Tag Archives: backpack funding

For those intrepid enough to dive into the complex and confusing world of school finance, ExcelinEd’s new Student Centered State Funding: A How To Guide for States is an exceptional outline to learn about the benefits of student-based funding. Student-based funding is a clear, logical way to maximize the efficiency of funding and equitably finance school districts. A base amount of funding is granted to each student that follows them to any district they choose to attend. The amount is increased for students with disadvantages, such as those in special education programs or in poverty. The amount that funding increases for disadvantaged students in a student-based funding model is determined by a multiplier. Let’s say (using hypothetical base funding and multipliers for this example) that the base funding for an average student is $5,000. If the student in question was an English language learner, then we would increase the multiplier from 1 to 1.5. Now, the student would receive (1.5 x 5,000) $7,500 in funding. Disadvantaged or not, whatever district the student chooses to attend, the funding will follow. In the creation and maintaining of a student-based funding plan, ExcelinEd emphasizes five steps: Establish a base funding amount that every […]

As most of you know, and as I will proudly proclaim once again, your pal Little Eddie has officially turned six. I’m practically a grown-up. That means I have more liberty to stay up later, make choices regarding vegetable consumption at dinner, and riddle my blog posts with six-year-old snark. To ring in my newfound maturity, I need a big, important post. And what could be bigger or more important than the fact that we now stand on the cusp of ESEA reauthorization? We’ve talked a fair amount about the somewhat tortured ESEA reauthorization process since last January.  After some rough waters earlier this year, grinding work during the summer led to what I thought was a fairly promising reauthorization bill passing in the U.S. House of Representatives. Shortly thereafter, the U.S. Senate followed suit by passing its own bipartisan bill. Conflicts between the more conservative House bill and the more moderate Senate bill (and the White House, which has been a little weird about the whole thing) necessitated a conference committee between the chambers to work out differences. Now, after months of waiting, what looks like a viable compromise bill has emerged. It’s getting a fair amount of praise […]