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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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.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, May 2018
Houston ISD Board approves performance audit.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, April 2018
Los Angeles Unified School District can no longer hide the full extent of its debt.
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, March 2018
Kansas lawmakers negotiating school finance changes.
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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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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, September 2017
“IPS believes the school is the unit of change in a school district. IPS is moving from a “directive” district - making decisions at the central level in a “one-size” fits all - to a "collaborative" district that shifts decisions to the school level."
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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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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, July 2017
“Between fiscal years 1992 and 2014, inflation adjusted (“real”) per-student spending increased by 27 percent. However, real average salaries for public school teachers actually fell by 2 percent during this time period."
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, June 2017
"There has been a growing understanding that school budgets are less about properly populating Excel spreadsheets and more about how to get great outcomes for kids."
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Center for Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, May 2017
"Our results support the funding of students directly, using a weighted student funding formula, a.k.a. "backpack" funding."
