Cost and Financing

Court decision, two new laws have big impact on school finance in three Midwestern states

By
Tim Anderson
|
Monday, October 23, 2017 at 11:05 AM
CSG Midwest
Three big developments in education finance occurred in the Midwest over the past few months — a major state Supreme Court ruling in Kansas, a new school-funding formula in Illinois, and a change in the retirement plans for Michigan teachers. Here is a brief look at what happened in each state.

The End of Lunch Shaming and the Hunger-Free Students' Bill of Rights Act: 5 Questions with Senator Michael Padilla

By
Matthew Shafer
|
Tuesday, April 25, 2017 at 11:35 AM
Senator Michael Padilla

As a student, New Mexico senator Michael Padilla had to mop floors, clean tables, and set up chairs in order to receive his lunch. This type of “lunch shaming” is what New Mexico’s SB 374 or Hunger Free Students’ Bill of Rights Act seeks to eliminate from public schools.

Full court pressure: Recent Supreme Court ruling in Kansas serves as a reminder of the judiciary's power to shape state school funding

By
Tim Anderson
|
Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at 02:23 PM
CSG Midwest logo

In the decades-long legal battles over school funding, different states have taken turns in the national spotlight. All eyes were on Ohio in the late 1990s, for example, after its state Supreme Court ruled on multiple occasions that the K-12 funding system was unconstitutional — due to an overreliance on local property taxes and a failure to deliver a “thorough and efficient system of common schools.”

North Dakota bucks school finance trends, and reshapes how its K-12 schools are funded

By
Tim Anderson
|
Wednesday, November 6, 2013 at 03:44 PM
Over the past six years, most U.S. states have cut per-pupil funding for education, with double-digit reductions not uncommon. And then there is the case of North Dakota. Lawmakers there have taken advantage of the state’s remarkable economic ascent to completely remake how K-12 education is funded. In doing so, the legislature has accomplished what policymakers in many other states have tried but failed to do — take the burden of paying for schools off the backs of local property taxpayers.

Educational ROI—It's More Than Money

By
Pam Goins
|
Monday, April 22, 2013 at 01:55 PM

Schools Strive to FInd Efficiences, Ways to Improve Academic Output

Unlike other school districts across the country, Clark County, Nev., was bursting at the seams.

Over a 25-year period, the district saw an increase of 200,000 students with a rapidly changing set of demographics. Before school officials knew it, they found themselves operating the fifth-largest district in the United States. Each year, the district added as many as 16 new schools and hired thousands of new teachers and staff to meet the demands of their growing system.

CSG Education Group Hosts Deeper Learning Focus Group

By
Pam Goins
|
Friday, March 1, 2013 at 06:17 PM

CSG's Deeper Learning Focus Group is meeting this weekend in Boca Raton, Fla. to discuss financial strategies to implement innovation and transformation in K-12 education.  Members represent school administrators, state legislators, state department of education officials, national education agencies, local boards and state board of education members.

Voters send mixed messages on higher taxes for education

By
Tim Weldon
|
Friday, November 9, 2012 at 11:53 AM

Are voters willing to dig a little deeper in their pockets to fund public education? The answer depends entirely where they live. Voters in three states weighed in on the question during Tuesday's election: Arizona, California and South Dakota. In only one state, California, did the measure pass.

Schools Struggle with Cuts as State Revenues Continue to Lag

By
Jennifer Ginn
|
Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 01:38 PM

In early July, one unusual item came up for bid on the online auction giant eBay. The listing read, “One Slightly Used But Extremely Successful Pennsylvania Public High School.”

The high school in question was The Learning Center, an alternative school in the Neshaminy School District. The district, faced with a $14 million deficit, considered closing the school, according to news reports. The eBay listing—which had bids starting at just under $600,000—offered one lucky buyer naming rights, a large pizza, a coffee mug and the chance to deliver the commencement address.

Return on Education Investment

By
Pam Goins
|
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 02:31 PM

Policymakers, parents and stakeholders are demanding improvements in public education by raising metrics of academic success, pushing for progress in low performing schools, and raising the bar on teacher and leader effectiveness. Differences in funding formulas, allocations and revenue have created disparate funding across the states. These variations in spending per student impact the educational opportunities provided as states ramp up their educational reform. This session highlighted various options states can implement to address the critical budget deficits.

How States Can Stretch the School Dollar

By
Pam Goins
|
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 02:25 PM

Policymakers, parents and stakeholders are demanding improvements in public education by raising metrics of academic success, pushing for progress in low performing schools, and raising the bar on teacher and leader effectiveness. Differences in funding formulas, allocations and revenue have created disparate funding across the states. These variations in spending per student impact the educational opportunities provided as states ramp up their educational reform. This session highlighted various options states can implement to address the critical budget deficits.

Pages