School Funding Is Political: How Framing Impacts School Funding Referenda Outcomes (Poster 48)

• In Event: Saturday Poster Session 9:35 am
  In Poster Session: School Funding Is Political: How Framing Impacts School Funding Referenda Outcomes

Abstract

In this qualitative case study, we examined two tax levy referenda within six months, the first failing and the second passing in the Sequoya School District. Throughout the referendum processes, debates about school funding were intertwined with debates about the purposes of education, many of which reflected ongoing national concerns, such as LGBTQ+ rights. Opponents cited mistrust of and waste by the school district, while proponents argued the value of school as a public good. While the debates were ostensibly about funding schools, ultimately the community used it as a way to argue their beliefs about schooling. Our findings suggest that practitioners, policy makers, and researchers should devote attention to both the technical and the socio-political dimensions of school funding.

Authors

• Lena Batt, University of Kansas

• Caitlin Ione Brecklin, University of North Dakota

• Nolan Schad, University of Kansas