How the Culture Wars Are Costing Schools Billions
By Caitlynn Peetz
School districts have increasingly found themselves at the center of tense conflict in recent years. And those conflicts come at a cost.
These clashes—over issues like how districts are addressing race and policies related to LGBTQ+ students’ rights—cost American schools more than $3 billion in the 2023-24 academic year, according to a new analysis.
The costs were both direct and indirect. They included the price of increased security at board meetings and district offices; compensation for the additional staff needed to handle communications, primarily to combat misinformation; legal fees; expenses related to staff turnover; and expenditures to cover the staff time spent responding to an influx of public-records requests.