With declining enrollment and the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds, many California schools are facing financial challenges, said Marsh, who researches K-12 policy and governance. California is also facing a state budget deficit that could affect some districts more than others, she added. “The districts that received more of the COVID funds, places that have more low-income students, are probably going to feel the effects more,” Marsh said. “Places that have a [budget] reserve are going to handle it a little bit better, but we’re facing potential layoffs, potential closures of schools and I think at the worst case, you might see places that are insolvent or might have to be taken over by the state.” While the deficit is real and troubling, schools have been more protected than other parts of the state budget, Darling-Hammond noted. Still, schools are generally expected to provide much more than education for students, including free meals for low-income children and mental health support. “All of these things fall on schools in this country to ensure that children have a basis on which to then focus on learning,” she said. “When money gets tight, and when other parts of the budget get cut – housing support or other things that families need – we will feel it in the schools.”