Since 1971, all but five states have been sued over educational equity and adequacy in school funding. In twenty-seven of these states, the plaintiffs won. In this section we highlight model state policies that ensure schools in poor districts have access to financial resources at least equal to their more fortunate counterparts.
More Information:
- New Rules Project’s section on Small Schools vs. Big Schools
Equal Educational Opportunity Act – Vermont
The Vermont legislature passed Act 60, The Equal Educational Opportunity Act, in June 1997, following a February state Supreme Court ruling in a class-action suit that Vermont’s method of paying for education was inequitable and unconstitutional.… Read More
School Funding Formula – New Mexico
New Mexico’s school funding formula has long been considered one of the most equalized in the nation. A state will tend to have more equalized funding when several conditions apply: a) the state takes on a larger share of the funding (as opposed to when individual school districts raise the majority of funds through property taxes); b) states target their funding to poorer districts, and; c) states take into account regional differences in the cost of education (for instance, it is more expensive to educate a child in New York City than in Plattsburgh.)… Read More
Small School Funding – Vermont
In 1997, Vermont adopted a new system of funding education under Vermont Act 60 – The Equal Educational Opportunity Act (EEOA). Unlike most states, Vermont choose to provide additional funding to cover the higher costs of the state’s smallest school districts. An extra $1 million per year was allocated to districts with fewer than 100 students.… Read More