To make a big change, all these people have to agree... but what can they do on their own?

Your principal has less power than you think...

Go to them for school policy issues, not budget issues (some principals only control $8k of budget spend a year).

But you've probably never SEEN your principal's boss.

Meet the district central office. Led by the superintendent, they have huge influence on budget, curriculum, scheduling, & policy.
They think about costs (the time and resources required to launch new programs) and community buy-in.
These people are hired, not voted in, sheltering them from community influence.

The District Office is indirectly controlled by the School Board, which has the most influence on school.

With final say on hiring, budget, & policy, the board can act incredibly quickly and blindside other players.

Bad school boards micromanage day-to-day operations, tell teachers how to teach, and blindside the community with rash decisions.

School boards are appointed by VOTE:

Different INTEREST GROUPS (advocacy groups, unions, superintendents’ associations) may have allies on the board. But your parents have the final say - they're the ones who can get administrators and school board officials fired.

Most parents don't have time for that, but your local government does.

Your city/town is responsible for most of the funding in smaller, wealthier districts and still half the funding in larger districts like NYC. They decide how much taxpayer money goes to schools.

(but they aren’t involved in school policy decisions)

States have secret weapons for turning high school upside-down.

Moves: Hostile takeover, choose funding strategies (that you can break)

Goal: Max out federal funding. Massachusetts took $250 million cash from the feds to make a change they knew would make class worse.

The federal government... probably doesn't matter to you

Scroll for more power dynamics or jump to the next topic:

Getting 100k in funding for anything you want →

Then there's everyone outside the chain of command.

None of them can sign off on your idea. Plenty of them can stall it, fund it, or talk the people who can into it.

Typical Teachers

Busy, tired, and focused on their own classroom. They rarely fight over schoolwide policy, but a new rule only works if they bother to enforce it.

Involved Teachers

The one who advises three clubs and sits on every committee. They know who actually decides things, and they can carry your idea into meetings you'll never be invited to.

Teachers' Unions

In most states, teachers negotiate pay, hours, and duties with the district as a group. Change a teacher's workday (the schedule, class sizes, who supervises lunch) and you may be touching their contract.

Outside Forces

Advocacy groups, consultants, booster clubs. They don't run the school, but they write the reports, sell the programs, and pay for the stuff the budget won't cover.

Big Kahunas

Billionaires and big foundations. One large grant can steer a whole district toward a new curriculum, test, or kind of school for years.

Ready to learn the fundamentals of money in schools?

Students control millions of dollars annually, they just don't know it.

Get 100k in funding for anything you want →