ERS Team

Abel Girma

Principal Associate

Email Abel

Since joining ERS, Abel has supported numerous district partners transform their resource use and strategic practices to improve student outcomes. Internally, Abel helps lead ERS' Funding Practice Area, which advances ERS knowledge and methodology on how districts can allocate and manage resources across their school portfolios. Abel has deep experience with the ins-and-outs of school funding systems, particularly with student-based budgeting (SBB), having supported numerous districts with SBB design and implementation.

His work has taken him to:

• District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), where he is leading work to support the design and implementation of a Student-Based Budgeting system for FY23. Abel has previously supported DCPS with resource use analyses to evaluate alignment between the district's funding system and strategic priorities
• Akron Public Schools, where he is supporting the development of a shared fact base about how people, time and money are allocated and used, and informing the district’s ESSER strategy and financial planning
• Lowell Public Schools, where he supported the CFO evolve and update the district’s SBB formula and school budgeting tools 
• Louisiana, where he supported the Assumption Parish school system identify key human capital and school planning challenges and opportunities
• Fort Worth Independent School District (FWISD), where he supported the development of a strategically-aligned staffing model, and school planning and scheduling process
• Delaware, where he is currently working to identify opportunities for financially sustainable teacher residency pathways
• Washington State, where he supported the creation of a customized assessment of district conditions to accelerate math performance and close racial achievement gaps

Abel has also led work to:

• Inform federal policy around the implementation of ESSER and ARP (see ERS comments on ARP Maintenance of Equity Statutory Requirements)
• Plan and facilitate an Alliance for Resource Equity convening of district equity leaders around the country to promote cross- functional collaboration between finance and equity leaders

Abel brings additional national EdFinance experience as a Spring 2021 cohort participant in Georgetown University’s Certificate of Education Finance program. 

Prior to joining ERS, Abel was an Associate with the Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm. At BCG, he supported private and public sector clients across multiple industries on strategic projects. Abel studied Economics and Philosophy at Brown University.