Funding

Funding is often a controversial subject, especially now during unsettling economic times. Here you will find information on the issues including the use of federal stimulus money for education in Georgia. Posting here does not imply Georgia Partnership endorsement.

Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs
New York Times

Tucked away in an $87 billion higher education bill that passed the House last week was a broad new federal initiative aimed at raising quality in the early learning and care programs. (September 2009)

Educating the Public - How Information Effects Americans' Support for School Spending and Charter Schools
Hoover Institute

Most people express strong opinions about public education. But only a few know the basic facts about the public schools: how much they spend, how well teachers are paid, and what schools can and cannot do. Press release. (June 2009)

Professional Rigor, Public Engagement and Judicial Review: A Proposal for Enhancing the Validity of Education Adequacy Studies
Teachers College Record

This article provides the first detailed analysis of judicial critiques of the state of the art of “costing out” studies in order to recommend improvements to the current practice of costing-out educational adequacy. (May 2009)

Balancing Cut-Backs at Schools is Essential to Ensuring Equity of Opportunity
UCLA's Center for Mental Health in Schools

The authors protest deep cuts to student support services in public schools, which they say are the first to go and the hardest hit in times of austerity. (February 2009)

NC High School Resource Allocation Study - Final Report
University of North Carolina's Institute for Public Policy

This study looks at how low-performing high school are performing using current funding levels and if high schools are getting the most out of available resources. (Concluded February 2008, posted here February 2009)

Projections on State Budget Shortfalls on K-12 Public Education Spending and Job Loss
Center for Reinventing Education

This report finds that states will probably cut an estimated 18.5 percent of spending over the next three years, an $80 billion drop that could eliminate 574,000 publicly funded jobs and severely impact public education. (February 2009)

Facing the Future - Financing Productive Schools
Center on Reinventing Public Education on the School Finance Redesign Project

When districts spend more money on wealthy students than they do on poor students, more money on electives than on core academic courses, and more on Advanced Placement program classes than on remedial instruction, the education finance system is out of kilter. (January 2009)

Lawsuit Status - Frequently Asked Questions
Consortium for Adequate School Funding in Georgia

Has the Consortium dropped its lawsuit on Georgia's constitutional funding obligation to the schools? Here's the answer. (December 2008)

School Finance Redesign Project
Center on Reinventing Public Education

This report is designed to help elected officials better understand how the finance system works and how to identify their options in allocating resources to support K-12 education. (February 2008)

There is much being said about the education stimulus funds (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - ARRA) now being allocated. Here you will find related articles, reports and sources of information that will serve to help clarify this complicated issue. (Scroll down to "Related stories" for the latest media reports on stimulus funding issues.)

Education Week Reference Information: Schools and the Stmulus

An Early Look at the Economic Stimulus Package and the Public Schools: Perspectives from State Leaders - Center on Education Policy Report

Governor's Office of Student Achievement Posts Race to Top Info

U.S. DOE Releases 'Race to Top Fund' Competition Rules

Georgia DOE Stimulus Web Site

Georgia's Application for Initial Funding Under the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund

Summary of Federal Recovery Funds for Georgia - Georgia Budget and Policy Institute

General Stimulus Accountability - Georgia

Georgia School Districts to Get $660 Million

Overview of the Recovery Act - U.S. Department of Education

How States and School Districts Can Use Federal Stimulus Funds to Support Proficiency by Third Grade - New America Foundation

U.S. Department of Education - Ed Review (Sign up for biweekly updates)