Katherine M. Bowser
Los Angeles USD is facing a $94.5 million budget shortfall this year. Fairfax County, VA: $121 million. Chicago: $734 million. With ESSER funds expired and enrollment declining, districts nationwide face painful decisions that can impact students, such as layoffs and school closures. Identifying and repurposing wasteful spending can help ease these tough choices.
In this District Trendline, we focus on one of education’s most persistent examples of ineffective and inefficient spending—automatic salary increases for teachers who hold a master’s degree (i.e., master’s degree premiums). We find that over 90% of large districts still pay teachers more if they earn one, despite research showing they don’t improve teacher effectiveness—at a cost of millions of dollars wasted.