How states spend public dollars on education matters. Education funding affects students, educators, communities, and the future workforce. States and school districts must try to balance quality, efficiency, and meeting varying student needs with the amount of funding they have available. 

Education funding is often viewed as both the problem and the solution to many of our current education challenges. Funding decisions influence whether schools can hire and keep qualified teachers, maintain safe buildings, and provide students with the books, technology, and support they need to succeed. 

In the coming months, the Strategic Funding and Finance Center (SFF) will share a series of Education Finance 101 blogs and Q&As on pressing education funding and finance topics. SFF also has an interactive map that illustrates education funding policies and practices across our 50 states.  

Why Is Education Funding Important?

SFF believes that the quality of education can have a substantial impact on communities, economies, and our future workforce. The combination of federal, state, and local education funding is the lifeblood of our educational system, from early childhood through high school.  

Understanding how our education finance system works helps people make sense of education debates and participate more meaningfully in decisions about education policy and spending. 

Who Is This Series For?

For those of you involved in the daily work of educating students, either through your work at the state or district level, as a classroom teacher, or as building administrator, you know how important education funding and finance is for daily operations. Through our Education Finance 101 series, we will give you information about:  

• How education is funded. 
• How funding decisions are made. 
• Ways other states and districts navigate similar challenges and what they learn along the way. 

Maybe you are less familiar with education funding – a taxpayer or homeowner who wants to understand how education is funded, or a business leader who wants explore how education funding can impacts your future workforce. Our series will provide you with a straightforward foundation for understanding where education dollars come from and how they are used so you can more fully participate in public discussions and decisions.  

What Do We Mean By “School” and “Funding”?

We’ll be discussing a variety of schooling and funding models. In this series, “school” means anywhere education happens. This includes traditional public schools, community schools, public charter schools, private schools, and home schooling.  When we talk about “funding,” we mean all the ways money supports education. This includes direct funding to the district, vouchers, or specialized savings accounts.  

Stay In Touch!

Although we have an idea of what education funding and finance information might be helpful, we would love to hear from you. If there are specific questions you need answered or topics you’d like to see discussed, please email us !