Committee hears school‑level resource review: technology, instructional materials and substitutes

Bureau of Legislative Research presenters reviewed FY2023 school‑level resource lines and described where foundation funding was supplemented or supplanted by other revenue.

Laurie Bowen told the committee that technology foundation funding was set at $250 per ADM in 2023 (about $118 million in total), while districts reported spending about $211 million on technology (roughly $447 per student overall) and federal funds comprised the largest single funding source for technology.

The report separated district and school level spending. Presenters said charter and virtual schools in particular drove higher per‑student spending for instructional materials: two virtual schools accounted for outsized per‑pupil costs in the materials category. BLR reported the matrix provided $197 per student for instructional materials (~$93 million in foundation funding) while districts’ combined spending on instructional materials was roughly $165 million.

Presenters also covered extracurricular stipends (extra duty), supervisory aids and substitute teachers, reporting that more than half of responding superintendents rated funding in those categories as a moderate or extreme need. The BLR summaries included average substitute pay rates reported by superintendents and noted variation across district size and region.

Committee members asked follow‑ups about how many districts pay teachers for morning/afternoon duty and about the timing and response rates of the teacher survey; BLR staff said they would provide additional breakdowns in upcoming reports and could surface the underlying tables in the committee binders.