1. Burbio maintains a district checkbook register database covering districts with over 20 million students. Given the expiration of ESSER and shifting Federal spending dynamics of the last year we thought it would be interesting to examine district spending patterns. Below we present two charts showing the percentage of districts in our coverage area making at least one payment during the quarter to selected vendors in a category. For this analysis we made sure that the same districts were represented across the period to ensure an apples-to-apples comparison.
For the first chart we pick a variety of vendors for each of the indicated categories:
There is going to be some seasonality for vendor payments, so the most interesting comparison is the quarter ending 6/30/25 to 6/30/24 from the chart above. For the energy services (HVAC and energy) and digital student safety category above we picked the 11 largest providers in our database; for the staffing category it was the top 20. For AI tools we used ChatGPT, Magic School, Brisk and SchoolAI.
Below we do the same analysis with select individual suppliers in the instructional materials category. Note again the June-to-June comparison periods:
2. Burbio generates tens of thousands of weekly AI-powered Signals on district-level activity, using prompts tailored to each client’s objectives. These insights can be highly tactical, highlighting emerging needs, upcoming purchase decisions, or district goals. Each summary includes links to the source document, can be delivered to clients based on an individual sales territory or marketing filter, and is drawn from the district's own words in the form of their board reporting.
The same approach can also surface critical issues that would inform supplier messaging. For one example this week we analyze reports from thousands of districts over the past nine months, using our Signals Tracker to identify the top five implementation concerns regarding MTSS. Here’s what we found:
Ensuring Fidelity, Consistency, and Standardization Across Sites: A major implementation concern for many districts is the lack of uniformity and rigor in MTSS practices from school to school. Districts frequently report challenges in achieving fidelity in MTSS practices and actively work to standardize and implement MTSS with fidelity district-wide.
Addressing Gaps in Staff Capacity, Training, and Role Clarity: Districts consistently struggle with providing adequate training, clarifying roles, and hiring specialized personnel needed to sustain MTSS efforts effectively.
Managing Data, Assessment, and Monitoring Systems: The core of MTSS relies on data-driven decision-making, which presents a significant technical and procedural implementation hurdle for many districts.
Strengthening Tier 1/Core Instruction to Reduce Intervention Needs: A primary goal of MTSS implementation is ensuring robust Tier 1 instruction (universal support) to reduce the workload and need for intensive services at higher tiers.
Managing Resource Strain and Staffing Shortages for Tier 2/3 Support: The implementation of comprehensive MTSS frameworks, especially at Tiers 2 and 3, creates a significant demand for resources, often leading to concerns about insufficient staffing and necessary funding.
Further prompting to the MTSS Signals summarized above can distinguish differences by district size, state, enrollment, or other variables. The summary approach can be used for any industry vertical, from HVAC to Security to Mental Health to Chronic Absenteeism to Professional Development and more.
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3. Burbio has added RFPs to our PreK-12 Intelligence Hub, and that includes state-level RFPs. Here are some examples from this week:
New Mexico has issued an RFP to "design and implement tutoring programs in literacy, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) for at-risk students statewide."
South Carolina has issued an RFP for an instructional material textbook management system.
Virginia is soliciting bids for a childcare licensing system.
Colorado is seeking a "vendor to provide educator reading training for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), dyslexia, and multilingual learners."
West Virginia is seeking a finance and HR ERP solution.
4. Early November is a big period for school bond votes, and Burbio's Bond Tracker provides a summary of district, bond amount and details, vote status, and bond summary.
One trend we want to highlight is districts breaking out votes on athletic facilities separately from other school projects. Here are examples from Texas, where state law requires districts to break out bond propositions for non-traditional facilities into separate questions:
Voters in Lamar ISD, TX voted on a $1.9 billion school facilities bond, plus three other bonds totaling just under $100 million covering a one-to-one device initiative, a district-wide technology refresh, and stadium upgrades. Three of the four bonds passed, with only the stadium bond failing.
Richardson ISD, TX, voted on three separate bonds totaling $1.4 billion. All three bonds passed, as the Construction and Instructional Materials bond (64%) and the Technology Devices bond (65%) outpolled the Stadium Upgrades Bond (53%).
North East ISD, TX, voted on five bonds totaling $495 million. The three largest bonds, for infrastructure, technology, and some athletics renovations, all passed. Two smaller bonds for small athletic upgrades failed.
Here are some examples of districts that put bonds up for a second time:
Buckeye Union High School District, AZ, failed to pass a $163 million bond, which included a new school. Last year a smaller bond also failed.
In Alamosa School District, CO, a $30 million bond for a variety of school improvements failed. A $28 million bond failed a year ago.
Aplington-Parkersburg Community School District, IA, passed a $16.3 million bond, predominantly directed to HVAC upgrades. It represented a slightly trimmed-down version of a bond that failed last year.
Fruitport Community Schools, MI, passed a $78.5 million bond which includes a new elementary school. An $82 million bond narrowly failed in May. The district eliminated a new soccer complex in the bond for this month's successful vote.