Aaron Garth Smith is the director of education reform at Reason Foundation.
Smith works extensively on education finance policy and his writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including National Review, The Hill, and Education Week.
Smith graduated from the University of Maine with a bachelor's degree in business administration and earned a Master of Business Administration from Texas A&M University. He is based in Phoenix, Arizona.
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A Student-Centered Funding Roadmap for Policymakers
Student-centered funding models treat every child more fairly, better recognize individuality, and allow for innovation and progress.
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Planning For Potential Budget Cutbacks In Michigan: Sustainable School Finance Solutions
Even in a constrained fiscal environment, Michigan can improve education funding equity and better empower local school leaders.
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How to Improve Missouri’s Education Funding Formula
Missouri’s school finance system fails to ensure that education dollars are allocated in a fair and transparent manner.
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A Student-Centered Approach to School Finance That Benefits Every Child In North Carolina
Overhauling the state’s funding system would provide the foundation needed to unlock the potential of school leaders to maximize how and where education dollars are deployed.
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Why Local Education Funding Favors Politics Over Parents—And How To Fix It
Why policymakers should eliminate local operating revenues and move to a full-state funding model.
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Beyond Test Scores: A Central Role For Financial Health In Evaluating Arizona’s Charter Schools
With the recent passage of HB 2663, now is a critical time for Arizona to assess how it evaluates charter schools.
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A 2018 Evaluation of LAUSD’s Fiscal Outlook: Revisiting the Findings of the 2015 Independent Financial Review Panel
Los Angeles Unified School District is unique in California and the nation because the size of its projected budget deficits and overall debt dwarfs most other urban school districts.
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School Choice, Funding Portability, and Trends In Educational Privatization
Education Chapter of Annual Privatization Report 2016
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Student-Based Budgeting Helps Principals Be More Effective Educators
Some school districts fear budget autonomy will distract principals but are finding it actually helps principals identify what is working and what is needed at their schools