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READ AFTON'S "TRENDS IN EDUCATION FINANCE"

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Washington Post, 12/7/17

Public dollars for private school tuition?

Washington D.C.: Five other states have education savings account programs but all are restricted to certain groups of students, such as students with disabilities, or the children of military families. If the Cruz-Meadows measure becomes law, the District’s program would be the first to allow any K-12 student to enroll in private school with public money. (Nevada introduced an education savings account program in 2015 that would have been open to any child, but it was struck down by the courts.)

Alternative Education Models and Funding Mechanisms
Chalkbeat Indiana, 12/12/17

IPS’ new budget plan is supposed to give more money to poor schools. Here’s how it works.

A year ago, Indianapolis Public Schools embarked on a radical change: Instead of patching together school budgets based on each school’s programs and challenges, district leaders decided to distribute money through a clear formula based on students’ needs. The overarching principle was that schools with many poor students should get more from the district than schools with middle-class students — and that principals should get to decide how that money is spent.

Local Education Funding
NPR, 12/7/17

What a tax overhaul could mean for students and schools

The House and Senate are working to reconcile their versions of a tax plan, but one thing is certain: Big changes are ahead for the nation’s schools and colleges…On average, nearly half of public schools’ funding (45 percent) comes from local taxes, often property taxes. In the past, when locals hiked these taxes to help pay for their schools, the federal government made the hike hurt less with that SALT deduction. So imagine, if Congress caps the property tax deduction, for high earners who already pay a lot — in places like New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, even Texas — a new hike would hurt more than it used to.

Federal Education Funding
U.S. News and World Report, 12/8/17

State education finance systems take center stage

But given the complexities of school finance systems, the lack of education policy expertise among those who control the purse strings, as well as the political landmines that come with any attempt to alter funding streams – all of which researchers from the Urban Institute examine in a new paper – lawmakers broaching the topic have rarely succeeded in crafting truly equitable systems, education finance experts say.

State Education Funding
Las Vegas Review-Journal, 12/1/17

Nevada district finalizes millions more in budget cuts

The savings stem in part from a cut to a school associate superintendent position and the reduction of the district’s unassigned ending fund balance — a kind of reserve — from 1.75 percent of general fund revenue to 0.78 percent. And the district will freeze all nonessential central office travel to reduce mileage for an estimated savings of $683,641. The last round of budget cuts means that more than 200 filled positions and over 136 vacant jobs have been reduced to cover a deficit that of just over $60 million.

State Education Funding
Chalkbeat, 11/22/17

Burdened by school retiree costs, Memphis leaders explore dropping new-hire benefits

Memphis leaders have been grappling for years with how to cut a $1 billion-plus liability for retiree benefits through Shelby County Schools. But even as they’ve put options on the table, they’ve never settled on a sure-fire reduction plan. Now school board members are exploring one extreme option anew: eliminating all retiree benefits for employees hired after January of 2018.

Pension Costs
Brown Center Chalkboard, 11/30/17

States be aware: Cost savings for dual enrollment elude state ledgers

If high schoolers can get a jump on college credits, state lawmakers figure the state will save big later when those same kids get to college and need fewer classes to gain a degree. But here’s the problem: Our recent cost analysis in three states reveals that dual enrollment yielded no state savings at all, though they did lower students’ direct costs for earning the same credit.

Alternative Education Models and Funding Mechanisms Higher Ed
The New York Times, 12/5/17

How effective is your school district? A new measure shows where students learn the most

It’s true that children in prosperous districts tend to test well, while children in poorer districts on average score lower. But in this analysis, which measures how scores grow as student cohorts move through school, the Stanford researcher Sean Reardon argues that it’s possible to separate some of the advantages of socioeconomics from what’s actually happening in schools.

Local Education Funding
Urban Institute, 11/29/17

How do school funding formulas work?

These formulas often attempt to account for state and district revenue and anticipated differences among districts. What they cannot always account for, however, is how districts might respond to different incentives. In these often complex funding models, states aim to strike a balance between giving localities some control while maintaining enough control at the state level to ensure all students can access a quality education.

Local Education Funding State Education Funding