Aaron Garth Smith
Director of Education Reform, Reason Foundation
Aaron Garth Smith is the director of education reform at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank advancing free minds and free markets.
Prior to joining Reason, Smith was senior director of analytics at YES Prep Public Charter Schools, a nationally-renowned charter management organization serving over 12,000 students in Houston.
Smith has worked in numerous states on school finance reforms and his writing has appeared in various publications, including Education Week, Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News and Los Angeles Business Journal.
Aaron graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned a Master of Business Administration from Mays Business School at Texas A&M University. Aaron is based in Houston, Texas.
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Infographic: How Indiana’s School Finance System Works
Indiana should reduce reliance on local revenues and move funding to a state formula so charter schools and districts are funded on an equal footing.
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Infographic: How South Carolina’s School Finance System Works
A better alternative would be to give local leaders autonomy over how education dollars are spent.
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The S&P Ratings System for Charter School Bonds Could Improve Public School Finance
Financial data capture more than dollars and cents and can help reveal trends related to parent satisfaction and even leadership competency.
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Education Funding Should Follow Students to Their Schools
There is nearly $700 billion being spent on public education each year and parents, principals and teachers are best equipped to know what students need.
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Infographic: How North Carolina School Finance Works
The state doles out staffing positions, which limits local control and causes inequities, and its funds come with strings attached.
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Who’s Deciding How Education Funding Is Spent at North Carolina’s Schools?
Education dollars are largely spent using one-size-fits-all formulas, leaving principals with little say over how money is spent at their schools.
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Public School Districts Should, But Don’t, Accept All Students
Some public school districts reject transfer students altogether; others erect substantial hurdles that are difficult, if not impossible, for families to clear.
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Give Principals Authority They Need to Align School Spending With Student Priorities
Empowering school leaders to decide how resources are prioritized at their schools can help bring parents into the process, better support teachers and, most importantly, deliver the high-quality education that all of Providence’s students deserve.
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How the Focus on Ferguson, Missouri, Could Now Help Reform Public Education Funding
District boundaries that systemically shortchange black communities such as Ferguson have no place in public education and it’s time to make them irrelevant.