Free On-Demand Webinar for Elementary and PreK Leaders
Doing More With Less: What Still Works When the Funding Is Gone
High-Impact, Low-Cost Strategies for Elementary and PreK Leaders
What still works when the line item disappears? For most elementary and PreK leaders, 2026-27 is the first school year in recent memory with no relief funding behind it, and the expectations for their youngest students have not changed.

In this one-hour conversation, Andrea Costin (Khan Academy Kids) sits down with a district leader who has made this call under real constraints: Tom McCarty, Director of Innovation and Strategic Growth at Mosinee School District.

Together, they get specific about instructional moves that cost nothing but planning time, from scheduling and small-group structures to tutoring redesign and reallocating staff time. They also cover how to tell a free resource worth vetting from one that isn't, and which local, higher-ed, library, nonprofit, and volunteer partnerships actually stretch a shrinking budget.

You'll leave with a curated resource list you can use immediately, an honest account of the tradeoffs each presenter made, and a clearer sense of what to protect first. The list includes resources we don't make, and it stays published after the session.

Meet the Panelists

Tom McCarty | Director of Innovation and Strategic Growth, Mosinee School District

Tom McCarty is entering his 18th year in education. He spent ten years in the classroom before moving into administration, and now oversees teaching and learning along with the strategic direction of the Mosinee School District, home to about 1,850 students. He is part of an administrative team working to innovate and reimagine the student experience at all levels, in hopes of improving outcomes for all students.

Moderated by

Andrea Costin | District Success Manager, Khan Academy Kids

Andrea Costin has spent her career in elementary education, first as a classroom teacher and now working with the school and district leaders making decisions about it. She taught elementary school in and around Chicago for more than a decade, including as a founding teacher at a new K-8 campus, and was named Teacher of the Year in 2015.

She later supported large urban districts on professional learning and implementation before joining Khan Academy Kids. She holds a bachelor's in elementary education from Indiana University and a master's in curriculum and instruction from National Louis University.

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