Burbio School Tracker 6/18:      Starting Line

1. In our May 28th Tracker we summarized the tens of billions of grants in Burbio's State Funding Source Tracker, which clients use to identify incremental opportunities for school district partners. One dynamic of the state grant market is that grants are announced publicly with deadlines that often come shortly thereafter. Even as districts are completing their budget processes for 2024-25, the state grant process for the upcoming year is starting - and ending in some cases - as grant deadlines come quickly. Below are just a few examples of what we are seeing: 

• In Indiana, applications for the Secured School Safety Grant Program are due on July 1st. Grants range in size from $35,000 to $100,000.
• In Massachusetts the Innovation Career Pathways Implementation Grant has an initial deadline of July 12th. Grants range from $50,000 to $75,000.
• In Tennessee, school districts are among public entities eligible for the Connected Community Facilities Program, which has a deadline of July 12th.
• New Mexico's  Outdoor Learning Start-Up Grant Program has a deadline of July 19th. 
• In Minnesota, K-12 libraries are eligible for the Federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Grant, which has a deadline of July 12th.
• Missouri's Pre-School Start-Up Grant, funded with  American Rescue Plan funds, has a deadline of June 30th.
• In Illinois the Advanced Placement Course Implementation Grant has a deadline of July 29th.  

2.  Burbio's Superintendent Turnover Tracker monitors changes in district leadership, documents status of searches, indicates where a district's new Superintendent came from, and if the former Superintendent has gone to a new district, identifies the destination. We have looked back at activity since the Fall of the 2023-24 academic year. The chart below shows - from five example states - the percent of districts with more than 3,000 students where a position has opened up during that period. The figures are in a similar range; note that in Florida some Superintendents are elected positions: 

3. In a recent Burbio School Tracker we reviewed 2024-25 budgets for the top 50 districts with the highest amount of ESSER III funding-per-student. This week we continue the review. While not present in every district, we note the following levers these "ESSER heavy" districts are using to sustain increased expenditures and/or preserve the classroom experience:

• Districts have remaining ESSER funds to be deployed in 2024-25
• State and local funding increases versus 2023-24
• Dipping into reserves to cover deficits
• Cuts to staffing - generally in the administrative area, but on occasion through school consolidations. 

Below are looks at district budgets from across five states:

• Dougherty County Schools, GA, has an FY 2025 budget with expenditures increasing 11.3% versus last year and 36.6% versus FY 2021 levels. 
• Laredo ISD, TX is seeing flat spending in FY 2025 versus FY 2024. General administrative costs are declining by over $4 million, or 31%, while spending on instruction is up 18%, or over $18 million. 
• In  last week's analysis we reviewed Hartford's impending 8% cut, and ensuing discussions with the state around additional funding. This past week came news of a state audit of district finances.  In other Connecticut districts on the list, Waterbury's expenditures are up 8% versus FY 24 and up 39% versus FY 23, while Bridgeport's budget is up 15.4% versus FY 24. Another Connecticut urban district that didn't make the list, New Haven, has proposed an 8% expenditure increase amidst news reports of a $12 million deficit. 
• Allentown School District, PA  submitted its budget to the state, and it currently shows a 3.4% decline in expenditures, from $452 million to $436 million.  
• Buffalo Public Schools, NY has a 5.7% increase in expenditures in their 2024-25 budget.