LM Feb 2024

Expanded School Finance Reporting Key Points to Help District Leaders Understand the School-Level Finance Survey

Story submitted by the Illinois State Board of Education

Understanding the School-Level Finance Survey The SLFS is a data collection administered by ED, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the National Center for Education Statistics. Just like the Site-Based Expenditure Report, the SLFS makes use of unaudited, year-end expenditure data. Unlike SBER, however, the SLFS summarizes expenditures at each school based on certain functions and objects. (See the full survey instrument.) The SLFS began as an optional survey in 2014, but it is now required for all states. ED has acknowledged that many states—including Illinois—will need time to work toward SLFS reporting, especially if they have not submitted this data in the past. To allow states time to ramp up reporting capacity, ED has invited states to develop state-specific plans. Additionally,

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) included a new requirement for states to collect and report per-pupil expenditure data for each school on public report cards. This Site-Based Expenditure Reporting (SBER) data first appeared on the Illinois Report Card in 2019, and both the state and school districts have enhanced their data collection and accounting processes to enable efficient reporting. Recently, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) expanded school-level reporting requirements by mandating that all states participate in the School-Level Finance Survey (SLFS). ISBE can complete this report on behalf of districts that meet certain criteria. This article provides important information to assist districts in understanding the available approaches to SLFS reporting.

16 LM February 2024