Debt, Taxation, and Privatization: Exploring the Inherent Inequities of Local-Control School Facilities Financing Policies

• In Event: Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: The Role of School Finance in the Pursuit of Equity

Abstract

This paper describes the inherent inequities of local control school facilities financing policies, focusing on shifting policies in California. Through investigating the process districts engage in when conducting debt-financing transactions to fund facilities, this work reveals the extent to which facilities programs vary in a state that is increasingly promoting local control while attempting to minimize its responsibility. This paper situates facilities policies within the broader educational privatization movement and explains how private consultants in the industry have increasingly influenced facilities programs over time. This study analyzes facilities programs and highlights the disparate outcomes resulting from policies based on local property values and voters’ willingness and ability to raise taxes. This research focuses on the implications of policies for equity.

Author

• Marialena Dawn Rivera, University of California - Berkeley