As a school board director, I've weathered more than my fair share of budget seasons. But I'll be upfront - this year's process is shaping up to be truly unprecedented.
The angry parents, frustrated teachers, confused students, and exasperated administrators on display at our recent meetings? That's the product of a perfect budgetary storm that's been brewing for years now. Perhaps understandably, most stakeholders were caught off guard by the severity of the situation.
The reality is, budgeting for schools is never just about a single "season." It's an ongoing cycle of planning, projecting, revising, and adapting to factors beyond our control. This particular confluence of headwinds, however, is testing us in new ways.
The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated steep enrollment declines while forcing emergency spending on safety measures and educational technology. Now, those vital federal relief dollars are running dry, leaving sizable gaps in our operating budgets.
If that wasn't enough, we're also contending with runaway inflation straining resources for everything from transportation, insurance, to classroom supplies.
The analysis from the74million.org lays out with stark clarity the unpalatable choices we may have to weigh - staff layoffs, program cuts, tax increases, dipping into reserves. Any path forward carries the risk of long-term impacts on the quality of education we can provide.
As board members, perhaps our greatest failing has been not looping in stakeholders sooner to this rapidly evolving situation. In our defense, we've been immersed in the numbers and projections at every meeting while families and educators were rightfully laser-focused on persevering through the pandemic and re-entry itself.
But that's no excuse moving forward. We need to be briefing stakeholders early and often, leveling with them about the challenges to come. These decisions will reverberate for years - we need everyone weighing in from an informed perspective.
Leaders like Edunomics Lab at Georgetown University have been sounding the alarm about this looming fiscal cliff for districts nationwide. If you haven't already, I'd encourage every person to explore their insights. Public education has never been a solitary endeavor. We're all in the same boat, and we'll need to be rowing together through this squall.
It's fair to say that nobody who decided to work or support public education expected to reduce teaching staff, shutter vital programs, or triage priorities like replacing boilers versus fixing leaky roofs.
As we forge through this year's budgeting, my charge to fellow board members is this: Raise community awareness early and often, call for all stakeholders to get educated on the challenges we're facing. My charge to fellow parents and community members is this: seek information and engage in conversations. Join a committee - speak to a board member, set a meeting with your building principal.
Stay engaged, stay informed.
