School districts face financial reckoning [Video]

As students across the country enjoy their summer break, school districts grapple with a looming financial crisis.”We call it the ‘perfect storm’ for districts,” said Maggie Cicco of Georgetown University’s Edunomics.School districts will consider teacher layoffs, cuts to mental health services, and even school closures to cope with the financial strain.”Really, nothing can be off the table at this point,” said Gene Walker, Pittsburgh Public School Board president.A significant part of the financial pressure comes from the September expiration of a pandemic-era cash infusion, known as ESSER funds.”Large urban districts, as you said, tended to have received more money. That also means that they’re facing a bigger ESSER cliff,” Cicco explained.Inflation is driving up salaries while shrinking tax revenues across the country.School districts also struggle to retain students due to dissatisfaction with public schools, interest in alternative schooling, and desire for flexibility. “Traditional public schools, specifically, have lost a lot …