Exploring the Discourse of Local Education Finance: A District Case Study

• In Event: 56.055 - Equity and Adequacy in Public School Funding: Considering State and District Investments in Schools

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to enhance understanding of how school finance debates play out at the local district level. Though a grounded-theory case study, the paper examines how different education stakeholders speak about education funding issues in public settings. Concepts of equity, adequacy, transparency, sufficiency, and investment are examined. Results suggest that the discourse of local education finance often lacks the common ground necessary for more fruitful conversations. The same terms may be used by various stakeholders and interest groups, but their usage of these words reveals divergent thinking about them.

Authors

• Ean Fonseca, Johns Hopkins University

• Sol Bee Jung, Johns Hopkins University

• Eric P Rice, Johns Hopkins University