FY2024 Appropriations Update: Let’s Talk Federal Share in LEA Budgets

Federal education revenues have historically represented a small portion of overall K‐12 education spending (9-10 percent). Though the emergency declaration of the COVID pandemic has ended, federal dollars continue to represent an above average share of education funding. In the 2020-21 school year, federal dollars represented just over 11 (11.3) percent of a school district’s operating budget. The dataset, as prepared by ProximityOne and analyzed by AASA, is a powerful tool for both understanding and illustrating the disproportionate role that federal dollars play in public school budgets. The data analysis in this report makes clear how the deep education cuts in the FY24 LHHS appropriations bill passed by the House appropriations LHHS subcommittee will disproportionately impact schools in some of our neediest communities. The blunt cuts to schools not only challenge the success of key federal education programs—including the Elementary and Secondary Education Act’s Title I and Title II program—but also undermine the success of our nation’s schools and the students they serve.