Funding Tops List of Principals' Concerns

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 04/04/18

Adequate funding is the top concern for a majority of principals, according to a new survey from MCH Strategic Data. More than half of those surveyed, 52 percent, cited adequate funding as a major concern, 14 points more than the second-most-commonly-cited concern, teacher morale.

Attendance, aligning assessments to standards and behavior issues rounded out the top 5 at 33 percent, 32 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

"Despite the concerns with funding and morale, principals who responded to this year’s survey did point out that the local economy has shown signs of improvement," according to the report. "Over the past several years, the economic fragility of families was considered a top concern. This year, principals are noting the positive impacts that the economy is having on families."

Other key findings of the report include:

• 65 percent of respondents said they had a good understanding of how the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) would affect their schools, a nine-point increase over last year;
• About 60 percent of respondents said they are less concerned about transitioning to higher standards than last year, while about 20 percent said they feel about the same, and another 20 percent said they are more concerned about it than last year;
• Nearly seven in 10 respondents said they are planning to invest in tablets, laptops or other hardware for student use;
• 48 percent said they are planning to buy apps for classroom use, 47 percent said they plan to spend on curriculum and 37 percent said they are planning to spend money on WiFi infrastructure; and
• When asked who decides what apps are used in the classroom, 88 percent said teachers, 70 percent said principals and 50 percent said tech coordinators.