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Providing Adequate Educational Funding: A State–by–State Analysis of Expenditure Needs
Author(s) -
Rubenstein Ross
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
public budgeting and finance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.694
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1540-5850
pISSN - 0275-1100
DOI - 10.1111/1540-5850.00090
Subject(s) - equity (law) , benchmark (surveying) , public economics , state (computer science) , actuarial science , economics , finance , business , political science , geography , geodesy , algorithm , computer science , law
While school finance research and litigation has traditionally focused on the equity of funding across school districts, courts and policy makers are increasingly addressing the adequacy of educational resources. This article reviews recent developments in adequacy research and estimates the additional expenditures required to achieve adequacy across states. Using the cost–adjusted national median of current per–pupil expenditures as a benchmark for adequacy, the results suggest that additional spending of $15.6–18.5 billion is needed nationally to reach the benchmark in all districts. The additional spending would be concentrated in a small number of states, particularly in urban and urban fringe districts.