SCHOOL FINANCE REFORM: What is Adequate

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SCHOOL FINANCE REFORM What is Adequate?

• Assembly Education Committee
• May 13, 2009
• Jennifer Imazeki
• San Diego State University

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What is adequate funding?
If we want all students to perform at adequate
levels, then we must spend ___ (more)
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What is adequate funding?

• What is adequate performance?
• Different standards ? different
• What are adequate resources for all students?

If we want all students to perform at adequate
levels, then we must spend ___ (more)
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What is adequate funding?

• Cost of adequate performance varies across
  districts
• Differences in costs are factors outside the
  control of local officials
• Student needs, district characteristics, resource
  costs

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Building an Adequate System

• What is an adequate base amount, given
  performance standards?
• Dealing with cost differences across districts
• Which specific costs to include in the state
  formula?
• What are the right cost adjustments (how much
  more is needed for various cost factors)?
• How to adjust for costs (how will money be
  distributed)?

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Building an Adequate System

• States vary widely in how they adjust for cost
  differences across districts
• Categoricals, pupil weights, block grants
• Currently, base and categoricals mostly ad hoc
  (e.g., revenue limits are historical) or based on
  available budget (Prop 98)
• Base should be conceptually tied to goals
• Variations across districts should be tied to
  costs

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What do we know?

• Growing research base on costing out adequacy
• Methods to measure adequacy
• Professional Judgment
• Evidence-Based
• Successful Schools (Beating the odds)
• Econometric (cost functions)

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