Providing Evidence to Inform a District Student-based Budgeting Initiative

Providing Evidence to Inform a District Student-based Budgeting Initiative

Student-based budgeting (SBB), also known as weighted student funding or fair student funding, allocates dollars to schools based on the number of enrolled students, where each student receives a funding weight based on need. Deciding which student-based factors to weigh, and the weight to apply to these factors, can drastically impact how resources are allocated to schools.

In 2016, our research team worked collaboratively with Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to provide technical assistance in three areas related to the district’s SBB initiative:  (1) weights for allocating resources; (2) degree of expenditure flexibility once schools meet staffing requirements, and (3) actual school purchase and hiring decisions.  Ultimately, the Basis team provided Nashville leaders with a detailed look into the types of purchasing and hiring decisions made by district schools and how these spending patterns varied by levels of schooling and school type.

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