Christian Barnard
Assistant Director of Education Reform, Reason Foundation
Christian Barnard is assistant director of education reform at Reason Foundation.
Barnard's work includes research and analysis of state education and school district finance systems, with the goal of making them more equitable and innovative.
Barnard's writing has been featured in outlets including USA Today, Los Angeles Daily News, Washington Times, and The Hill, among others.
Barnard previously worked with the Foundation for Government Accountability, where he conducted research on labor policy and criminal justice. He also worked for the Pioneer Institute.
He holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and economics from Messiah College.
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Virginia’s K-12 funding system needs an overhaul, not tweaks
Virginia can do better by its students, but that requires ripping off the band-aid and pursuing a comprehensive school finance overhaul.
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Arkansas K-12 education finance series: How to improve the state’s school funding system
Arkansas is in a good position to build on recent K-12 reform successes and pursue comprehensive school finance reform in the coming year.
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Arkansas K-12 education finance series: Teacher pay before and after the 2023 LEARNS Act
The LEARNS Act will have a substantial impact on the state’s school finance system moving forward.
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California Proposition 2 would issue $10 billion in public education facilities bonds
Proposition 2 allows the state to issue $10 billion in general obligation bonds for the construction, improvement, and repair of educational facilities statewide.
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Arkansas K-12 education finance series: Adequacy review findings and recommendations so far
A 2007 Arkansas Supreme Court ruling mandates that the legislature must regularly review the adequacy of the state’s K-12 funding system.
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The cost of state hold harmless policies in K-12 education
With widespread public school enrollment losses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the financial costs of some hold harmless policies have increased exponentially.
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Arkansas K-12 education finance series: How Arkansas schools are funded
While education funding in every state is complex, Arkansas enjoys a relatively streamlined and straightforward funding system.
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How the Louisiana GATOR Scholarship ESA bill could impact students and taxpayers
House Bill 745 would enable all Louisiana families to choose and customize their child’s education.
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Mississippi’s INSPIRE Act would upgrade the state’s school finance system
The proposal would improve funding fairness and better target education dollars to higher-need students.
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The key to improving California’s public schools isn’t more money
California’s inflation-adjusted K-12 education funding grew from $12,471 per student in 2002 to $16,934 per student in 2020, a 35.8% growth rate ranked ninth highest in the United States.
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Public education at a crossroads: A comprehensive look at K-12 resources and outcomes
Examining key education spending, enrollment, staffing, and student performance data over the past two decades in all 50 states.
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Gov. Gavin Newsom’s education budget ignores fundamental problems
The governor largely ignores declining public school enrollment and California's unsustainable K-12 education spending.
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Arkansas K-12 education finance series: A short history of school finance reform and look at 2024’s adequacy review process
This column is the first in a series examining Arkansas’s K-12 funding system and the state legislature’s biennial adequacy review process.
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Funding Education Opportunity: Estimating costs for universal school choice, new choice programs, and more
The argument that private school choice programs save taxpayer money has been compelling and straightforward for decades.
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North Carolina needs to fix its education funding formula
North Carolina’s education funding formula is confusing for everyone and prioritizes funding for school districts that least need it.
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Florida’s education savings accounts won’t defund public schools
Florida is now giving all families the choice to withdraw from public schools and opt for an ESA of about $8,700 per child.
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Education savings accounts and Alabama’s PRICE Act would help students and families
The proposed education savings accounts in the Parental Rights in Children's Education Act would empower students and parents.
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Updated Arizona K-12 education finance model with latest school finance and transportation data
The model allows users to test changes to Arizona’s funding formula, see how changes to local property taxes impact funding, and see how potential changes affect the funding of individual school districts and charter schools.
