The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "school budget" ...
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How Student Fees Quietly Boost College Sports
The investigation found that many college and universities had not been disclosing how much of the student fees was going toward the athletic budgets. In some cases, student fees for athletics can account for as much as 23% of the total mandatory tuition and fees charge.
Tags: university athletics; college sports; Division I; state schools; tuition
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Schools In Crisis: Issues, Solutions
This series reveals the "costs and consequences of a skewed set of priorities at an LA school district." Instead of using the money for teachers' salaries, the school district is using the money on wasteful construction projects. Further, when educational budgets are getting smaller and smaller, this school district is ignoring the basic need of education.
Tags: LA Unified School District (LAUSD); FOIA; building; contractors; education; system; state; Citizens' Bond Oversight Committee
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"Friends in Richmond"
In this investigative report, the Virginian-Pilot found several lawmakers who have gotten jobs at the same universities "whose budgets they oversee" resulting in lucrative salaries. Lawmaker Del. Phil Hamilton was hired at ODU after solidifying state funding for a teaching program at the school and was paid $40,000 a year.
Tags: Old Dominion University; Del. Phil Hamilton; Center for Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership; Dave Blackburn; Newport News
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The high price of Rutgers sports
For a decade, Rutgers Univeristy pushed hard to become a college football powerhouse. But a six-month investigation of Rutgers athletics -- including a new review of public records the university fought to keep confidential -- found big-time college football came at a greater price than the school disclosed and still refuses to fully document. The investigation found that Rutgers has hiked tuition, canceled classes and eliminated six other varsity sports while doubling its football spending budget; hid millions of sports expenses, including salaries and charter flights, from public view; rushed into a $102 million expansion of Rutgers Stadium to retain coach Greg Schiano and refused to reveal several other financial and fundraising efforts.
Tags: Rutgers University; college football; financial records; private universities; expense reports; stadiums
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Fixing D.C.'s Schools
The Post looked at the high spending and low performance of the D.C. schools and "examined the obstacles to reform."
Tags: education; school district; budget; academics;
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Misuse of Tax Caps
The reporters' investigation focused on the community approval of local tax-rates without realizing that under a loop-hole in a tax cap law passed previously by the Illinois State legislature, public departments who knew about the loop-hole were able to collect a much higher sum of taxes than the constituents thought they were approving.
Tags: tax rates; loop-hole; tax law; financial consultants; school districts; property tax; district budgets; FOIA
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How Much Is This Child Worth?
This series focuses on the discrepancies in school funding among the 537 schools examined by the magazine. They found a range of $2,200 to $8,600 in per-pupil funding for elementary schools;the range was $5,400 to $16,800 at the high school level. They also found that magnet schools who had selective enrollment practices and schools with better-off students tended to get more than their fair share. They used a tool they obtained from the Annenberg Institute for School Reform to analyze school district resources.
Tags: Arne Duncan; Chicago schools; federal Title 1 funds; school security; poverty funds; school budgets; Annenberg Institute for School Reform
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An Expose of New Jersey's $8.6 billion Public School Construction Program
In response to the news that Schools Construction Corporation, an agency responsible for New Jersey's statewide school construction program, was running out of money, the Star-Ledger launched an investigation into how the program depleted its $8.6 billion budget. Their investigation revealed a number of flaws in the program including costly mid-project changes, top-dollar construction firms miscalculating the cost of equipment for the school projects, and "political interference" from then-Governor James E. McGreevey.
Tags: school districts; urban building program; cost overruns; renovation projects; political backers; unions
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Blank Check
This investigation began when Eisenstadt realized that the budgets for the Manhattan Beach Unified School District didn't make a lot of sense. He found that poor planning and lavish spending cause the school district to run out of money before it completed the almost fifteen million dollars in projects that it promised that public during bond elections. In most cases the construction projects cost far more that the public was aware. Furthermore, Eisenstadt found that school board officials spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on personal trips and expenses.
Tags: school board; school district; superintendent; fraud; budgets; bond elections
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Budgets Revolve Around Football
For high schools, fall Fridays are dedicated to football. Grim examines how football "is the center of the athletic budget's universe," and attracts the majority of revenue for high school activities. Athletic directors face a $20,000 deficit at the beginning of each season. The story focuses on how the money is distributed and how the tight budget is dealt with.
Tags: high school sports; high school budget; Virginia high schools