Date & Time: Tuesday, April 21, 2026油at 2 p.m. ET

School districts are entering a period of financial strain as pandemic relief funds expire; inflation pushes operating costs, and state revenues face growing uncertainty. At the same time, major cost drivers are tightening budgets further, including rising employee benefit expenses, legally mandated special education spending, and declining enrollment.

This leaves districts carrying fixed costs for facilities, transportation, and utilities with little funding left to invest in initiatives that improve student outcomes. As a result, K���12 leaders are increasingly asking: Are we deploying the limited resources we have in ways that drive the greatest impact for students?

In this webinar, K���12 budget consultants will share best practices for modern district budgeting that help leaders prepare for enrollment or funding changes, strengthen financial communication with school boards, make smarter staffing decisions, anticipate cost pressures, and avoid always reacting in crisis mode.

Key Takeaways

• Scenario Planning:油The right questions to model so districts stay proactive amid change
• Budget Storytelling:油How clearer financial communication builds board trust and supports critical investments
• Smart Personnel Budgeting:油Connecting position control, compensation, and benefits directly to the budget process
• Long-Range Financial Planning:油Multi-year forecasting strategies to anticipate cost pressures before they hit

京或鰻雨皆:油Live attendees will participate in a ThoughtExchange workshop to share and rank peer best practices, generating a real-time report with common ground, top themes, and a SWOT analysis.

Speakers

Ardan Hennessy, Principal Consultant, Euna Solutions

Moderator: Steven Blackburn, Content Marketing Manager, District 91心頭istration

Sponsored by

The post Budgeting Through the Squeeze: Modern Financial Strategies to Fund What Drives Student Outcomes appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

Once seen as a potential great equalizer in K12 education, school choice funds continue to support a substantial number of more affluent and white students already enrolled in a private school, according to , a Georgetown University think tank.

Among the biggest beneficiaries may be middle-income families, whose earnings are well above the poverty line but have strained to cover private school tuition without an infusion of public funds.

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“Analysis of universal private school choice programs in 2024-25 points to the substantial tension between advocates��� goal of expanding families��� private options and the nation���s history of spending public monies primarily on public schools, school reformers��� commitment in recent decades to improving educational opportunities for the nation���s neediest students, and demands for accountability in public spending,” the report’s author, Bella DiMarco, writes.

School choice trends

When Indiana raised its school choice income cap from 300% to 400% of free and reduced price lunch, participation among families earning above $200,000 soared by more than tenfold. Now, those families account for nearly 8% of voucher recipients, FutureEd’s report found.

In North Carolina, the wealthiest families are overrepresented in school choice programs. Those earning above $250,000 account for about 7% of the state’s population but 14% of school choice participants.

The same trend is present in Oklahoma, where only 5% of families earn above $250,000. These same households accounted for a quarter of the students receiving public tuition assistance.

Racial disparities in choice programs

Racial disparities found in FutureEd’s initial report have grown in some states. When Ohio made its EdChoice program universal, the share of white students rose from 66% to 82%, an increase that held steady last year.

In North Carolina, universal eligibility saw the number of white participants grow from 63% to 73%, while the share of Black students dropped from 19% to 11%.

Florida’s program is serving a more diverse group of students, even though more white families have enrolled since choice became universal in the Sunshine State. Last school year, 42% of choice participants were white, 36% were Hispanic and 19% were Black, and those levels are similar to the overall state population, FutureEd explained.

Income considerations

Some states are trying to limit the number of wealthy families who enroll in choice programs. Utah gives preferences based on need and Ohio and Oklahoma distribute higher amounts to families with lower incomes.

The report also noted that many high-priced private schools are not participating in school choice programs, “either to avoid oversight or because public dollars don���t come close to covering their tuition.”

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Before examining the larger national trends around school closures, let’s quickly recap these aborted attempts to shut down schools. In early October, then-San Francisco Unified School District Superintendent Matt Wayne revealed plans to close or merge due to declining enrollment.

A few weeks later, San Francisco USD’s school board , shelved the school closure plan and named a new superintendent, Maria Su.

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The board halted all closures for the 2025-26 school year but added that closing buildings must be considered if the district continues to lose students in the future.

This spring, under-enrollment had Seattle Public Schools considering consolidating its 70 elementary schools into 50 during the 2025-26 school year. Calling their plan a “,” leaders listed goals such as multiple teachers per grade, stable budgets, extensive social-emotional learning support and space for preschool.

