IS VIRGINIA SCHOOL FUNDING FAIR? David Sciarra, Executive Director TCI Policy Summit , November 11, 2106

State Policy A Formula for Inequity Unfair Funding Inadequate Resources Unfair Funding Concentrated Poverty Poor Outcomes

What is Fair School Funding? “Fair” school funding is defined as a state finance system that provides a sufficient level of funding to ensure equality of educational opportunity, with funding distributed to districts within the state to account for additional needs generated by student poverty. Baker, Sciarra, Farrie, National Report Card: Is School Funding Fair? www.schoolfundingfairness.org

Fair School Funding: Core Principles States should provide varying levels of funding to ensure equal educational opportunities to children with different needs. A “progressive” finance system allocates more funding to districts with high levels of student poverty; a “regressive” system allocates less to those districts; and a “flat” system allocates roughly the same across districts with varying needs.

Low Income Students (FRL) are the majority in 18 states Source: Southern Education Foundation, A New Majority: Low Income Students in the South and Nation, Oct. 2015

Change in per student funding 2008-2014 Virginia 12.4% Source: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,

Funding Level (at 20% Census Poverty) 2014 Is School Funding Fair, A National Report Card 6th Ed. (forthcoming)

Funding Level, 2007-2014

South coast Funding Profile

Gulf Coast Funding Profile

Effort, 2013

For more information… Please visit: Is School Funding Fair? www.schoolfundingfairness.org Education Law Center www.edlawcenter.org