Teacher field guide
Education policy
Follow the school money
The district budget is huge. Why is the theatre curtain still falling apart?
School budgets decide which rooms get repaired, which programs survive and how many adults are in the building, and students are rarely told where to ask. Learning to read a budget’s year, stage and units turns “where did the money go?” into a question a school board can actually answer.
What students make
Source card plus a 2–3 sentence question
The civic idea
Words that do the work.
- Revenue sourcesFuentes de ingresos
Where school money comes from: federal, state and local sources, in a mix that varies by place.
The NCES table shows the mix differs by state. It can’t tell Mari what her district spends on curtains.
- Budget stagesEtapas del presupuesto
A proposed budget is a plan, an adopted budget is approved, and actual spending is what happened.
The document the crew found is the proposed budget for next year, not this year’s actual spending.
- Per-pupil amountCantidad por estudiante
Money divided by the number of students, so places of different sizes can be compared.
A post compares one district’s total with another’s per-pupil figure. Those units don’t match.
- Equity vs. adequacyEquidad y suficiencia
Equity asks if resources are fairly shared given different needs; adequacy asks if there’s enough to meet the goals.
Even a fair split might not be enough to replace a $6,800 curtain. Those are different questions.
- Intent vs. implementationIntención e implementación
What a policy is meant to do versus what actually happens when people carry it out.
The facilities line was meant for repairs; the question is how requests actually get prioritized.
- Local controlControl local
In most states, elected local school boards adopt budgets within state and federal rules.
Dec and Anika’s school board, not the principal alone, adopts the district budget.
Ay, bendito, that curtain. Okay, before we get mad at the big number, which line is supposed to fix it?
The evidence
Handle the case file.
Every artifact comes with a question. The captions are the lesson.
BUDGETPosted for next school year, spring
District proposed budget, facilities excerpt
POSTShared Tuesday, 6:10 p.m.
Social post comparing two districts
FORMIssued to the theatre advisor
Facilities repair quote for stage curtain
The workshop
45 minutes, block by block.
5 min
The curtain
TeacherShow Mateo’s photo of the curtain (with permission) and the district’s total budget.
StudentsWrite the question the photo raises and the question the total raises.
CheckStudents notice the two questions aren’t the same.
10 min
Label the number
TeacherHand out the budget excerpt. Teach year, stage and units.
StudentsLabel the excerpt: which year, proposed or adopted, total or per pupil?
CheckLabels identify “proposed, next year, total.”
10 min
Fix the comparison
TeacherShow the social post comparing a total with a per-pupil figure.
StudentsExplain the mismatch and what you’d need to compare fairly.
CheckStudents name matching units, year and category.
8 min
Who decides?
TeacherMap federal, state and local roles; explain equity vs. adequacy.
StudentsPlace the curtain request on the map: which level, which line, which body?
CheckMap points to the local board and a facilities line.
9 min
Write the question
TeacherModel a one-line budget question.
StudentsDraft a question and a 60-second comment for the board.
CheckQuestion names a line, a need and a request.
3 min
Exit
TeacherAsk: what could make spending rise without improving a service?
StudentsWrite one possibility.
CheckAnswers include cost increases or different categories.
Differentiated routes
One case. Seven ways in.
Each route changes what students read, make and prove, not only how long it takes.
Middle school
Grades 6–8: Make a source card for the district budget and write one question the theatre crew could bring to the school board.
- Sources
- A one-page budget excerpt with the facilities line and a photo of the curtain.
- Product
- Source card plus a 2–3 sentence question
- Raises the rigor
- Explain why the district total alone can’t tell you whether there’s money for the curtain.
Supports
- Source-card template: year, stage, units, line
- Frames: “The budget says __. We noticed __. Could the board explain __?”
