By Caitlynn Peetz
School districts have increasingly found themselves at the center of tense conflict in recent years. And those conflicts come at a cost.
These clashes—over issues like how districts are addressing race and policies related to LGBTQ+ students’ rights—cost American schools more than $3 billion in the 2023-24 academic year, according to a new analysis.
The costs were both direct and indirect. They included the price of increased security at board meetings and district offices; compensation for the additional staff needed to handle communications, primarily to combat misinformation; legal fees; expenses related to staff turnover; and expenditures to cover the staff time spent responding to an influx of public-records requests.