The Effect of the Current and Alternative Subsidy Systems on Equity among Pennsylvania School Districts [electronic resource] / Bruce P. Merenstein and Gerard L. Brandon.
To provide for its public education system, the state of Pennsylvania pays an Equalized Subsidy for Basic Education (ESBE) to school districts. More than 85 percent of the basic ESBE is distributed inversely to districts on the basis of their wealth. The rest of the ESBE is comprised of numerous sup...
Saved in:
| Online Access: |
Full Text (via ERIC) |
|---|---|
| Main Author: | |
| Corporate Author: | |
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1989.
|
| Subjects: |
| Summary: | To provide for its public education system, the state of Pennsylvania pays an Equalized Subsidy for Basic Education (ESBE) to school districts. More than 85 percent of the basic ESBE is distributed inversely to districts on the basis of their wealth. The rest of the ESBE is comprised of numerous supplements addressing the particular needs of certain types of districts, such as small districts and those with many families receiving welfare payments. Although the subsidy is intended to equalize resources among school districts of varying wealth, instructional expenditures across the state vary widely. The wealthiest 100 school districts spent an average of $4,210 per pupil in 1988-89, and the least affluent 100 school districts spent an average of $2,729. There are two explanations for this wide variation in spending patterns: the unwillingness-to-spend hypothesis and the inability-to-fund hypothesis. The study summarized in this report tests these hypotheses by examining the equity (across wealth groupings) of the current educational subsidy system and various alternative subsidy proposals. Using groups of 100 school districts, data from all 500 operating school districts were analyzed. According to numerous equity measures, it was found that the current system maintains the unequal distribution of instructional resources across wealth groupings. A base guarantee system with no minimum subsidy for school districts would provide the greatest degree of equity at current spending levels. Included are numerous graphs and two appendices providing comparison data and methodology analysis. (MLH) |
|---|---|
| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED324756. Educational level discussed: Elementary Secondary Education. |
| Physical Description: | 22 p. |