Just before Thanksgiving, Superintendent Brent Jones and the Seattle school board halted the plan. “While the $5.5 million in potential savings under the plan is not insignificant, it would not solely resolve SPS���s $94 million budget shortfall and has been a source of community division,” the district said in .

School closures: The bigger picture

Though many other districts moved forward with school closures this year, the number of buildings shut down has declined substantially over the last decade.

More than 1,700 public schools closed in 2010-11 compared to only 755 in 2020-21, the most recent year for which the National Center for Education Statistics .

The post Shutting down schools is controversial. But is it common? appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

Unfortunately, most districts won’t have anywhere to turn to fill in the gaps that ESSER helped fill, says Marguerite Roza, director of Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab. The cold hard truth is that leaders are now facing tighter budgets moving forward.

“In the absence of new funds, we suggest leaders re-examine long-running spending patterns with fresh eyes to decide whether those investments are delivering real value for students,” she suggests.

For instance, if math and reading scores have fallen year after year, it might be time to re-evaluate油investments in smaller class sizes or support staff. Instead, look into more targeted investments for those students who need them, or purchase higher-quality reading and math curricula.

Cathy Cruzan, president of , believes districts have made financial plans to cope with the end of ESSER.

“I think districts are prepared,” says Cruzan. “It doesn’t mean it’s going to make it any easier, but the districts have been planning for this. They knew this cliff was coming.”

How E-Rate can help

Technology upgrades have become a major priority in many districts since the pandemic. For instance, ESSER funding fueled large investments in vendor contracts, which include tech-related purchases. In fact, some 20-30% of ESSER spending was used for curriculum, supplies, one-time projects and tech upgrades, from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab suggests.

Internet connectivity and access to materials were also a priority for school leaders. Thankfully, Cruzan says, administrators can now use E-Rate for such purchases, which is one of the few funding sources leaders will be able to leverage post-ESSER. In July, the Federal Communications Commission that will allow students to obtain Wi-Fi hotspots through their schools, giving them internet access at home.

Cruzan says E-Rate will become a necessity for many districts going forward.

“I think they [technology directors] have to look at these other sources of funding, E-Rate in particular, because of its reliability and the potential there with some of these new programs for, let’s hope, some efforts to expand it a little bit,” she says. “E-Rate may be that critical band-aid for a lot of the technology budgets going forward.”

The FCC is also launching the , which will provide up to $200 million to selected participants over three years to purchase cybersecurity services and equipment.

“Smaller school districts probably don’t have dedicated staff for managing cybersecurity and that’s a challenge we’re seeing, and schools are a target,” says Cruzan. “They have a lot of data that criminals want.”

While this is a pilot program, she encourages leaders to apply for it as the FCC is looking for a diverse set of applicants. Applicants close on Nov. 1.

Above all, Cruzan says schools should seriously look into applying for E-rate funding as many of them have yet to utilize its Category Two services. This includes the infrastructure that supports purchases for things like network equipment and other resources necessary to maintain online instruction in and outside the classroom.

The post How E-Rate can fill ESSER’s gaps for technology services appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

Enrollment in all 50 states and the District of Columbia hit 49.5 million students in the fall of 2023, according to from the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s a slight 0.2% decrease from the fall of 2022 and a larger 2.5% decline from just before the COVID pandemic in 2019.

A deeper dive into the numbers shows some substantial variance between grade levels. PreK-8 enrollment dropped 4.5% to 33.9 million students from fall 2019 to fall 2023.

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High school enrollment, on the other hand, grew about 2% to 15.6 million over the same period.

State-by-state public school enrollment

Enrollment also varied substantially between states, with declines seen in states in different regions and on both coasts. Public school enrollment fell by more than 4% in 18 states from fall 2019 to fall 2023, with the largest slides (more than 5%) occurring in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and West Virginia.

Enrollment dipped by more than 1% in Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Fall 2023 enrollment also remained below pre-pandemic levels in outlying areas:

• Puerto Rico: Fall 2023 public school enrollment was about 241,000, an 18% decline.
• Department of Defense Education Activity schools: 7% decline
• U.S. Virgin Islands: 6% decline.
• Bureau of Indian Education schools: 4% decline

Enrollment grew the most���over 2%���in Washington, D.C. and North Dakota.

