Lining Up Equity, Transparency, and Flexibility

As part of its series Practical Tools for District Transformation, Education Resources Strategies has released a guide on school funding strategies for district leaders. The guide aims to help leaders make cuts with the least impact on the neediest students and schools, shift current spending to where it can make the most difference, increase spending where it is most needed, and lay the groundwork for long-term change. The guide’s operating premise is that schools need to get their “fair share” of district money to meet the needs of their students (equity), in ways that everyone can easily understand (transparency), and in ways that allow them to use resources to meet their unique needs (flexibility). Unfortunately, these three funding goals are rarely achieved. The guide includes a self-assessment to determine whether a district is achieving equity, transparency, and flexibility, and provides ways to learn more about these concepts, as well as the causes of misalignment between resource allocation and strategic goals. It also has worksheets that detail methodologies to identify misalignments in a district, with suggested remedies. It also can help leaders to determine priorities for reallocation of resources and the leveraging of federal dollars.

See the School Funding Guide