States Squeezed by Fiscal, Political Pressures on Funding
June 6, 2018
By: Daarel Burnette II
Source: Education Week
No matter how much they need, schools can only spend what they have—and that finite pot of money depends on broader economic and political factors largely beyond their control.
So when it comes to spreading nearly $648.6 billion in state, local, and federal education aid across the national landscape, there are bound to be big holes in the funding bucket, even in a generally resurgent economy.
And the pictures that emerge from disparate spending decisions by states and districts can be striking: students shivering in poorly heated classrooms or sweltering without air conditioning; viral posts of taped-up textbooks, outdated computers, and overcrowded classrooms…