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As another school year begins across the country, states can consider how they can make students the center of their school funding systems and drive improved outcomes and greater equity.
First, states can ensure that the funding that goes to school districts is student-centered. Right now, big blocks of funding in many states are locked into specific districts, programs, services and staffing positions. When a student moves from one district to another, only a portion of funding follows. This creates major inequities and perpetuates antiquated instructional models. ExcelinEd has a guide on how states can meaningfully increase the proportion of funding that is student-centered. One first step is to undertake a student-centered funding audit, something ExcelinEd did this year in New Hampshire and South Carolina.
Second, states can ensure that funding follows students when they move from school to school. States typically fund districts, not schools. Once funding arrives at districts, they decide which schools get resources. Serious inequities can exist within districts, and the funding states intend for students with special needs and disadvantages may never reach those students. States can provide incentives for districts to allocate funding to schools more fairly. States can also expose this problem by requiring school-level financial transparency. For a deeper dive, check out ExcelinEd’s model policy.
Finally, states can reward schools whose students perform well. That way high-performing schools have an incentive to serve more students. ExcelinEd developed a modeling tool to show how states can design performance funding so that it is affordable, predictable and equitable. It shows how performance funding can result in significant improvements in student outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged students. Consistent with this design, Texas recently adopted performance funding, with significantly more funding when schools succeed with low-income students.
How to Keep Back to School Time word count: 542
from Busting Your Budget
By Rachel Cruze
I remember as I was growing up, I always thought school was free. I mean, I understood that private school costs money, but I went to public school, and I didn’t think a whole lot about the expenses associated with it.
Now that I’m older, I realize how much parents actually spend on their kids when they go back to school. In fact, the National Retail Federation reports parents plan to spend $696 on back-to-school supplies this year. Isn’t that crazy?
There are the obvious school supplies like notebooks, markers (my favorite!), and backpacks. And as a kid, I always needed new clothes and shoes. But there’s not-so-obvious ones that nickel-and-dime you to death.
One of my coworkers told me that he had to buy football gear for his son that totaled $260. Understandably, it gave him a bit of sticker shock. There’s nothing wrong with paying for this kind of thing if you have the money, but you still need to have a plan for how you’re going to pay for it.
As the school year is gearing back up, it’s important to make a list of things you need to budget for. So, think about these categories and come up with a dollar amount you plan to spend in each one:
I’d like to point out that this is a great time of year to teach your kids that money isn’t in infinite supply. Teach them the value of working within a budget! They don’t need the trendy name-brand shoes, or the flashy notebook that costs more. You’re setting your kids up to win when they understand money can—and often does—run out.
Now, if you’ve already busted your back-to-school budget, here’s what you can do:
Get your budget back on track. Where can you cut back this month to make up for the overspending? Is there anything lying around the house you can sell? Can you pick up some extra hours at work?
Plan for future school expenses. Once school is back in session, there will be other costs that come up. School pictures, yearbooks, field trips and more extracurricular activities are just around the corner. And now you know how to get ahead of them!
I know paying for all these school expenses can feel overwhelming, but if you plan ahead and pay with cash, you’ll feel a lot better when September rolls around!
About Rachel Cruze
As a #1 New York Times best-selling author, host of The Rachel Cruze Show, and The Rachel Cruze Show podcast, Rachel helps people learn the proper ways to handle money and stay out of debt. She’s authored three best-selling books, including Love Your Life, Not Theirs and Smart Money Smart Kids, which she co-wrote with her father, Dave Ramsey. You can follow Cruze on Twitter and Instagram at @RachelCruze and online at www.rachelcruze.com, youtube.com/rachelcruze or facebook.com/rachelramseycruze.
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Join our webinar next Monday 8/19 on the Family First Act and Medicaid.
With the Family First Act set to take effect in October, there are still some lingering questions about how the complex federal mandate will play out.
No issue is generating more interest and angst than the way the new law interacts with Medicaid, the massive federal and state partnership that provides physical and mental health services to millions of low-income Americans.
We’ll discuss how Family First’s “payer of last resort” status impacts use of the law’s prevention services; how the law might expose challenges in funding residential health services; and take as many questions as possible!
With Special Guests
The Chronicle is livestreaming a panel on probation and parole with guests like Van Jones & Vincent Schiraldi.
Jeremey Loudenback will be livestreaming from the American Probation & Parole Association Annual Training Institute, in San Francisco on Monday at 10:30 A.M.
Over 50 probation and parole chiefs from across the nation, along with every major national association representing the probation and parole field, announced the launch of EXiT: Executives Transforming Probation & Parole, to shut off a major pipeline to prison by returning their agencies to the purpose for which they were intended: as alternatives to incarceration.
The panel will discuss transforming community corrections and stopping the revolving door of incarceration.
Joining the Conversation
TUNE IN AT 10:30 A.M. ON MONDAY 8/19
All month long we're profiling child welfare policy recommendations from former foster youth.
Every week during August there will be three profiles of child welfare policy proposals from the Foster Youth Interns on Capitol Hill! Last week's profiles: Getting Tough on Educational Stability, Emotional Support After Permanency, and Individual Care Plans for Disabled Foster Youth.
CATCH UP ON IDEAS FROM THE EXPERTS
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Do you care about the child welfare system? Are you great a building relationships? Want to support nonprofit journalism? We're looking for an Account Manager to join our team! This position's primary function is to sell subscriptions and sponsorships in FMC publications by building relationships with public and private entities across the nation. Learn more here.
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