Notable Quotable
“For policymakers, allowing financial health to play a more prominent role in evaluation isn’t about cobbling together disparate pieces of separate puzzles, but using complementary sources of information to illustrate a picture of performance with greater depth and clarity. States should consider financial health as more than just dollars and cents and work toward integrating these outcomes with other measures of performance, not only to ensure that schools are good stewards of public resources but also to capture the underlying demand signals that indicate parent satisfaction and quality.” —Aaron Smith, Reason Foundation
Student Based Budgeting in the News
California’s Pension Crisis Hits Disadvantaged Students the Hardest
Reason’s Lisa Snell writes, “If the state legislature’s intent is to increase equity and positive education outcomes for California’s most disadvantaged students, leaders must make pension reforms work and address school districts’ long-term liabilities.”
Memphis Math Teacher: Will Shelby County Walk or Run Toward Student-Based Budgeting?
Empowering school principals through weighted-student funding will allow innovation to flourish.
Oklahoma Takes Step Toward School Finance Overhaul
A task force of educators and lawmakers are recommending a weighted-student formula that increases funding for low-income students and provides greater transparency in how dollars are allocated.
Nevada Study Recommends Weighted-Student Funding
The study proposes that similar students, schools, and school districts receive the same funding allotments.
Research & Resources Spotlight
Beyond Test Scores: Financial Health Should Play a Central Role in Charter School Evaluation
“The tax-exempt bond market for charter schools provides valuable insight into how financial measures can be integrated with current accountability systems or used to reimagine how schools are evaluated altogether. The most important lesson that policymakers can learn is how ratings agencies integrate financial health and the underlying demand signals in their assessments.”
The Fiscal Effects of School Vouchers
A new study by EdChoice’s Marty Lueken finds voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs across the U.S. have generated between $4.9 billion and $6.6 billion in savings.
Education Resource Strategies’ Student-Based Budgeting Toolkit
Resources including guides, budget models, and case studies can help districts understand and implement student-based budgeting.
Follow School Finance Groups and Experts on Twitter
Education Research Strategies @ERStrategies
Center on Reinventing Public Education @CRPE_UW
Afton Partners @aftonpartners
Edunomics Lab @EdunomicsLab
Public Impact @publicimpact
EdBuild @EdBuild
Reason Foundation @LisSnell
Reason Foundation @AaronGarthSmith
Reason Foundation @TKoteskey76
Allovue @AllovueBalance
Allovue @jessgartner
ExcelinEd @ExcelinEd