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.
Smith works extensively on education finance policy and his writing has appeared in numerous publications including Education Week, The Hill, Orange County Register, and Los Angeles Daily News.
Prior to joining Reason, Smith was senior director of analytics at YES Prep Public Charter Schools, a nationally-renowned charter management organization.
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. He is based in Houston, Texas.
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How to Improve Missouri’s Education Funding Formula
Missouri’s school finance system fails to ensure that education dollars are allocated in a fair and transparent manner.
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Education Newsletter: Avoiding State Takeovers, Sending Funding to Schools, Parent Satisfaction, and More
Investors in charter school facilities bonds want the same things as parents and taxpayers.
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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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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, October 2019
In this issue: give school principals the budget authority they need, state-level education reforms, the cost-effectiveness of public charter schools in Texas, and more.
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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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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, September 2019
Reforming North Carolina's outdated funding system, better ways exist to help California's teachers save for retirement, and more.