The Distribution of District Funding Increases and Student Success: Evidence From California's Local Control Funding Formula

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session 8
  In Roundtable Session: Allocating Resources for Success and Equity: Examinations of Funding Policies and Implementation

Abstract

This paper studies the distribution of funding and resources across and within school districts in California under the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). The LCFF increased funding for districts with higher shares of low-income, foster youth, and English Learner students, but there is little evidence as to how resources were distributed within-district, and the extent to which student outcomes improved. School-level spending data show that roughly 55 cents of every dollar in additional funding generated at a school site is spent there, with considerable heterogeneity across districts. Differences-in-differences and regression kink discontinuity estimates show increases in math and ELA test scores and completion of college preparatory courses after several years of increased funding.

Author

• Julien Lafortune, Public Policy Institute of California