The data also noted the race/ethnicity of students in fall 2023:

• American Indian/Alaska Native: 0.9%
• Asian: 5.6%
• Black: 14.9%
• Hispanic: 29.5%
• Pacific Islander: 0.4%
• White: 43.7%
• Two or more races: 5.1%

The post Public school enrollment: Are there warning signs in the latest numbers? appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

Take the example of one district I worked with. A close review of schedules revealed vastly different schedules in each of the 10 elementary schools, resulting in some students receiving 60 minutes of literacy daily and others nearly double. Further, specials staff were assigned to schools on a one-per-school basis despite significant differences in school sizes, leading to wildly different���not to mention unfair���workloads and student opportunities.

Creating more strategic schedules addressed both issues. First, school and district leaders collaborated to create a common set of district-wide scheduling guidelines outlining the required daily minutes by subject. This ensured equitable experiences and time on learning across schools, giving leaders a lens through which to assess schedules, and ultimately contributing to raising student proficiency rates in ELA by 14%.

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Second, schools began to share specials staff to more accurately reflect actual student enrollment, which allowed the district to realize $350,000 in savings via natural attrition.

So, what is a superintendent���s role in strategic scheduling? Superintendents should be involved in select, high-leverage steps of the scheduling process; in other words, present, but not constantly involved. To that end, here are three things every superintendent can do to help their teams create better schedules���and a few things they can ignore.

1. Schedules should come before budgets and staffing���not after

Schedules are not built in a vacuum: they are greatly influenced by staffing and budgeting decisions and affect these decisions in return. While scheduling typically happens last among these three processes, best practices suggest the opposite:

• Instructional and curricular priorities drive your schedule design, including how many minutes per subject (elementary) or periods (secondary) are assigned, how student voice and choice is incorporated, and how intervention is included
• School schedule design drives overall staffing counts, workloads, and grade-level or course assignments
• Staffing decisions then inform and guide overall budget allocations

This approach helps districts staff appropriately to need and helps schools create schedules driven more by student enrollment and choice than past practice or preference. Superintendents have an important role in helping set a clear timeline for scheduling, staffing, and budgeting and supporting school and district leaders to manage the processes well.

2. Scheduling, done well, is a collaboration between schools and central office

Many superintendents see scheduling as a school-based responsibility, especially if school leader autonomy is highly valued.

My experience suggests, however, that central office leaders tend to overestimate how technically skilled school-based schedulers are, especially at the elementary and middle school levels, and underestimate the amount of support schools need to create great schedules that are staffed precisely. This is especially true when schools implement changes to schedules instead of ���rolling over��� the prior year���s schedule.

The best way to approach scheduling is as a partnership between school-based staff and central office. Here���s how superintendents can help make that happen:

• Establish a cross-functional scheduling team (or three): Every district should have at least one scheduling team responsible for creating a set of district-wide scheduling guidelines, a protocol for how scheduling decisions are made, and a timeline for when schedules should be drafted, reviewed and finalized. This team should include principals, school-based schedulers and district academic staff. While it may not be necessary for the superintendent to be part of this team, the assistant superintendent of teaching and learning should be involved. Very large districts should consider creating three scheduling teams: elementary, middle, and high.
• Communicate a clear set of ���must-have��� scheduling priorities: At its core, scheduling is a complex series of tradeoffs, but it is impossible for any district or school to ���see��� all the tradeoffs at the start of the process. Providing clarity on ���must-have��� priorities and what to schedule inevitably makes it easier for teams to navigate tradeoffs during the scheduling process.
• Dispel myths and misunderstandings: Schedules are sometimes driven by ���myths��� about what is required or possible. In one district I worked with, one principal swore that PE was required for 50 minutes daily, while another thought it was 50 minutes weekly. The actual state requirement was 150 minutes per week. Superintendents should help dispel myths by pushing central office leaders to share clear guidance with school teams about state- or district-level time on learning requirements and, if relevant, collective bargaining requirements.

3. Know class size targets���and how closely schools are staffed to them

Staffing accounts for 80%-90% of most school budgets. School schedules determine how virtually all school staff use their time. Designing a great school schedule, then, is an incredibly high-value exercise.

One of the best ways for superintendents to add value in the scheduling process is to help decide���and ensure fidelity to���class size minimums, targets and maximums. Any changes to or misalignment of actual staffing assignments to class size targets have enormous implications on budgets and opportunities for students.

