Education improves an individual's and a community's standard of living. In a time when education funding is insufficient for schools to meet high quality standards, principals are in a unique position to influence their community to fully support state and local school budgets. By using data to show education's positive influence on human capital as seen in income, employability, safety, and community lifestyle, as well as how education decreases other social service costs, principals can make a persuasive argument for school funding.