Evanston, Illinois District Demonstrates Power of ESSA Financial Transparency
September 11, 2019
In Evanston, Illinois, a new report—based on ESSA-required school-level spending data—to the District 65 school board “shows a $42,000 range in per pupil spending from school to school across the district…and a $5,000 difference across the K-8 schools.” According to district business manager Kathy Zalewski, the “main premise of ESSA is equity and a belief that the students with the greatest needs deserve the greatest share of our public education resources,” and as a result, “financial resources are distributed equitably, but not equally” with “students and schools with greater needs” receiving more funding.