For example, in a 5,000-student district, misalignment between class sizes and targets of just two students on average might result in a de facto investment of as much as $1 million in smaller class sizes. Viewed another way, the district under-scheduled by approximately 50 sections, all of which could have been more enrichment or intervention classes for students.

Superintendents should ask the following questions of their teams:

• What are current class size minimums, targets, and maximums, and what is the rationale for them?
• How closely (to the decimal place!) is each school staffed to these targets?
• Where, if at all, are class sizes intentionally lower than targets, and what is the rationale for doing so?

Asking these questions can be the difference between well-staffed schedules and exceptionally staffed schedules that truly maximize opportunities for students. Many districts already carefully manage these figures closely at the elementary level, but struggle to do so at the secondary level.

What superintendents can ignore about schedules

At the end of the day, superintendents should only be involved in scheduling at the strategic level and avoid becoming involved in any granular staffing decisions, such as which teacher is teaching which courses at which times. Individual student schedules should also be left to school teams.

Applying the practices outlined above will help any superintendent approach scheduling more strategically and grow opportunities and outcomes for students.

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The first tranche, ESSER I, was part of the CARES Act passed in March 2020. It aimed to tackle immediate needs such as transitioning to remote learning, acquiring technology for students and implementing health and safety protocols. ESSER II followed under the CRRSA Act in December 2020, allowing districts to expand on initial efforts and address ongoing challenges like learning loss and mental health support. The final and most substantial tranche, ESSER III, came with the American Rescue Plan in March 2021, focusing on safe school reopening and addressing the academic, social and emotional impacts on students.

These funds enabled districts to expand programming, invest in critical resources, and provide budget relief by covering salaries for essential staff positions that would have otherwise strained traditional budgets. Schools hired additional teachers, counselors and support staff, and they implemented new programs to meet students’ diverse needs during the pandemic. The infusion of ESSER funds allowed for innovative solutions and partnerships that enriched educational experiences and addressed disparities exacerbated by the crisis.

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However, in the post-ESSER era, districts face the pressing challenge of sustaining these advancements. The temporary financial support that once eased budget constraints is diminishing, compelling education leaders to strategize on maintaining programs and staff without compromising the quality of education. The question looms: How can districts navigate this financial transition without losing the momentum gained during these unprecedented times?

Sustaining key initiatives

This is where a seemingly unrelated concept from the world of physics offers an intriguing parallel. Boyle’s Law, a fundamental principle in thermodynamics, states that for a fixed amount of gas at a constant temperature, the pressure and volume are inversely proportional. In simpler terms, if you decrease the volume of a gas, its pressure increases, provided the temperature remains unchanged.

Imagine a deep-sea diver descending into the ocean’s depths. As the diver goes deeper, the water pressure increases, compressing the air in their equipment. They must adjust to the changing pressure to avoid physical harm.

Similarly, consider a pot of water boiling with a tight lid. As heat increases, steam builds up, increasing pressure inside the pot. Without an outlet for the steam, the pressure continues to rise until it forces the lid off or worse, causes the pot to burst. These examples illustrate how changes in volume and pressure can have significant, sometimes dangerous effects if not managed properly.

In the context of education, Boyle’s Law serves as a metaphor for the pressures districts will experience as ESSER funding diminishes. The “volume” of financial resources is decreasing but the “pressure” to maintain programs, partnerships and supplemental efforts remains high or even increases. Just as in a closed system where pressure builds when volume decreases, schools may find themselves in a situation where reduced funding leads to heightened stress on resources and personnel.

Consider the numerous programs initiated with ESSER funds: Expanded mental health services, technology upgrades, learning loss interventions and community partnerships. As the funding contracts, districts must grapple with sustaining these initiatives.

For example, a district that used ESSER funds to provide one-on-one tutoring for students may struggle to continue offering this support without additional resources. The pressure mounts to find alternative funding or to make tough decisions about scaling back services that have become integral to student success.

Another real-world example is the employment of additional staff to reduce class sizes and provide personalized instruction. With budget constraints tightening, districts may face the difficult choice of letting go of valuable educators, thereby increasing class sizes and potentially impacting the quality of education. The pressure to do more with less can lead to staff burnout, reduced morale and ultimately, a decline in student outcomes.

