Prepare to engage in the budget process by familiarizing yourself with the data available and speaking with your school board officials.

The idea behind student based budgeting (SBB) is for school dollars to be dispersed on a per-pupil basis and to follow individual students into schools where the principals determine how the money is best spent.

The latest round of cuts proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire would increase public-school class sizes, eliminate subsidized health care for the working poor and release hundreds of inmates early.

Rein in the state budget to cover K-12 reform, the governor says.

School spending is now 58 percent of the Iowa state budget and both Gov. Terry Branstad and top education officials say they'll push to increase that amount.

Education officials allege that Gov. Brown and lawmakers illegally shortchanged them by $2 billion. And disability rights groups plan to sue to block $100 million in service cuts. The suits add to the headaches facing the Capitol.

Weighted student formula changes that. Using weighted student formula’s decentralized system, education funds are attached to each student and the students can take that money directly to the public school of their choice. Reason Foundation’s Weighted Student Formula Yearbook examines how the budgeting system is being implemented in different districts and, based on the real-world data, creates a series of “best practices” that states can follow to improve the quality of their schools.

Close failing schools, open charter schools and replicate great schools.

Schools should receive revenue in the same way that the district receives revenue, on a per-pupil basis reflecting the enrollment at a school and the individual characteristics of students at each school.

Does Illinois need 869 school districts?  Governor Pat Quinn doesn't think so, and, like many governors, he is moving to consolidate the states' school districts as a way of trimming education costs.  This is the fourth installment in our Back to School series on education and state budgets.

A lawmaker-requested study released Wednesday by University of Denver researchers says Colorado's long-term budget outlook is worse than first thought.

Lawsuits challenging the methods of public school funding have been brought in 45 of the 50 states, but those cases have been both lengthy and expensive. This is the third in our week-long Back to School series on education funding and its impact on state budgets and students.

A collection of articles published on SBS the week of Aug. 29 as part of our Back to School series examining education funding and its impact, both on state budgets and students.

Virtual schools have their detractors, but the powerful attractions of increased academic choice and lower educational costs are likely to draw more and more government officials and school district administrators toward online learning.  This is the second in our week-long Back to School series on education.

As students across the nation sharpen their pencils and pack their backpacks for upcoming school year, many teachers and administrators are preparing for the academic year to be shortened as a result of the widespread state budget shortfall crisis.  This is the first in a week-long series of articles on K-12 education.

Los Angeles Unified's superintendent says he is 'gravely worried' about midyear cuts in state funding and plans to talk with the teachers union about further shortening the school year.

The budget that Perry presided over reduces education spending across the board, from pre-K through higher education.

The governor's office has maintained that since regional superintendents are elected locally, they also should be funded locally.

Minnesota's $700 million shift means millions more in borrowing for districts already on the edge.

Gov. Mitch Daniels Numerous signed legislation that implemented his wide-ranging reform agenda, including expanding the school options available to Indiana families through vouchers and charter school opportunities and increasing accountability for both schools and teachers.

Movement toward school choice is a good thing; school choice helps out struggling state budgets as well as struggling student test scores.

The waves of technological advancement continue to make education technology cheaper and and more efficient, making cyber-learning a worthwhile investment.

So the education funding bill in Minnesota is now law. It's both good and bad, as you might expect.

Reading the tea leaves of I-728, 732, I-884 and I-1098, it appears the voters supported the policies of I-728 and I-732 when they were "free" and wouldn't hurt the budget or require tax increases but were against them when asked to raise taxes to pay for them.

Spending increased for many states across the country while revenues fell for at least two years in a row, putting state agencies, workers, and legislators in a tight spot with this year's budget. But with adversity comes opportunity.

The Federal Education Jobs Fund that gives the states $10 billion for K-12 education to crate or save 160,000 teacher jobs is a hoax.  Many of the teachers it was intended to save have already been rehired.  Any state accepting the funds must be aware of the "maintenance of effort" (MOE) requirements if they accept the federal funds, including the insbility to lower education funds.