| Study Title: |
"Alternative
Approaches for Determining a Base Figure and Pupil-Weighted
Adjustments for Use in a School Finance System in
New Hampshire" |
| |
|
| Date Completed: |
November
1998 |
| |
|
| Calculated Base Costs: |
Method #1: $4,681 per pupil (elementary); $5,449
per pupil (secondary) |
| |
Method #2: $4,447 per pupil (elementary); $5,487
per pupil (secondary) |
| |
Method #3: $4,287 per pupil (elementary); $5,254
per pupil (secondary) |
| |
Method #4: $4,145 per pupil (elementary); $4,722
per pupil (secondary) |
| |
|
| Major Recommendations: |
State must decide between the four methods. The
authors of the study calculated that using Method
#1 or Method #4 as the base cost, adding in special
education, vocational education, and at-risk pupil
weights, and factoring in transportation, would
result in a target revenue of $1.11 billion or $983
million for 1998-1999). |
| |
State must decide what combination of state and
local revenues will provide this money. |
| |
|
| Special Features of the Study: |
Includes
four sample scenarios of total non-capital revenue
needed and "the ways the revenues might be
generated." |
| |
|
| Implementation: |
The
Commission that received the study removed the
higher spending 50 percent of the identified districts
in Method #4, calculated the average cost based
only on the lowest spending 50 percent of the
identified districts, and recommended that level
of funding.
Legislature
implemented Method #4 (lowest cost method based
solely on outputs), with the Commission's modification,
and applied an additional "discount figure"
of 9.75% to account for "beyond adequate"
activities such as sports, band, and culinary
arts. The base cost figure calculated with 1999
data was $3,311. No provision was made for inflation
in future years.
|
| |
|
| Methodology:
|
Successful Schools |
| |
Input measures: teachers per 1,000 pupils, other
professional staff per 1,000 pupils, administrators
per 1,000 pupils, starting teacher salary, and average
teacher salary |
| |
Output measures: attendance, drop-out rate, performance
(average percentage scoring advanced, proficient,
and basic across all applicable tests) |
| |
Four different ways to use input and output measures
to identify "successful schools": |
| |
Method #1: all input and output factors. Input
factors, attendance, and performance at 20th
percentile
|
| |
Method #2: two
input factors (teachers per 1,000, other staff
per 1,000) and all output factors. Input factors
at 20th percentile; output factors at 30th percentile
|
| |
Method #3: two
input factors and all output factors. Ceiling
for input factors at 80th percentile (as an
efficiency measure); output factors at 40th
percentile
|
| |
Method #4: one
output measure (performance). Performance at
40 to 60 percent
|
| |
Calculated resources for pupils with special needs
by applying existing special-education weights to
new base cost and adding a 10% weight for at-risk
students regardless of their concentration |
| |
|
| Additional Factors: |
The
study included consideration of transportation and
efficiency (in method #3). The study did not consider
facilities and food service. |
| |
|
| Public Input: |
None |
| |
|
| Prepared for: |
The
Adequate Education Costs and Municipal Grant Distribution
Commission of New Hampshire, authorized by state
statute |
| |
|
| Prepared by: |
Augenblick
& Myers, Inc. |
