Dollars and Outcomes: How Federal, State, and Local Finance Policies Shape Public Schools

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

The papers in this session examine the design, implementation, and efficacy of fiscal policies and targeted funding mechanisms in public education. Collectively, the papers explore how federal tax reforms and state-level resource allocation formulas shape equity and student outcomes across diverse educational landscapes. The first study evaluates how macro-level shifts from the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act ripple down to influence local financial and public support for schools. The next paper examines California's Differentiated Assistance framework to understand how targeted state accountability interventions alter district resource allocation and subsequent student achievement. Paper 3 turns to geographic equity to assess the efficacy of specialized state financial assistance directed at meeting the unique needs of rural school districts in Massachusetts. Finally, the session explores funding formulas in Maryland to determine optimal, data-driven resource thresholds based on local concentrations of student poverty. Across all four papers, this scholarship offers insights into how policymakers leverage targeted aid, accountability frameworks, and broader tax structures to distribute educational resources equitably and drive institutional improvement.

Policy Area

• Education

Chair

• Jacob Rosson Hibel, University of California, Davis

Discussant

• Sarah Souders, American University

Individual Presentations

• The Impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act on Support for Schools - Non-Presenting Co-Author: William Hoyt, University of Kentucky; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Tangchen Liu, University of Kentucky; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Caroline Weber, University of Kentucky; Presenting Author: Ron W Zimmer, University of Kentucky

• The Impact of California's Differentiated Assistance on Resource Allocation and Student Achievement - Presenting Author: Sean Tanner, WestEd

• Did Rural School Aid Work? Evidence from Massachusetts - Presenting Author: Wei Gao, Boston College; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Olivia Chi, Boston University; Non-Presenting Co-Author: Shaun M Dougherty, Boston College

• Funding Public Schools in Maryland: Determining a Poverty Concentration-Based Threshold - Non-Presenting Co-Author: Angela Henneberger, University of Maryland; Presenting Author: Bess A Rose, University of Maryland