Aaron Garth Smith
Director of Education Reform, Reason Foundation
Aaron Garth Smith is the director of education reform at Reason Foundation.
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Unfair Local Education Funding Keeps Schools From Accepting Students Across District Lines. Here Are Some Ways to Fix That
For state policymakers, the lesson is clear: Funding equity is a key component of educational choice.
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Five Recommendations to Solve LAUSD’s Looming Fiscal Crisis
The process of right-sizing Los Angeles Unified School District presents an opportunity to lay the foundation for a 21st-century education system that’s productive, agile, and responsive to the needs of students.
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The Key School Finance Question: Are Dollars Allocated Based on Students?
The U.S. spends $634 billion annually on public education.
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Time to Make it Easier for Kids to Find the Right School
States such as California are adopting interdistrict transfer policies, which are supposed to help students enroll in schools across district boundaries. California's "District of Choice" program was given a passing grade by the state's LAO office.
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Using Property Taxes to Fund Public Schools Prompts Inequities
The most glaring problem with relying on property tax revenues to fund schools is that a child’s ZIP code can determine a school's resources.
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The Building Blocks for School Finance Reform in Texas
Moving away from a reliance on local property tax revenue, a comprehensive student-based budgeting program and choice can be the foundation of fundamental change in Texas.
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Seven Key Problems With Texas School Finance System That Should Be Fixed
As Texas attempts to revamp its school funding system, fixing these problems is vital.
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California Chooses Feel Good Metrics Over Meaningful Education Measures
Parents and taxpayers deserve to know how education dollars are spent at the classroom level across grade levels and subject areas in per-pupil terms.
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How Student-Based Budgeting Can Help El Paso’s Schools
Clint Independent School District’s budgeting practices and the funding disparities between the district’s schools have become a key issue.
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The Fight Over English-Only Education Highlights the Need For School Choice
With a robust system of school choice, voters wouldn’t be forced to choose between educator autonomy and parental empowerment.
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California Needs Better Schools, Not Expensive Ones
Parents should have a chance to vote with their feet by implementing school choice programs that allow students and parents to choose the public schools they believe are best for them.
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Making Sure Parents Can Hold Schools Accountable
How to best track the progress of California’s public schools and hold them accountable for educating students continues to spur debate.