Topic: Governance and Finance
Governance & Finance
SREB reports on education governance and finance actions in member states and, by request, researches specific issues to help policymakers understand and compare practices in other states.
School District Consolidation
Consolidation, also referred to as regionalization or reorganization, is the process of joining two or more schools or districts into a single entity. State policymakers seeking efficiencies in K-12 education often explore district consolidation as a means of decreasing education expenditures. For decades researchers and policymakers have debated the benefits of consolidation.
Shared Services Arrangements
Shared services arrangements combine individual functions of two or more school districts to yield cost savings. These arrangements can take several forms. States review district operations and provide information that encourages sharing services.
Shared Superintendents
Some school districts may opt to share superintendents, particularly in tough financial times. Factors including number of districts influence this decision, and state incentives play a role in encouraging districts to adopt the option.
Notes on School Finance
Selected Information on Funding for Low-Income Students in SREB States
How states use data about the number of students living in poverty to distribute state funding to public schools or to target programs to students from low-income families.
Charter Schools in SREB States
Critical Questions and Next Steps for States
Charter schools have grown from a novel educational experiment into a high-profile part of education reform. But research on charter schools is limited, so key policy questions remain about the effectiveness of charter schools, their impact on traditional public schools, appropriate funding policies, and performance accountability.
Notes on Selected Budget and Revenue Information
SREB States, 2010-2011
The various sources of state funding that support K-12 and higher education.
Focus on Governance in K-12 Education
Local-Level Models
A snapshot of what local K-12 governance looks like in SREB states.
Focus on Governance in K-12 Education
State-Level Models
In elementary and secondary education governance, the need to build an effective system of public education is the driving force behind the selection of a state’s key education leaders. This paper provides a snapshot of what state K-12 governance looks like in SREB states.