Are Student Needs Targeted Funds Allocated to the Schools That Need Them the Most? Voices From the Field

• In Event: School Finance Policy, Equity, and Resource Allocation: Evidence From K–12 and Higher Education

Abstract

For the past eight years, LAUSD has implemented policies t to achieve a more equitable(i.e., the conditional relationship between per-pupil spending and student need) distribution of funds and allow schools to determine how these dollars are spent. More recently in 2018, LAUSD implemented the Students Equity Needs Index (SENI), a new funding mechanism to increase financial school autonomy. This paper explores (1) whether LAUSD K-12 schools with higher student needs receive more resources than schools with lower needs; (2) how LAUSD K-12 schools spend their SENI funds across schools; and (3) how principals from selected K-12 schools are engaged in this process and what are their major challenges.

Authors

• Iliana Brodziak de los Reyes, American Institutes for Research

• Jesse D. Levin, American Institutes for Research

• Drew Atchison, American Institutes for Research

• Alejandra Martin, American Institutes for Research

• Raquel Gonzalez, Social Policy Research Associates

• Caitlin Kearns, American Institutes for Research