Diversifying funding streams post-ESSER

So, how can education leaders prevent the pot from boiling over or worse, exploding post-ESSER? The key lies in strategic planning and proactive measures to manage the impending pressure effectively. First and foremost, superintendents should thoroughly assess all programs and initiatives funded by ESSER. By identifying which programs have the most significant impact on student achievement and well-being, districts can prioritize resources and make informed decisions about where to focus their efforts.

Furthermore, exploring alternative funding sources is crucial. This might involve applying for grants, forming partnerships with local businesses and community organizations or advocating for additional state and federal support. By diversifying funding streams, districts can alleviate some of the financial pressure and continue supporting essential programs.

Engaging stakeholders is another vital strategy. Involving teachers, parents, students and community members in discussions about budget priorities fosters transparency and collective problem-solving. This collaborative approach can lead to innovative solutions and a shared commitment to maintaining quality education despite financial challenges.

Additionally, districts should invest in professional development that empowers staff to work efficiently and effectively. By equipping educators with the skills and tools they need to adapt to changing circumstances, schools can maximize existing resources. Encouraging cross-training and flexibility can help staff take on multiple roles, ensuring that critical needs are met even as budgets tighten.

Lastly, it’s essential to monitor and evaluate the impact of all initiatives continually. Data-driven decision-making allows districts to adjust strategies in real time, focusing on approaches that yield the best results for students. By being agile and responsive, education leaders can navigate the pressures of reduced funding without sacrificing educational quality.

While post-ESSER transition presents significant challenges, it also offers an opportunity for districts to reassess priorities and innovate. By understanding and applying the principles of Boyle’s Law, education leaders can anticipate the pressures ahead and implement strategies to manage them effectively.

Through careful planning, community engagement and a commitment to adaptability, we can ensure that our schools continue to provide the high-quality education that every student deserves. The key is not to eliminate the pressure but to control it���much like a pressure cooker that, when managed correctly, produces something better than the sum of its parts.

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A new analysis details the big topics that school boards focused on in fall 2024, compared to fall 2023. Leading the discussions are two concepts at opposite ends of the K12 spectrum, signaling that K12 leaders are focused on giving students a strong start and preparing them for success after graduation, according to the school data tracking firm .

The company analyzed meeting minutes of over 2,000 school boards that serve more than 60% of the K12 population. Career and technical education (CTE) and pre-K landed at the top of the list of terms mentioned at least once each fall���and both got more attention in 2024.

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For example, CTE was mentioned in 30.6% of the meetings this fall compared to 28.3% during the same period last year. Early childhood/pre-K increased to 31.2% from 27.7%.

Here’s the rest of Burbio’s list, ranked by rate of increase in appearance:

1. Mental health
2. Equity
3. HVAC
4. Tutoring
5. English language learners
6. SEL
7. Newcomers/migrants
8. Chronic absenteeism

Artificial intelligence is perhaps the biggest buzzword not on this list. Earlier this year, Burbio found the phrase “artificial intelligence” in the minutes of more than 20% of board meetings. ���AI policy,��� on the other hand, appeared in around 2% of the meetings.

That aligns油with recent油District 91心頭istration油reporting that has found educators are eager to adopt AI but油want more guidance and training.

More coverage of school boards

Check out油District 91心頭istration‘s recent coverage of hot board topics:

School boards are now spending more time on these 5 topics油

Four keywords keep coming up in the biggest districts油

4 superintendents share keys to working effectively with their boards油

The post School boards: These topics were more in focus in 2024 appeared first on District 91心頭istration.

Addressing this discrepancy is key to easing the teacher shortages many K12 leaders now confront. ���Teachers who received larger pay increases said they were less likely to intend to leave the profession,��� asserts Elizabeth D. Steiner, the lead author of

Two-thirds of teachers are trying to close the salary increase gap by taking on extra school responsibilities, such as coaching a sport or serving as a department chair. But those earnings are small, around 4% of teachers’ base pay, the survey found.

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Also, about 25% of teachers surveyed said they weren’t paid for additional work, with Black teachers more likely to lodge this complaint about teacher pay, the survey noted.

Teachers’ benefits packages make up a larger share of their compensation packages compared to similar professionals. However, other working adults are more likely to receive benefits such as paid personal time off, paid parental leave and tuition reimbursement. For instance, only one-third of teachers said they are offered paid parental leave, compared to about half of similar professionals.

