So many educational justice problems come down to money. Why is the district closing schools? Firing teachers and paras and staff? Shuttering programs? Budget shortfalls, fiscal crises, and sky-is-falling updates from the board, superintendent, and business office. 

But how do we know what’s really going on? There are always hidden stories and possibilities buried in the numbers. From debt service to reserve funds to pension contributions, the truth about the money is there in public documents but the public rarely gets an opportunity to figure out what it all means.

That’s what this training is all about: how to find and interpret the documents communities, movements, and unions need to understand the real financial situation of their schools and craft campaigns to change those situations. 

We invite parents, students, teachers, staff, organizers, community members, taxpayers, and even administrative officials curious about how to transform seemingly unchangeable fiscal realities. We’ll provide concrete tools to access and make meaning of audited financial statements, bond statements, and more. We’ll also present a framework for thinking about healthy school finance in the face of toxic financial practices used today.

Facilitated by: David Backer & Jason Wozniak