Money Talks: School Finance 101

When you ask school administrators for smaller class sizes or more school counselors and after school programs, we  often hear a common refrain, “There’s no money for that.” So how much money is there exactly and what is it being spent on? We spoke with Dr. Marguerite Roza, Director of the Edunomics Lab to learn about the mystery of education finance. She offers practical guidance on how families can stay informed about their school district’s financial decisions and how they can advocate for the priorities they care most about. Resources: Discover how your school’s spending compares to others by searching in the Edunomics Lab's School Spending Data Hub. Curious about more best practices? Read Marguerite’s piece, “Equipping School Leaders to Spend Wisely”. Learn more about the Edunomics Lab's Certificate in Education Finance, offered through Georgetown University. The program helps build practical skills to understand, use and communicate about school finance. Follow Marguerite Roza and the Edunomics Lab on Twitter at @Marguerite Roza and @EdunomicsLab. Like this episode? Share your thoughts with us via social media @NationalPTA and by using #BackpackNotes. Be sure to visit NotesFromTheBackpack.com for more resources from this episode.