Education Writers Association
April 2003
No subject is more wrapped in mystery than your average school district's budget. This brief introduction to the legal history and issues surrounding school finances serves as an excellent initiation into those mysteries. The report starts out with an overview of the terminology and basic knowledge necessary to even begin the process of slogging through budgets, as well as an overview of important cases and the current school financing battles. But the bulk of the report is devoted to an in-depth, case-by-case examination of some of the most radical, controversial, and arguably beneficial movements in education spending. Complete with a list of topics to address in one's own district, this report is a valuable resource for everyone interested in school finance whether or not they are, as the title implies, reporters. The guide is free on the web for EWA members; everyone else can order it for $12 at https://www.ewa.org/cgi-bin/formengine.cgi?form=orderform.