Traditional functional budgets are useful for planning under predictable business environments. However, due to increased competition, changes in technology, consumer attitudes, and economic factors affecting supply chains, accountants must understand the characteristics of risk and uncertainty. Additionally, businesses now have access to…

Federal appropriations such as Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds allocated to public schools during the pandemic were intended as one-time spending to address added costs such as remote learning and tutoring. This brief offers reasons why concerns over an impending "fiscal cliff" for public school districts…

The Children's Budget 2022 provides a comprehensive analysis of the share of spending allocated to kids across more than 250 government programs in the federal budget. This report provides an overview of the full report, where analysis found that the share of spending domestically and internationally on children has increased in recent years. [For…

California's K-12 enrollment is projected to decline for the next two decades, driven by falling birth rates, reduced immigration, and out-of-state migration. With fewer students, districts receive fewer state dollars and may be forced to make tough decisions, including reductions to programs, staff, and/or schools. However, budget realignment…

In recent years a number of colleges and universities have explored alternative strategies for developing operating budgets. In part this exploration was driven by the desire for transparency among various constituent groups and the need to tie budgeting to campus strategic planning. With the advent of declining federal and state support, along…

During the 2018-2019 legislative and budget cycle, the California State Legislature and Administration established the Student Equity and Achievement (SEA) Program, which was created to consolidate funding allocated for three distinct, but interconnected, categorical programs: (1) the Basic Skills Initiative; (2) the Student Equity Program and (3)…

An estimated 1 million+ children could benefit from the child care and early education proposal recently released by U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) for inclusion in the federal budget reconciliation package. The new framework, which includes $72 billion in additional Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) funds,…

This brief explains why concerns over an impending "fiscal cliff" for public school districts as federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds near their expiration are misplaced. Due in part to federal pandemic aid, most state budgets are flush with cash, with record-high rainy-day funds, positioning them to absorb any…

Budgets do not only pay the costs of activities. They also reveal the ambitions and limitations of an organization. The opportunities presented in a budget are also bounded by the structural elements used by that institution: how costs and revenues are organized, how overhead is calculated and apportioned, and how assets and investments are…

Every child deserves a supportive, well-resourced learning environment where they can thrive. In Ohio, access to high-quality education too often depends on where a child lives, their race, or how much money their family has in the bank. The Fair School Funding Plan (FSFP) was designed to fix that decades-old, unconstitutional disparity. This…

The COVID-19 pandemic is creating a crisis in state and local budgets, potentially leaving many schools to face budgetary declines even as they've had to transform the way they serve their students, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Bruce Baker, Mark Weber, and Drew Atchison offer four recommendations for mitigating the looming fiscal…

The COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in an unprecedented level of uncertainty in all aspects of life as most states and communities operate under stay-at-home directives. There is little doubt that these directives will have economic implications that will affect school budgets for years to come. Identifying and understanding these effects and…

As part of the 2024 supplemental budget, the Washington State Legislature added a requirement that each local education agency (LEA) report to the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) by November 1, 2024, on the LEA's expenditures relating to the following items for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years: (1) To what extent the…

Students of color continue to experience disparities in enrollment, retention and completion of postsecondary education -- a reality that's been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of persistent and systemic inequities, policymakers are increasingly interested in exploring funding approaches that support greater access and attainment to…

The United States currently invests only 2 percent of the federal budget on education. The federal investment in education is crucial to ensure access to high quality education from pre-school to higher education, fill gaps where local and state funding is insufficient or where new priorities and needs arise, and help with the costs of federally…