Education budgets are announced with big numbers, but when the money trickles down to classrooms, the trail often goes cold. Where does it actually go? How much is eaten up by administration, consultants, or infrastructure before it reaches the students it’s meant to serve?
Layers of Allocation
Provincial priorities vs. local needs: Funding often comes with strings attached, leaving schools unable to shift money to where they see gaps.
Board-level bureaucracy: Between salaries, benefits, and overhead, a large portion of funds never leaves the central office.
Community disparities: Schools in wealthier areas may supplement with fundraising, while others can’t cover basics.
Accountability or Obfuscation?
The phrase “Follow the Money” suggests a trail—but in education, that trail is often muddy by design. Parents and communities are told funding is “increased,” yet classrooms see larger class sizes and fewer supports. Transparency reports exist, but they rarely answer the questions families are really asking.
The Big Question
How do we build clear, accessible, and public-facing accounting tools so communities can see not just how much money is spent, but whether it’s being spent where it matters most: the classroom?
Follow the Money
The Transparency Gap
Education budgets are announced with big numbers, but when the money trickles down to classrooms, the trail often goes cold. Where does it actually go? How much is eaten up by administration, consultants, or infrastructure before it reaches the students it’s meant to serve?
Layers of Allocation
Accountability or Obfuscation?
The phrase “Follow the Money” suggests a trail—but in education, that trail is often muddy by design. Parents and communities are told funding is “increased,” yet classrooms see larger class sizes and fewer supports. Transparency reports exist, but they rarely answer the questions families are really asking.
The Big Question
How do we build clear, accessible, and public-facing accounting tools so communities can see not just how much money is spent, but whether it’s being spent where it matters most: the classroom?