Aligning School Finance with Academic Standards: A Weighted-Student Formula Based on a Survey of Practitioners

This study uses budget simulations completed by teachers, principals, and district superintendents to answer a central question: What resources do California schools need to ensure that more students meet the academic standards set by the state? Answering this question requires addressing several intermediate questions:

1. How would education professionals design an effective school and use extra resources if they were available?
2. What student performance outcomes do professionals predict based on changes in student characteristics and school-level resources?
3. What are estimated costs for each school district, factoring in district-level expenditures, and how do they vary?
4. Based on the above information, what is the estimated level of total spending needed for California’s public schools to meet the state’s goal of an 800 on the Academic Performance Index (API) or related targets for the percent of students scoring proficient or above on the California Standards Tests (CSTs)?