Expand Services Despite Tight Budgets

Student needs are growing much faster than district budget. Worse yet, in many communities, schools are struggling to hang to the staff and programs they have as costs rise and revenues shrink. The pandemic made a difficult financial situation much worse.

Fortunately, a growing body of knowledge can allow districts to create more strategic budgets, ensuring that every dollars does the most good for the most children. Strategic budgeting can also supercharge efforts to increase fairness by ensuring that school level resources match differing levels of student need.

1. Preserve the most important investments made with ESSER, CARES, and ARP dollars after the funding has gone away

While school districts enjoyed record budgets over the last few years thanks to CARES, ESSER, and ARP dollars, district leaders are now wrestling with the challenge of reduced funding. The reality is that students’ increased needs persist as budgets are decreasing and costs are increasing. A strategic budgeting approach can help preserve the most valuable services previously funded by COVID dollars.

2. Embracing cost effective special education and intervention.

Fortunately closing the achievement gap needn't be a budget buster. Many of the six shifts for improving student learning and addressing social, emotional and behavioral needs can be implemented cost effectively. In fact they often cost the same or less than current practice in most districts. Spending differently is more impactful than spending more.

3. Adding even more precision to staffing.

The lion's share of every district budget funds staff positions. Every year school and district leaders thoughtful plan what positions are needed for next year. New analytical tools bring even greater precision to this important task and transform staffing decisions for middle and high school teachers, elementary specialists, special educators and related service providers.  Decimal place accuracy that  precisely matches staffing to enrollment can free up funds for other priorities and help improve teacher quality.

4. Letting Academic Return on Investment guide your budget

No one knowingly funds a program that is ineffective, yet it's rare for districts to stop funding prior efforts. When leaders do try to end a program, some supporters push back strongly. Too often the politically connected or the status quo wins the debate. Academic Return On Investment (A-ROI) can change this dynamic. A-ROI is the systematic study of what works, at what cost for which kids. It moves beyond the discussion of whether a program is "good" or "bad" and answers the important questions:

• Is it cost effective?

• Does it help some kids more than others?

• Is it being implemented with fidelity?

• Can costs be reduced without reducing the impact?