- Vocabulary: revenue, expenditure, per pupil
- Worked example
Success looks like
- Labels year, stage and units correctly
- Connects the curtain to a specific line
- Asks a question the board can answer
- Doesn’t accuse anyone of wasting money
High school
Grades 9–10: Correct a misleading social post that compares mismatched budget figures, then write a better comparison.
- Sources
- The post, two district budget excerpts and the NCES revenue table.
- Product
- Correction post (80–120 words) plus worked calculation
- Raises the rigor
- Calculate a per-pupil figure from a total and enrollment to make a fair comparison.
Supports
- Comparison checklist: year, units, category, stage
- Model correction
Success looks like
- Identifies the unit mismatch
- Calculates a comparable figure correctly
- Cites the source and year
- States what the numbers still can’t show
High school
Grades 11–12: Write a policy brief on how facilities requests should be prioritized in a district budget.
- Sources
- Case sources plus a teacher-selected district capital-planning document.
- Product
- Policy brief, 450–550 words
- Raises the rigor
- Distinguish equity from adequacy and recommend criteria for choosing among repair requests.
Supports
- Brief template
- Equity vs. adequacy explainer
Success looks like
- Accurately explains federal, state and local roles
- Uses equity and adequacy correctly
- Proposes clear criteria
- Acknowledges trade-offs
High school
Honors: Argue whether students should have a formal voice in school budget decisions.
- Sources
- Case sources plus one article on participatory budgeting in schools.
- Product
- Argument, 550–650 words
- Raises the rigor
- Address concerns about expertise and accountability.
Supports
- Claim/counterclaim chart
- Examples of student advisory roles
Success looks like
- Clear, qualified thesis
- Uses evidence from two contexts
- Engages counterarguments seriously
- Proposes a workable structure
AP English Language
AP Lang: Write a synthesis argument: what should students bring to a school board budget hearing?
- Sources
- Sources: district budget excerpt, NCES table, Mateo’s photo, Mari’s conversation.
- Product
- Synthesis essay, about 550 words, 40 minutes
- Raises the rigor
- Integrate at least three sources, including the visual, and explain what each can and cannot prove.
Supports
- Source-citation practice
- Thesis with qualifier
Success looks like
- Defensible thesis
- Integrates three sources with commentary
- Uses the visual source rhetorically and accurately
- Sophisticated treatment of limits
Middle Years
IB MYP: Investigate “How are school resources shared?” and create a visual comparing two districts fairly.
- Sources
- NCES table and two district budget summaries; global context: Fairness and development.
- Product
- Visual plus 200-word explanation
- Raises the rigor
- Explain one reason the comparison might still mislead.
Supports
- Inquiry statement frame
- Chart template with unit labels
- Checklist for fair comparisons
Success looks like
- Units and years match
- Visual is accurate and labeled
- Explains a limitation
- Connects to fairness
Diploma
IB DP: Analyze how numbers function as arguments in public debate about school funding.
- Sources
- Case sources, including the misleading post.
- Product
- Analysis, 700–900 words
- Raises the rigor
- Evaluate when a number clarifies and when it hides a choice about values.
Supports
- TOK prompts on quantitative claims
- Perspective chart: board, teachers, students, taxpayers
Success looks like
- Accurate treatment of the figures
- Analyzes several perspectives
- Links numbers to values and power
- Reaches a nuanced conclusion
Access for every learner
- Provide a pre-labeled budget excerpt with one line highlighted
- Use a calculator and a worked per-pupil example
- Spanish vocabulary: presupuesto, ingresos, gasto, por estudiante
- Read the budget notes aloud
- Reduce to the source-card task
Extension
- Find your own district’s adopted budget and locate the facilities or capital line
- Compare two years of the same line and explain what might explain a change
Annotated student work
What a draft shows us.
Write the question the theatre crew should bring to the school board.
First draft
Our district has a 1$48 million budget but our theatre curtain is 5ripped and gross. That’s so much money and 2they can’t even fix one curtain? It has been like this since before any of us joined the crew and it keeps getting worse every show. Where is all the money going? 3Other districts get way more. I saw a post that said so. We deserve better and 4the board needs to explain themselves. We are honestly tired of waiting for this.
