“A ‘State of the Art’ Approach to School Finance Adequacy in Kentucky”

February 2003

The study does not attempt to cost out a specific level of achievement.

$565 million or $873 per pupil, bringing average per pupil expenditures from $6,020 to $6,893,
An additional $175 million to expand pre-school services to all children aged 3-4 with incomes below 150 percent of poverty.

Highest spending districts require increases of 8.7 percent $667 per pupil) while lowest spending districts require increases of 22.9 percent ($1,141 per pupil)

The model makes the following assumptions about what a comprehensive educational strategy requires:

High Quality Preschool: one teacher and aide per 15 students
Full Day Kindergarten
Optimal School Size: Approximately 500 students
One Principal per 500 students
Instructional Facilitators/School Based Mentors/Coaches: 2.5 per 500 students
Class Size: 15 in grades K-3; 25 in grades 4-12
Collaborative Planning/Professional Development: additional 20 percent allocation of teachers, providing between 100-200 hours of professional development for each teacher per year
Extra Help for Struggling Students: 1-5 tutors per 500 students
Student Support/Family Outreach – one professional for every 20-25 percent low income students
Ongoing Professional Development: $2,000 per teacher or $50,000-$70,000 per school
Technology: $214 per pupil

This model has not been implemented, although certain features may be enacted separately, e.g. high quality preschool and technology funding.

Evidence-Based Approach

This approach is designed to determine the cost of the components necessary for a research-identified comprehensive educational strategy and estimate an adequate spending base at the school level. In theory, the design is meant to draw upon research in effective educational strategies, instead of the professional judgment of educators, as the Professional Judgment method. The authors suggest that the methodology’s strengths lie in how it draws from the best research and it makes clear the program elements that should be included in each school’s comprehensive strategy.
The consultants also compared their calculation of adequate funding to the actual instructional expenditures for the 2001-2002 school year to find the difference.

Facilities, capital funding/debt service and ELL services were not included in the study.
Assumes costs for students with severe disabilities remain the same as is currently being spent.
No Instructional Aides in the model because research shows that they “do not add value” (21).
Non-Instructional costs (maintenance, food service, security, transportation) were assumed to be constant and left out of the model.
Assumes the same length of school year and kept teacher salaries at current levels.

None.

The Kentucky Department of Education