Districts that can largely support themselves with local tax dollars are in a better position as the economic downturn continues.
As the coronavirus-driven slowdown pummels state budgets, the education funding gains many school districts saw in recent years—or were about to see—are in peril.
In Hawaii, where public schools are run by the state, the governor has proposed a 20% cut in teacher pay starting next month. Kansas lawmakers are likely to suggest education cuts to close a $650 million budget gap just a year after the state resolved a decade-long lawsuit over insufficient school spending. Wichita Public Schools, the state’s biggest district, has already approved $18 million in budget cuts, while projecting a total budget hit of nearly twice that amount.
But, as it has with other facets of life and policy, the Covid-19 slowdown is affecting school districts differently. In Boston, public schools actually expect a $26 million spending boost for the upcoming school year. In Montgomery County, Maryland, County Executive Marc Elrich is contemplating raising taxes to pay for staffing increases, primarily for public schools.
Route Fifty
By Liz Farmer
MAY 28, 2020