Christian Barnard
Senior Policy Analyst, Reason Foundation
Christian Barnard is a senior policy analyst at Reason Foundation.
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Analyzing Nebraska’s proposed legislation impacting school finance and property taxes
State policymakers shouldn’t pass up this opportunity to decrease the education funding formula’s overreliance on property taxes and to make the formula more transparent and student-centered.
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Clearing up definitions of backpack funding
Without strong funding portability mechanisms, school districts have weak financial incentives to welcome transfer students.
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California’s schools need to adapt to the state budget woes
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recently-released budget projects a $22.5 billion deficit, which means school districts will likely need to rightsize operations.
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Public education funding without boundaries: How to get K-12 dollars to follow open enrollment students
How to ensure state and local education funds flow seamlessly across district boundaries.
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Three areas in K-12 education that need more transparency
Data and information on special education services, student transportation and school capacity is not readily available to parents or policymakers.
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Cracking down on critical race theory in public schools was not a winning issue
Rather than further politicize schools and classrooms, politicians should pursue policies that let parents choose whatever school is best for their children.
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School districts use ‘capacity’ to keep low-income transfer students out
School districts use arbitrary definitions of capacity to claim they are full and deny transfer requests from low-income students.
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Why teacher salaries are flat as school spending soars
Benefit costs, staffing trends and class sizes may explain why teacher salaries have remained flat while K-12 education spending has grown.
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Recapping Tennessee’s historic school finance reform
The 2022 reform was a major positive shift in how Tennessee funds public education.
