The culture war is costing school districts billions, according to a report released in October 2024 by the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access. The report surveyed superintendents at 467 school districts nationwide about extra expenditures they undertook because of increased conflict over culture war issues such as critical race theory, book challenges, gender-related debates, and other politicized topics. The report estimates that such fights cost school districts around $3.2 billion during the 2023–2024 school year.
Superintendents reported increased security costs, legal fees, and expenditures related to high staff turnover, as well as other culture war spending. One superintendent interviewed for the report said these cultural conflicts, at a level he considered “high,” required his district to spend an extra $100,000 to hire “armed plainclothes off-duty officers.…because people coming to the board…
