Aaron Garth Smith
Director of Education Reform, Reason Foundation
Aaron Garth Smith is the Director of Education Reform at Reason Foundation.
Smith works extensively on education finance policy and his writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including National Review, The Hill, and Education Week.
Smith graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University. He is based in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Teachers Unions and School Districts Won’t Be Able to Blame Charter Schools Much Longer
When you examine LAUSD’s results, it’s easy to understand why students and parents might be fleeing for better educations.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, March 2019
Why school districts should prepare for the next recession, education savings account program clears first hurdle in Tennessee, and more.
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Here’s What Texas Should Do, And Avoid, To Reform School Finance
Texas' school finance system is riddled with complexities that diminish fairness and productivity.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, February 2019
Personalizing education funding, North Carolina's school finance system in need of an overhaul, and more.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, January 2019
LAUSD strike, what millennial parents are getting right about their kids' educations, and more.
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LAUSD Must Resist Mandates That Restrict Flexibility And Increase Inequality
LAUSD is facing a fiscal cliff.
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How Some Local Funding Quirks Are Blocking School Choice
Sweeping changes to the school finance system are receiving high marks. But there's still work to be done.
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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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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, December 2018
Empowering Atlanta's schools, updating Nevada's school finance system, claims about charter schools and more.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, October 2018
A constitutional right to education would be a win for school choice, Texas' system of great schools promotes school-level autonomy, and more.
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Why Local Education Funding Favors Politics Over Parents—And How To Fix It
Why policymakers should eliminate local operating revenues and move to a full-state funding model.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, September 2018
California's pension crisis hits disadvantaged students the hardest, plus developments in Memphis, Oklahoma, Nevada, and more.
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Beyond Test Scores: A Central Role For Financial Health In Evaluating Arizona’s Charter Schools
With the recent passage of HB 2663, now is a critical time for Arizona to assess how it evaluates charter schools.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, August 2018
Benefit spending is increasing much faster than K-12 spending overall and eating up a rising share of district budgets.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, July 2018
Puerto Rico's student-centered funding system gets green light.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, June 2018
LAUSD's fiscal crisis can't be blamed on charter schools or declining enrollment.
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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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A 2018 Evaluation of LAUSD’s Fiscal Outlook: Revisiting the Findings of the 2015 Independent Financial Review Panel
Los Angeles Unified School District is unique in California and the nation because the size of its projected budget deficits and overall debt dwarfs most other urban school districts.
