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University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Arkansas Education Reports

School funding

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Comprehensive Analysis Of Arkansas Teacher Salaries: State, Region, And District, Katherine M. Kopotic, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter Nov 2017

Comprehensive Analysis Of Arkansas Teacher Salaries: State, Region, And District, Katherine M. Kopotic, Sarah C. Mckenzie, Gary W. Ritter

Arkansas Education Reports

School funding has been an area of contention in the courts of nearly every state. Many of these court cases have challenged the constitutionality of state funding formulas, arguing the funding system was inadequate or inequitable because poor urban or rural districts often faced a disadvantage in garnering tax dollars for education. Specific to Arkansas, in the 1983 decision Dupree v. Alma School District, the Arkansas Supreme Court declared the state’s funding system was not meeting its constitutional requirements.


The State Of Education In Arkansas 2015 – How Much Are Arkansas’ Schools Spending?, Elise Swanson, Gary W. Ritter, Sarah C. Mckenzie Nov 2015

The State Of Education In Arkansas 2015 – How Much Are Arkansas’ Schools Spending?, Elise Swanson, Gary W. Ritter, Sarah C. Mckenzie

Arkansas Education Reports

When considering the quality of an education system, it is important to understand the resources available to students. Without proper resources, schools are unable to provide a quality educational experience, and students leave school unprepared to be fulfilled, productive members of society. School funding is therefore an important, and often controversial, topic in education policy. Arkansas’ public education system first ran into constitutional trouble over school funding in 1983 when the Supreme Court decided in Dupree v. Alma that the school funding formula was unconstitutional because it was based on valuations of the local tax base, not on the needs …


The State Of Education In Arkansas 2008: How Much Are Arkansas Schools Spending?, Joshua H. Barnett, Gary W. Ritter, Brent E. Riffel Apr 2008

The State Of Education In Arkansas 2008: How Much Are Arkansas Schools Spending?, Joshua H. Barnett, Gary W. Ritter, Brent E. Riffel

Arkansas Education Reports

Over the last half century, more than forty states across the nation have experienced school finance lawsuits as a consequence of funding gaps between rich and poor districts. Arkansas is one such state, with a long history of school funding battles in the courts. The legal challenges began in 1983, when the Arkansas Supreme Court initially found the state's school funding system unconstitutional under the equal protection clause of the state constitution1 . The court found “no legitimate state purpose” and “no rational relationship to educational needs” in the state's method of financing public schools. This initial finding set the …


Superintendents Speak Out: A Survey Of Superintendents’ Opinions Regarding Recent School Reforms In Arkansas, Virginia H. Blankenship, Joshua H. Barnett Apr 2006

Superintendents Speak Out: A Survey Of Superintendents’ Opinions Regarding Recent School Reforms In Arkansas, Virginia H. Blankenship, Joshua H. Barnett

Arkansas Education Reports

In an effort to improve educational opportunities for all students, Arkansas policymakers have made education reforms in many areas since 2003, such as increasing school funding by nearly 30 percent, consolidating both districts with enrollments below 350 students and inefficient schools, and strengthening accountability measures designed to raise academic achievement. However, there is little empirical evidence about how any of these reforms have impacted districts, schools, and students across the state, so policymakers have no way of knowing whether such reforms have the potential to improve student achievement and help close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their more …


Placing Arkansas School Funding Data In The National Context, Joshua H. Barnett Apr 2005

Placing Arkansas School Funding Data In The National Context, Joshua H. Barnett

Arkansas Education Reports

In the Lake View v Huckabee school funding lawsuit, the Arkansas Supreme Court found the state’s school funding system unconstitutional because it did not provide an “adequate and equitable” education to all students. In light of the court’s ruling, this paper addresses the adequacy of the Arkansas system by examining levels of expenditure, teacher salary levels, and school performance. Further, this paper highlights the level of equity within the state of Arkansas as compared to other states in the nation using the Federal Range Ratio, the Coefficient of Variation, and the McLoone Index. Finally, data on the sources of revenue …