A new report from various state universities around the country has estimated that U.S. public schools have been forced to spend upwards of $3.2 billion on security, public relations, and legal assistance in fighting legal attacks from conservatives.
During the 2023-2024 school year, conservatives targeted schools relentlessly for “supposedly teaching about race and LGBTQ+ identities” according to reports from The Advocate. The report was supported by the University of California, Riverside and L.A., University of Texas at Austin, and American University. Researchers surveyed nearly 500 public school superintendents across 46 states to find that many schools, even those with low conflict, have poured money into these issues.
On average, assessed school districts serve around 10,000 students per year, and reported expenses of $249,765 in “low-conflict districts” and $500,000 in “moderate-conflict districts.” At the higher end, more than $800,000 has been spent on average in “high-conflict districts.”
In general, costs come from communications, security, legal, and staffing needs. The Advocate reports, superintendents also spent hundreds of hours working against online misinformation and responding to media inquiries about things like book bans or requests for public records. What’s more, conservative parents often threatened or harassed staff members and students, forcing schools to spend more on security.
One superintendent told The Advocate “Our social media accounts were effectively bombed…full of messages of hate. My 60-plus-year-old administrative assistant was bombarded with phone calls to the point where she wanted to quit.”
The result? Schools have less money to allocate for important programs and curriculum, and staff members are likely to quit in large numbers. The report concludes that though these occurrences are difficult to prevent, schools and society must try their best to reject them, especially in school board meetings.
“Rejecting this small number of conflict entrepreneurs would help ensure that community members communicate their disagreements in a manner consistent with democratic principles,” the report reads. “This means upholding norms of respect, evidence-based reasoning, and civil deliberation that embraces the well-being and dignity of all. Such behavior would save a great deal of money that could then be spent to support our schools.”
