Spending in Lean Times

School-Level Budget Allocations During the Great Recession in Texas

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11260535
AutoresAndrew Pendola (0000-0002-3726-4072, Auburn University, autor de correspondencia)
Año2022
Volumen97
Número4
Páginas439-457
Fecha de publicación2022-08-08
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPeabody Journal of Education (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0161-956X • E-ISSN: 1532-7930
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/0161956x.2022.2109913
OpenAlexW4292367112
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas2
Referencias citadas36

The intention of this paper is to add to existing knowledge of how building-level spending is prioritized toward horizontal and vertical equity during severe economic downturns. Using a sample of all public schools in Texas during the Great Recession, we examine how schools undergoing the greatest spending reductions reallocated their spending on academic programs. Results demonstrate that schools undergoing financial shocks respond mainly by reapportioning regular, accelerated, and special education spending, rather than simply enacting across-the-board cuts. High-poverty, low-performing, and urban schools tended to prioritize reallocations toward targeted group support, while lower poverty, higher performing, suburban schools tended to prioritize reallocations toward regular education support. Furthermore, results of fixed and random effect regression models suggest that while spending allocations are in part determined by district-level characteristics, reactionary changes to spending are more explained by school or leadership characteristics. These results support the notion that site-level budgeting is an important factor in ensuring that spending is calibrated to current student needs when undergoing periods of financial uncertainty

Demographic economics · Economic growth · Economics · Equity (law · Great recession · Labour economics · Macroeconomics · Political science · Poverty · Public economics · Recession · Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis · Housing Market and Economics · School Choice and Performance · Finance