That may be one reason teachers are less satisfied with their benefits packages than their workforce peers. Less than half of teachers who have paid parental leave find the benefit adequate compared to nearly 80% of similar working adults. Closing this gap could also help K12 leaders retain more teachers, the report contends.

���Offering a broader set of benefits and improving the quality of those benefits could improve teachers��� perceptions of their pay and improve retention,��� says Steiner. ���We found teachers who had better perceptions of their benefits also had better perceptions of their pay.���

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It���s estimated that our students lost, on average, half a grade level in math and a third of a grade level in reading during the pandemic. Federal Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief put much-needed funds into the hands of schools and districts to help their students catch up. By providing the flexibility to tailor interventions and try out-of-the-box approaches, ESSER funds worked well, with students closing about a third of the gap in math and a quarter of the gap in reading by 2023.

But will this success continue? As of Sept. 30, all ESSER funds not already allocated must be returned. ESSER funds paid for a range of effective programs, innovative approaches and critical labor costs. Now that these funds are gone, there are gaps to fill. Moving forward, state education departments, districts and schools will have to get creative and take new approaches to identifying needs and distributing funds.

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At , we helped state education departments distribute more than $100 million in ESSER funds. Partnering with hundreds of districts across the country, and being used by teachers in nearly 90% of public schools, gave us a unique view of the program and its impact.

Here are some lessons from ESSER that can help states, districts and schools get the most out of their existing dollars and build partnerships that can help expand their funds going forward.

Flexible, classroom-by-classroom interventions

More than just raw dollars, ESSER funds were a flexible tool that schools could use to target the specific needs of their students. ESSER allowed schools and districts to be responsive to the on-the-ground information they were getting from school sites and teachers and to address their students��� specific needs.

The funds could be used for everything from targeted tutoring, expanded instructional time and purchasing educational technology to mental health support, meeting the needs of students from low-income communities and much more.

As states and districts look to fill the hole left by ESSER, maintaining that flexibility is key. Rather than forcing all funding recipients to focus on one specific approach, we must allow the needs of students to dictate what is supported. That means assessing needs at a school-by-school or classroom-by-classroom level and tailoring spending to support targeted interventions and out-of-the-box approaches that make the biggest possible impact on learning loss for the targeted students.

Teacher perspectives and ideas

Teachers have a direct view of student needs, enabling them to speak directly to what their specific students need to succeed, whether that���s classroom supplies, grade-appropriate reading materials, classroom technology or even snacks and other basic needs to help them focus on their studies.

This direct knowledge allows teachers to tailor innovative approaches for their students. For example, showed that teacher-led professional development positively impacts students��� final exam scores. Enabling teachers to identify and uplift the needs of their students���and supporting those needs once identified���can have a major impact.

This ground-level perspective on student learning can be hard to gain at the state or district office, particularly in larger districts, so it���s vital to open up more direct channels where teachers can uplift their needs and ideas. Embracing teacher-led project planning doesn���t just benefit students, either.

At a time when there are 55,000 unfilled teaching positions across the country and teachers are leaving the profession at increasing rates, teacher retention is crucial. But when teachers are listened to and can choose resources tailored to their students, they are more likely to stay in the profession.

Partnering for student success

Addressing learning loss in a post-ESSER world requires states, districts and schools to expand how they raise funds and get those dollars into classrooms. But they don���t have to do it alone. In every community, local families, businesses, and funders want to support programs that improve the lives and futures of children and students.

But to do that, they need to be engaged. We help hundreds of districts across the country expand their philanthropic engagement, and we���ve seen how telling the stories of student needs and innovative programs also highlight ways to give and build successful partnerships.

Private sector funders and partners can often move nimbly and tap into their existing tools to help quickly target and support individual schools and classrooms. For example, the Credit Union of Colorado Foundation is funding financial literacy resources requested by teachers across 12 Colorado counties this fall. Since 2021, 3M, which is headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, has funded $800,000 in STEM resources for teachers in St. Paul, North St. Paul and Maplewood who directly outlined what their students need to learn.

Our children’s futures, our economy and our nation depend on closing the COVID learning loss gap. While we���ve made progress, much work must still be done to ensure our kids are best positioned to succeed. Filling the breach that ESSER has left requires all of us���states, districts, schools, families, funders, and the private sector���to work together to support flexible approaches that put students��� needs first.

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