A Causal-Comparative Quantitative Study to Examine School Funding Equity under House Bill 3

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181

Elementary Secondary Education; State Legislation; Educational Legislation; Resource Allocation; Educational Finance; State Programs; Funding Formulas; School Districts; Public Schools; School Funds; Income; Educational Equity (Finance)

979-83-8272-745-5

Education ensures that children from all backgrounds have equal opportunities to succeed. Yet, the education provided for many K-12 students in the state of Texas may not be equal due to the allocation of school funds under House Bill 3 (H.B. 3). To date, the Revenue to Population (RTP) Index and other normalized statistical metrics have not been used to evaluate the fairness of H.B. 3. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to apply the Revenue-To-Population Index (RTP) to the Texas school finance system enacted by H.B. 3 to identify the funding equity or inequity in the Foundation School Program (FSP). Three research questions guided this study: (1) What is the degree of equity and fiscal neutrality in the methodology for providing access to funds in the current system of formula funding in the Texas Foundation School Program?; (2) How do Texas school districts compare equity to other Texas school districts as measured by percent of weighted student versus percent of available formula funding-generated dollars?; and (3) Is the system imposed by H.B. 3 more equitable or inequitable than the system imposed by H.B. 1? A causal-comparative design was used to carry out this study's purpose. The population included all 1,020 public schools in Texas. The sample, which was selected using purposeful sampling, consisted of the upper 10% and the lower 10% or a sampling of 203 districts of Weighted Average Attendance (WADA) revenue to examine the degree of equity and fiscal neutrality in the access to funding under H.B. 3. Financial data for all Texas public schools' 2020-2021 fiscal year and from the RTP Indices will be used to answer the research questions. The results of this research may aid in developing a standardized method for evaluating equity in Texas's existing and future school financing plans. The findings from this study may also have implications for school district administrators, state governments, and Texas citizens. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

As Provided

2024

ED654040