Education Week - June 2, 2021 - 17

" That gives us flexibility where those substitutes can act as a substitute
or maybe become an instructional assistant and backstop our
teachers, " Wegner said.
Recession Readiness
Despite the flood of federal cash, tension over
funding remains
The amount of money districts are getting from the federal government,
the extent to which it will be transformative, and the flexibility
they'll have to spend it varies considerably from state to state, and
from district to district.
Sixty-one percent of administrators who answered the EdWeek Research
Center survey said persuading elected officials to sufficiently
fund schools is a major challenge. In states like Texas, Wisconsin, and
Wyoming, districts are anxious about rumblings that state legislators
will cut investments in K-12 schools and then ask districts to use federal
dollars to make up the shortfall.
For the rural Lincoln County school district in Wyoming, that
move would be devastating, said Amanda McAdams, assistant
superintendent and director of elementary instruction. The district
lost 200 of its 3,000 students to home schooling during the
pandemic. She's confident at least 100 will return, but many will
require significant tutoring and instructional efforts to catch them
up academically with their peers.
The district doesn't generate much local revenue, which means it's
particularly vulnerable to the volatility of state revenue sources. Earlier
in the pandemic, the district already had to lay off science specialists
and a high school math teacher, and cut hours for art, music, and
physical education teachers.
" Our superintendent's probably aged 10 years this year trying to
balance what he thought was going to be a financial cliff and taking
care of people in the community, " McAdams said.
Losing the federal funds would mean " status quo for the district, and
that will limit us from creative or cool ideas to implement, " she said.
Other districts are experiencing envy when comparing their federal
dollars to that of their neighbors'.
To focus funding support on students who are socioeconomically
vulnerable, all three sets of stimulus funds went to schools based on
the proportion of federal Title I aid they typically receive. But some
administrators wish the funds were distributed on a per-pupil basis.
Many expenses during the pandemic, they argue, were equally necessary
for all students, regardless of their background or family situation.
Slightly more than one-quarter of survey respondents said federal
relief funds were somewhat or completely inadequate for overcoming
state and local budget shortfalls during the pandemic, and 19 percent
said the federal relief was somewhat or completely inadequate for
covering additional COVID-19-related expenses.
" I understand the need to take care of low-income areas of our
state and country, " said Justin Downes, superintendent of the Milbank
district in South Dakota. " I just think those scales are quite
heavily skewed, with districts much smaller than mine receiving
twice as much aid. "
Thanks to the stresses of the pandemic, the future is
uncertain
Even though the stimulus is the largest single federal investment in
K-12 education in the history of the United States, it can't singlehandedly
erase the myriad flaws and intricacies of the nation's labyrinthine
school finance systems.
As many districts face enrollment declines in the years to come, the
amount of money they'll get from state and local governments could
decline precipitously.
" We are looking at potentially being down by about 30 kids [next
year]. Multiply that by $6,000 per kid, all of a sudden we've got a lot
less budget, " Downes said. " We try to provide extracurriculars, and
elective courses, but that's really ultimately what ends up getting hurt. "
Another potential chunk of federal money is on the horizon, with
President Joe Biden proposing $50 million in grants and $50 million
in bonds for K-12 schools to invest in their building infrastructure. The
investment is long overdue, advocates argue, but the proposal has yet
to pass Congress.
District leaders say they're keeping an eye on the possibility of additional
funding, but their attitude about the proposal reflects a key
lesson from the pandemic: Don't count on what you don't yet have.
" We can't sit back and assume that, after neglecting our buildings,
somebody's going to come flying in with money just as we
need it, " said Roger Dickson, interim director of business services
for the Shorewood district in Wisconsin. " We need to manage the
overall budget, so we are taking care of our facilities as well as the
instructional needs. "
Pandemic Expenses
What were the TWO most expensive costs associated with the pandemic? Select two.
Devices
Cleaning
Personal protective equipment
Student home internet access
Digital curricula
Ventilation
Providing student meals
Other
Counseling/social-emotional support
Professional development
COVID testing
7
4
1
SOURCE: EdWeek Research Center, 2021
Note: Due to rounding, percentages may
not add up to 100 percent.
EDUCATION WEEK | June 2, 2021 | www.edweek.org | 17
11
8
16
55%
30
25
23
18
5
9
17
22
21
65%
34%
28
To what extent is your district prepared
for the next recession?
Enrollment Funding Impact
What is the likelihood that your district's per-pupil
funding will decline over the next ten years due to
declines in student enrollment?
Completely unprepared
Somewhat unprepared
Somewhat prepared
Completely prepared
Very unlikely
Somewhat unlikely
Somewhat likely
Very likely
Stimulus Spending Priorities
Which of the following areas do you expect to spend federal relief money on? Select all that apply.
Devices
Counseling/social-emotional support
Cleaning
Professional development
Personal protective equipment
Digital curricula
Student home internet access
Ventilation
Providing student meals
Other, please specify
COVID testing
31
16
12
41
37
52
47
46
45
44
64%

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Education Week - June 2, 2021

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