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.

After our first Back to School Finance training, we wanted to offer a semi-regular opportunity for folks to come back, continue working on their skills, and provide space and time for more questions as we continue to figure out 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.