SCHOOL FINANCE TOOLKIT “MINING THE FORMULA” Dr. Bill Caruthers, Supt., Silo Public Schools

When is a kid just a kid?  In FY 09 (the year prior to the cuts) the average funding for an individual student was $3, This number is somewhat misleading because it is only paid on a 1 to 1 basis in grades 4 through 6.  Students enrolled in grades 4-6 are just kids, unless………. More to come later!

GRADE WEIGHTS  Oklahoma students are placed into “grade weights” within the formula. (PK=1.3, K=1.5, 1 st & 2 nd = and so on through the scale. This means that a Kindergarten student is worth 1.5 on the weight scale or 150% of the $3, mentioned earlier. That means he’s really worth $4,833.60, but…….

GRADE WEIGHTS CONTINUED  The formula doesn’t compute it quite like that even though that is what it really means. In the formula the “.3’s” and “.5’s” and so on are added up and calculated as “weighted enrollment” or “extra kids” added to your enrollment for funding purposes. So we aren’t really funded on how many real or “raw” members we have enrolled, but the final “weighted” numbers we total. That is why it is critical that our records are kept well.

GRADE WEIGHTS (More)  Grade weights don’t automatically rise as kids get older. In fact, they go down through grades 3-6 and then rise slightly though the secondary grades. Thus, even if your enrollment remains static for 12 years in a row, funding will still fluctuate somewhat as the kids pass through the various grade weights.

SPECIAL EDUCATION  Similar to grade weights, the disabilities of special education students are also weighted, based on the perceived amount of “extra” money it may take to educate these kids.  Therefore, a hearing impaired student carries a 2.9 weight or 290% of the $3, or $9,344.96, again show as extra or “Weighted” ADM  Special Ed. kids sometimes have more than one disability. Multiple weights are then “stacked” within the formula.

Special Ed Addendum  If we serve any kids classified as “Multi- Handicapped” during the summer to combat any regression or just continue services, another funding category arises….SUMMER PROGRAM. Students in this category generate another weight of 1.2 on top of everything else.

GIFTED STUDENTS  Students classified as Gifted and Talented get an additional weight of.34 or…..Do They?  Actually there are two classifications of GT. They are: IQ and Multi-Criterion.  Multi-Criterion are limited to 8% of their total school enrollment; IQ qualifiers are unlimited. So…..

BILINGUAL and ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED  These two weights, although very different in origin, each carry a.25 weight.  The bilingual weight is given to those students who score accordingly on an LEP (Limited English Proficiency) test, have predominantly another language spoken at home, and/or have been in an American school less than 3 consecutive years.  Economically disadvantaged = all students who qualify for free or reduced lunches as shown by Federal guidelines. This makes getting the paperwork back and processed, as well as utilizing other means of certification such as direct certification from the state imperative. See notes:

FINAL FACTORS (You may or may not influence)  There are three more factors that can possibly add to your Weighted ADM.  TEACHER INDEX: Each year the state calculates the median experience and degree level of Oklahoma teachers and arrives at a figure. If your faculty meets or exceeds this number, you get corresponding adds to your Weighted ADM. If not, no $.  SMALL SCHOOL and ISOLATION FACTOR also figure in. If you have more than 130 square miles in your district and/or fewer than 500 students or have a student population density of less than 2.27 per square miles, you are in the money. If not, too bad.

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?  “Mine” your formula. Check to see if all of your kids are listed correctly.  Special Ed, Free and Reduced, grade weights, and the others, can all be easily calculated.  Serve the kids and benefit your bottom line.  Despite risking appearing somewhat mercenary, the reality is that if we take a closer look at our kids, we end up knowing and serving each of them better.