This policy brief lists fifteen concrete ways that states can “stretch the school dollar” in these difficult financial times. Written by Marguerite Roza, senior data and economics advisor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Michael J. Petrilli, executive vice president at the Fordham Institute, it argues that budget cuts alone, without concurrent reforms, could set our schools back years. But by addressing state mandates around teacher tenure, “last hired, first fired” policies, minimum class sizes, and more, states can free local leaders’ hands to make smart, courageous cuts and do more with less. In other words, this challenging climate is an opportunity to make some real changes in education. Read on to find out more.
15 Ways that States Can Stretch the School Dollar
- End “last hired, first fired” practices.
- Remove class-size mandates.
- Eliminate mandatory salary schedules.
- Eliminate state mandates regarding work rules and terms of employment.
- Remove “seat time” requirements.
- Merge categorical programs and ease onerous reporting requirements.
- Create a rigorous teacher evaluation system.
- Pool health-care benefits.
- Tackle the fiscal viability of teacher pensions.
- Move toward weighted student funding.
- Eliminate excess spending on small schools and small districts.
- Allocate spending for learning-disabled students as a percent of population.
- Limit the length of time that students can be identified as English Language Learners.
- Offer waivers of non-productive state requirements.
- Create bankruptcy-like loan provisions.
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