![]() Weak links assuredly will derail well-meaning attempts at equitable funding. The success of student-weighted, student-based formulas requires the full commitment of governance teams. According to ERS, a national nonprofit that partners with district, school, and state leaders to transform how they use resources (people, time, and money), student-based funding is a system where dollars follow students based on need using objective, measurable, and weighted characteristics. Student-based budgeting can be quite complex. ![]() So just what does “intentional allocation of resources” mean? The simple definition is that school funding is allocated based on the needs of the student, rather than teacher-student ratios. Several districts across the country have attempted this process, some with success and others -not so much. The notion of student-based budgeting or weighted-student formulas is not new to conversations about equity in education policy. With this data, it should have been easy to fund based on need. Also overwhelming were the complexities of funding a 145,000-student system, where 90,000 students ride a bus to school each day, and nearly 70 percent of them are eligible for free and reduced-price meals. ![]() Educational equity is the intentional allocation of resources, instruction, and opportunities according to need, requiring that discriminatory practices, prejudices, and beliefs be identified and eradicated.”Īs a former school board member, I vividly remember the challenge of combing through the nearly $2 billion budget: The struggle of low academic achievement, competing programs, and rising transportation costs often were overwhelming to tackle. We recognize that based on factors including but not limited to disability, race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, students are deprived of equitable educational opportunities. It has been more than a year since NSBA’s Board of Directors set a vision and defined educational equity: “We affirm in our actions that each student can, will, and shall learn.
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