If You Close It, They Will Leave (Minneapolis Public Schools)
EMERGENCY EPISODE — MINNEAPOLIS Recorded as the MPS board heads announces plans to close 15-16 school buildings. This is about why school closures don't solve budget deficits, and
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Breakfast at TIF-fany's (Chicago Public Schools)
Or: SCHRÖDINGER'S BUDGET Chicago Public Schools, TIFs, Tyler Tech, and the politics of assumptions. In this episode: mayoral control and the 2013 school closures, the MEABF pension shift
Breakfast at TIF-fany's (Chicago Public Schools)
Or: SCHRÖDINGER'S BUDGET Chicago Public Schools, TIFs, Tyler Tech, and the politics of assumptions. In this episode: mayoral control and the 2013 school closures, the MEABF pension shift
In the Shadow of the American Chernobyl: Roane County (TN)
Guest: Geoff Alexander of the Trade Movies podcast. Our first cross-pod episode. Geoff — aka "the woker" — asked us to look at Roane County, TN, where he grew
Caught in the Same Vice (Lake Travis ISD, TX)
Austin ISD is closing 10 schools and staring down a $181 million shortfall. Lake Travis ISD — a wealthy suburb of Austin — is running a much smaller deficit, laying off central
The Billy Zane Model of State Funding: Sitka (AK)
Resources! Budget/governance issues from Spring 2026 * FY24 audit flags enrollment overestimate * Whoops, mistaken carryover cuts into fund balance * FY27 budget projects a $2m deficit * A spreadsheet error (budgeting in
It Doesn't Math: Addison Central (VT)
We look at a district where the annual budget seems to be in pretty good shape -- but where bigger issues around district consolidation, building closures, and state-level policy changes
Such a Special Boy: Williamson County (TN)
In this episode, we talk school district boundaries, funding mechanisms, and structural challenges, using Williamson County and Franklin Special District in Tennessee as case studies. We dissect how historical laws,
Some Real Kablooey Stuff: Hickman Mills (MO)
Hickman Mills C-1 is facing a triple whammy: Property assessment issues, evaporating ESSR funding, and an adverse audit finding. What's going on? Some resources! District website NCES
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