- 1Evidence Is this proposed or adopted, and for which year? Label it.
- 2Gap The total covers everything. Name the line that should cover repairs.
- 3Gap Compared how? Totals, per pupil, same year? Show the matching figures.
- 4Audience Turn this into a specific question they can answer.
- 5Strength A real observation. Add the evidence: the photo and a repair quote.
Revised
Our question is about next year’s proposed budget. The theatre curtain is torn at the seam and no longer closes fully; we have a photo and a $6,800 replacement quote from the facilities office. The proposed budget lists $310,000 for building repairs across the district. We’d like to know whether stage equipment is covered by that line or a different one, how repair requests are ranked, and when the board considers them. Could a student from the theatre crew submit a written request before the budget is adopted? Thank you for considering it.
Assessment
One-page rubric.
Mark the evidence you see. Leave room for a comment and a next step.
| Criterion | Beginning | Developing | Proficient | Advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence | Uses an unlabeled total. | Uses a figure without year or stage. | Labels year, stage and line and cites the need. | Adds a repair quote and notes what the figures can’t show. |
| Reasoning | Assumes waste or theft. | Compares mismatched numbers. | Links the need to a specific budget line. | Explains process questions: ranking, timing, decision-maker. |
| Audience & purpose | Accuses the board. | Complains without a request. | Asks a question the board can answer. | Asks a question and offers a concrete way for students to contribute. |
| Revision | No change. | Removes insults only. | Adds labels and a specific line. | Explains how each change makes an answer more likely. |
Evidence I saw
Next step
Standards
What this case teaches, by the book.
CCSS 6–8 4
RI.6.7Students connect the budget table’s numbers with the text labels and notes.RH.6-8.7Students integrate a budget chart with the written question they want answered.SL.6.4Students present a budget question with relevant facts and clear delivery.W.8.2Students explain why a total and a per-pupil number can’t be compared directly.
CCSS 9–10 3
RH.9-10.7Students integrate budget figures with the district’s written explanation.RI.9-10.8Students evaluate the reasoning in a social post comparing mismatched figures.SL.9-10.4Students present a two-minute budget question to a mock board.
CCSS 11–12 3
RI.11-12.7Students integrate the district budget, NCES data and a photo of the curtain.RH.11-12.8Students evaluate the premises behind claims that the district “has the money.”W.11-12.1Students argue for a budget priority with evidence and counterclaims.
C3 Framework 4
D2.Civ.4.6-8Students explain the powers of local school boards compared with state and federal governments.D2.Civ.11.9-12Students evaluate how the budget process achieves or misses civic purposes.D2.Civ.13.9-12Students evaluate intended and unintended outcomes of how facilities money is allocated.D4.8.9-12Students apply democratic procedures by preparing a question for the board.
AP English Language 3
Claims and Evidence (CLE)Students use budget figures accurately and label their units.Reasoning and Organization (REO)Students build a line of reasoning from observed need to budget line to request.Rhetorical Situation (RHS)Students tailor a comment to a board that must balance many requests.
IB MYP 3
Individuals and Societies B: InvestigatingStudents investigate where facilities money comes from and who decides.Individuals and Societies D: Thinking criticallyStudents evaluate what a budget number can and cannot show.Individuals and Societies C: CommunicatingStudents present findings with correct units and sources.
IB DP 2
Global Politics — key concepts: power, equality and developmentStudents analyze how resource decisions distribute opportunity.Theory of Knowledge — Knowledge and politics (optional theme)Students ask how numbers gain authority in public debate.
Take it off the page
Find one line in your school’s budget.
- With a teacher or advisor, find your district’s budget on its website
- Label the document’s year and stage
- Find one line connected to something you use (facilities, arts, technology)
- Ask your student council how students can submit a budget question or comment