Burbio School Tracker 6/3: Key Administrator Turnover

1.  With continuing changes to Federal policies and funding uncertainty, this week we start by looking at school board mentions of a basket of key terminology related to Federal funding and Title Funds. Figures below represent the percent of districts that mentioned those terms at least once in the quarter, and the chart shows year-over-year comparisons. We began our tracking in Q3 2023 so that is our first comparison period (in blue). Note that mentions increased to 41.9% in Q1 2025 from 31% in Q1 2024:

While terms around Federal and Title funding have always been a part of board meeting discussions, even a cursory review of our data yields many discussions triggered by recent Federal actions which would explain the increase. Some examples:  

• A recent meeting of  Waynesboro Area School District, PA includes the following: "There has also been communication about possible cuts to Head Start . . . In Waynesboro, our programming is 100% through Pre-K Counts state grants, which is a separate program from Head Start . . . we have also secured $144,000.00 in grants  . . .  in addition to the $1.3 million Pre-K Counts grant that funds our program  . . ."
• At Buncombe County Schools, NC, the Superintendent updated the board on possible shifts in federal funding allocation, stating the "concern is that funding will be shifted to other departments (of the state) for disbursement and that funneling funds to each state may be delayed because the state is not ready for this . . ."
• Higley Unified School District, AZ, and Berea City School District, OH conducted discussions of certification requests they have been asked to sign by their respective states related to the recent Federal orders around DEI that threaten Federal funding. 
• The Assistant Superintendent for Finance for Lowell Public Schools, MA, reported on all employees funded through Federal grants. "By reviewing this information, we can assess the district's reliance on federal funds and consider potential budget implications  . . ."

2.  Burbio's foundational school district dataset spans millions of pages of documents, and we recently rolled out our AI-powered Signals Tracker to deliver contextual answers. One of the capabilities of the tool is to identify when new district administrative staff are appointed to positions. This can be used for any position, and clients use information to quickly identify leadership changes that impact their business. In the below examples, the names of the new staff are cited in the linked documents, but rather than focus on them we just indicate the position being filled:

• Burlington School School district, VT, recently appointed a new Curriculum Director for the 2025-26 school year.  
• Lancaster Central School District, NY, named a Director of Special Education. 
• Kern High School District, CA, has a new Director of Technology.
• Park City School District, UT, has named a new CTE Director, along with several new school principals.
• Splendora ISD, TX, has appointed a new district Science Coordinator. 
• Paradise Valley Unified School District, AZ, has named an Interim Director of Transportation. 

In addition to positions being filled, we pick up signals related to open positions and restructurings that may be relevant to suppliers:

• Rockingham County Public Schools, VA is making changes in light of the retirement of their long time assistant Superintendent as responsibilities are reshuffled. Specifically, the district is creating and hiring for the position of Executive Director of Elementary Education.
• The Director of Transportation for Robbinsdale Public School District, MN, is leaving the district and a new position is being posted.
• St Michael-Albertville Schools, MN is replacing the position of Instructional Support Coordinator with that of Math Coordinator. 

A typical supplier will focus on a subset of district positions related to their industry vertical, and the above examples are just a fraction of the types of searches that generate results. You can click here for a demo of this and other Signals capabilies.  
 
3.  Burbio's Signals Tracker also can draw contextual responses from our strategic plan and LCAP database. This week we asked our database, "Which districts are prioritizing mental health strategies in their strategic plans?"  Here are examples from plans issued in the last few months:

• Bellevue Public Schools, NE will "Expand school-based partnerships and services for the mental health needs of students," and outlines working with outside agencies, professional development programs, and expanding programs for military families. 
• Walker County Schools, AL lists under its "Goal 1" to "Continue to place mental health as a priority through collaboration with local and state agencies, special education, school counseling, and health services to address immediate student mental health needs . . ."
• Richmond Public Schools, VA lists out 5 "Big Bets" for a "Safe, Healthy and Loving School Culture" including anti-bullying programs, trauma-responsiveness training for staff, mental health services, and focus on students making transitions to 6th and 9th grade.
• In their most recent LCAP, Yuba City Unified, CA, budgets over $4.6 million for student engagement and support services across the district.