Number of Costing-Out Studies Will Continue to Grow in 2004

School funding costing-out studies were conducted at an unprecedented rate during 2003. Final reports were released in Arkansas, Missouri, Washington, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and North Dakota, and 2004 is expected to yield at least as many studies. Currently, 34 studies have been completed or are in the midst of the research process. Although some costing-out studies are court-mandated, such as in New York and Arkansas, other studies have been initiated by state governments or independent education advocacy organizations.

Researchers from the National Conference of State Legislatures expect to release the results of costing-out studies performed in Vermont and Arizona. The Vermont costing-out study, which utilizes both the professional judgment and successful schools methodologies, was initiated by the Vermont Department of Education in accordance with a new state statute. A court-mandated costing-out study measuring the cost of educating English Language Learners (ELL) in Arizona will use a similar combined methodology.

The Minnesota Governor's Task Force on Education Finance Reform is working with researchers to complete a costing-out study in that state. Professional judgment panels have reported to the task force and a final report is expected in early 2004.

The New York Adequacy Study, initiated by the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, Inc. and the New York State School Boards Association, will be released in February 2004. This research project was started before the New York Court of Appeals decision in June 2003 that ordered the completion of a costing-out study as part of its remedy. Researchers from Management and Analysis Planning, Inc. (MAP) and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) have collaborated on this costing-out study. This study incorporates both the professional judgment and successful schools methodology and contains an extensive and unprecedented public engagement component. Researchers and other speakers will highlight the methodology used in the New York study, present alternative methods for costing out an adequate education, and discuss the legal and political context of "adequacy" during a workshop preceding the annual American Education Finance Association (AEFA) Conference on March 11, 2004 in Salt Lake City.

Texas, Hawaii and other states have also commissioned costing-out studies that will likely be released in 2004.

The California Quality Education Model (QEM) Commission will develop "educational components, educational resources, and corresponding costs" necessary "so that the vast majority of pupils can meet [state] academic performance standards," as required by state law. Although the commission was scheduled to release its report in 2004, the new governor is reappointing members and completion of the model is not expected until 2005.

The increased financial burden that the No Child Left Behind Act places on school districts has caused many recent costing-out studies to consider the costs of implementation of the federal mandate. Many studies claim to directly account for the requirements of NCLB, yet further research is currently underway to determine additional funds needed to satisfy the many provisions of the federal law.

Prepared January 14, 2004