Notable Quotable
“In the 21st century, local control should mean providing educators with autonomy in the classroom and giving parents meaningful options to hold them accountable for outcomes. This system requires portable funding where money follows a child to their school of choice and is best supported by an entirely counterintuitive reform: centralizing funding in order to decentralize education. —Aaron Smith, Reason Foundation
Student Based Budgeting in the News
LAUSD to Eliminate $43 million in Central Office Salaries
Officials take a step toward right-sizing the district, which is projected to be on the verge of insolvency in the coming years.
Report: Key Components Missing from Houston ISD’s Decentralization Efforts
HISD failed to shift from using average to actual teacher salaries in budgeting, while elements of its funding formula allocated dollars based on school size and programmatic offerings.
Texas’ System of Great Schools Promotes School-level Autonomy
In this model, a district’s central office is one of many options for school leaders to choose from when purchasing services such as curriculum and professional development.
A Constitutional Right to Education Would be a Win for School Choice
Traditional public schools are failing too many students, and a federally recognized right to education could give further recourse to parents and reformers who just want what is best for their kids.
Research & Resources Spotlight
How Local Education Funding Favors Politics Over Parents—And How to Fit It
Virtually all school finance formulas are embedded with provisions that distribute resources inequitably, but few realize how these inefficiencies obstruct the kind of choice policies that empower parents. A primary source of this problem is local education revenues.
Pensions Under Pressure
Charters are in a unique position to help lead on pension reform—but a major barrier stands in the way as independent charters have difficulty navigating these complex systems.
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