Policy Briefs
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Modernizing School Finance in Idaho
This policy brief provides a brief overview of Idaho’s school finance system, highlights its primary shortcomings, and makes several recommendations for reform.
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Contracting Mass Transit Services
Transit contracting should always follow three principles: guaranteeing public control, promoting competition, and ensuring transparency.
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Defined Benefit Plans: Best Practices in Incorporating Risk Sharing
Public pension risk sharing can increase plan solvency, provide better accountability, and lessen the burden that unfunded liabilities have on taxpayers.
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Defined Contribution Plans: Best Practices in Design and Utilization
If properly designed, defined contribution plans can meet the employee retirement needs of today’s evolving and dynamic public sector workforce.
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The Gold Standard In Public Retirement System Design Series
Best practices and recommendations to help states move into a more sustainable public pension model for employees and taxpayers.
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Inform: Give Stakeholders The Information They Need to Make Sound Education Funding Decisions
Financial transparency can help leaders get the most out of education dollars while shining light on their spending decisions.
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Empower: How to Put Families and School Leaders in the Driver’s Seat
Policymakers should let those who are closest to kids decide how education dollars are spent, and families should be given options outside of their residentially-assigned public schools.
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Equalize: Education Funding Policies That Put All Kids on a Level Playing Field
Education dollars should be equalized to ensure that funding is based on students, not property wealth or zip code.
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Streamline: How to Allocate Education Dollars Strategically
Education dollars should be allocated based on students’ needs using a weighted-student formula so that funding is fair, portable, and transparent.
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A Student-Centered Funding Roadmap for Policymakers
Student-centered funding models treat every child more fairly, better recognize individuality, and allow for innovation and progress.
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Planning For Potential Budget Cutbacks In Michigan: Sustainable School Finance Solutions
Even in a constrained fiscal environment, Michigan can improve education funding equity and better empower local school leaders.
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10 Best Practices For State Automated Vehicle Policy
This policy brief offers 10 policy recommendations for state policymakers to promote automated vehicle innovation while protecting the public interest.
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Reimagining Transportation Policy During and After COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic is going to prompt changes to America’s transportation systems and policies.
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Best Practices for Providing Education Funding for Economically Disadvantaged Students
This report examines federal education funding for student poverty and how state education finance systems can best fund students.
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Vital PPE: How To Increase Production and Distribution of Masks to Fight COVID-19
Part six of a series discussing strategies for combating and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. The important role PPE has in containing the coronavirus and returning to pre-COVID-19 economic activities.
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Solving Florida’s Blue-Green Algae Bloom Crisis
Algal blooms and their associated health risks have the potential to hurt large segments of Florida’s economy and public well-being.
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COVID-19 And Soaring Costs Are New Challenges for Texas High-Speed Rail Line
If Texas Central chooses to move ahead with this high-speed rail project, lawmakers and taxpayers should ensure it does not receive stimulus funding.
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Monitor-Test-Trace-Isolate: Policies for Understanding and Reacting to COVID-19 Infections
Part five of a series discussing strategies for combating and recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. Technologies that enable contact tracing and sharing of verified COVID-19 status while preserving privacy and autonomy.
