Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, March 2016

Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter

Student-Based Budgeting Newsletter, March 2016

"We believe instructional needs should drive funding and budget decisions, not the other way around."

Notable Quotable:

“We believe instructional needs should drive funding and budget decisions, not the other way around.”- Chris Henson, Chief Financial Officer, Metro Nashville Public Schools

Student Based Budgeting in the News

MNS Principal: Student-Based Budgeting to Impact Students for Years to Come
Metro Nashville Schools implemented student-based budgeting in 2015-2016 to empower principals. The district will continue to work toward improving funding transparency with a new database that will be available to parents.

ESSA Negotiators to Address Key Title I Requirement
Every Student Succeeds Act negotiators drafting proposed regulations are expected to clarify the fate of the three tests that determine whether districts adhere to Title I’s “supplement-not-supplant” provision.

School Funding Report: Is Funding Fair?
Researchers at Rutgers University released a comprehensive report that evaluates states on four measures of funding fairness, including equity.

Wisconsin Districts Fund “Phantom” Students
The state’s new revenue limit adjustment program allows districts to raise property taxes to compensate for enrollment declines.

Student Based Budgeting 101

Equitable Funding Results in Better Outcomes
Budget increases alone won’t improve student outcomes in Pennsylvania, writes StudentsFirst’s Ashley DeMauro. Policymakers need to focus on the “how”.

Student-Based Budgeting Keeps Focus on Students
Chief Financial Officer Chris Henson takes a deliberate approach to ensure that every dollar spent is focused on Metro Nashville Schools’ mission.

Best Practices Spotlight

How Student-Based Budgeting is Revolutionizing Special Education
Reason’s Tyler Koteskey and Lisa Snell show how districts such as Boston, Hartford, and New Orleans are employing tiered funding weights to ensure that resources are tailored to the needs of its students. The results of such efforts are promising.

Follow School Finance Groups and Experts on Twitter