVID-19.

The key takeaway from this report is that while federal aid has been a lifeline for school districts during the pandemic, in the future the state will need to increase support to begin to cover the enormous growth of school district mandated costs that have been percolating underneath all of the COVID-related expenditure increases. Without a substantial increase in state funding in the future, our public schools will be worse off.

Staffing issues

• Staffing shortages and challenges were noted by almost 90% of respondents, as teachers were needed for new online programs, social distancing required smaller class sizes and ongoing health concerns and quarantine procedures spread existing staff thin.
• Nearly 85% of respondents indicated that finding substitutes was difficult, if not nearly impossible.

Charter School Costs

• More than eight in ten respondents indicated that they were offering a cyber program to their students.
• Despite the added capacity in district-run cyber programs, the report highlights a projected increase in charter school tuition costs of $475 million this year, of which $350 million of that increase is due cyber charter school enrollment increases.

Local Revenue

• More than half of survey respondents projected a reduction in earned income tax collection rates this year.
• More than half of survey respondents anticipated a reduction in property tax collection rates as well.
• Less wealthy school districts with restricted tax bases may be more susceptible to local revenue declines as the pandemic’s economic impact is generating disparate effects.

Federal COVID aid a lifeline

• While the growing routine costs in addition to the new pandemic-related expenditures—as well as flat state funding— are challenging school districts of every shape and size, federal funds are providing a lifeline.
• With two federal stimulus bills providing resources to school districts to assist in COVID-related expenditures, school districts are able to scrape through the chaos as the pandemic continues.
• While federal funds are welcome, the report warns of the consequences when this exceptional federal funding dries up in 2023.
• The mistakes and consequences of the previous withdrawal of federal aid to school districts during the Great Recession must not be repeated.
• Without additional future state support to begin to cover the increase in school district mandated costs that have been percolating underneath all of the COVID-related expenditure increases, school districts—and taxpayers—are worse off.

Click HERE to read the press release.

Click HERE to read the full report.

Wishing you a good beginning to 2021. We expect to see a lot of activity around the school funding issue and many opportunities to achieve wins for students in the upcoming year..