Don't Wait to Cut Budgets

As K-12 schools across the nation prepare for the ominous task of deciding whether to open schools next year or not, Education Week's authors in many articles have done a marvelous job of keeping readers abreast of the costs and other issues surrounding the coronavirus pandemic at private and public schools school districts. In the June 2 article, “How Districts, States Can Survive the COVID-19 Recession,” at https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/06/03/how-districts-states-can-survive-the-covid-19.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2&M=59587894&U=330454&UUID=1fc91306800af7876368b372d4a40268, I concur with Marguerite Roza who said districts should use the time before state legislatures cut their budgets combing through academic and spending data to see which programs are most effective, which should be kept, and which should be scrapped; coming up with budget-cutting scenarios; and negotiating potential layoff scenarios with teacher union leaders. Last-minute scrambling will lead to deeper, sometimes unnecessary cuts, contentious school board meetings, and sour feelings. I emphasize that a well-thought budget reduction plan will be key in times ahead. I also support Linda Darling-Hammond who said this recession may provide an opportunity to overhaul funding formulas and make districts less reliant on volatile sources of revenue. To assist you in the immediate task of cutting budgets and devising long-lasting solutions to improve taxation systems as well as adequate, equitable state funding formulas, check out my soon-to-be released text, Reducing School Expenses: Containing Insurance Costs, Funding Capital, and Tackling the Challenges at https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781475856699/Reducing-School-Expenses-Containing-Insurance-Costs-Funding-Capital-and-Tackling-the-Challenges. Good luck in your challenging endeavors.