Analysis of Fiscal Equity in Virginia: 2004 - 2020

The following research completes several statistical analyses of per pupil expenditure data in the Commonwealth of Virginia to assess the degree of fiscal equity in the statewide finance model for public elementary and secondary education. Five years, between 2004 and 2020, were selected for analysis to examine whether trends noted in a 2005 study of fiscal equity in Virginia have remained constant or whether the degree of equity has increased or decreased. A historical overview of the funding of public schools in Virginia and revisions to the Virginia Constitution and its Education Articles provide information about the development of public education in Virginia. This commentary is followed by an explanation of the current funding model, Standards of Quality formula, and legislative criticism of the design elements thereof. School finance reform litigation from across the nation is then reviewed to demonstrate how the constitutionality of state public school finance models has been challenged in both federal and state courts over time. The school finance litigation discussion begins with the broad topic of equal protection guarantees in the federal Constitution and how those guarantees shaped early equity lawsuits. A survey of school finance reform cases is presented to show a progression from equity suits to adequacy suits. The litigation commentary concludes with a discussion of the most recent school finance case in Virginia, Scott v. Commonwealth (1994). After establishing the precedents for the analysis of state funding models, a series of dispersion statistics are calculated based on per pupil expenditures for each of the 132 school divisions in Virginia. These statistics include Range, Restricted Range, Coefficient of Variation, Gini Coefficient, and McLoone Index. The findings of the 2004-2020 analyses are compared to the findings of the 2005 study of fiscal equity in Virginia. The noted results of the analyses have implications for policy makers in the Commonwealth.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Department dc:contributor.department

Counselor Education

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2021

Author dc:creator

• Scott, David Dennis

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Alexander, Michael D.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Jefferies, Scott Lewis
• Salmon, Richard G.
• Earthman, Glen I.

• Public School Finance
• Fiscal Equity Analysis
• Standards of Quality
• School Finance Litigation

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:31183

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/103943