At the Association of School Business Officials International’s 2026 Annual Conference & Expo, approximately 750 attendees — primarily K-12 finance experts — gathered in Pittsburgh last week to share tips on their best practices for navigating some of the growing challenges districts are experiencing nationwide.
One of those concerns discussed by school finance leaders included inadequate state funding that is being exacerbated by the expansion of school choice and the competition for students.
During an Oct. 14 panel discussion with top school business officials at the ASBO conference, Anya Randle, deputy assistant superintendent at the Louisiana Department of Education said that public school systems are struggling to secure proper funding through Louisiana's education funding formula.
“Our battle is fighting school choice, getting adequate funding,” and addressing a decline in public school enrollment, Randle said. That’s why it’s so important that school business officials are proactive in sharing their stories as a way to help advocate that their districts are allocated enough resources, she said.
“We can't hide behind the Excel spreadsheets or just give the auditors the documents,” Randle said. If district finance leaders don’t tell their own stories, she said, then “someone else may be telling our story for us, and it may not be an accurate story.”
During the ASBO conference sessions held between Oct. 14-16, school finance leaders also discussed how they’re innovating amid their district’s budget challenges and enrollment declines. Notable sessions included a Delaware district leader’s advice on developing a process to show district investments are improving student outcomes as well as an Indiana school business official’s tips for finding strategic ways to save millions in a K-12 system’s budget.
Read more on K-12 Dive’s ASBO conference coverage in the links below.
