What if each student received a fair share of the Denver Public Schools budget?
While better than many districts, Denver’s annual per pupil spending ranges widely. Schools range from a low per-pupil spending of $3,264 at Bruce Randolph Middle School to the high end of $6,701 per student at Barrett Elementary. Some of these spending differences are expected and even demanded by the needs of the students, but many discrepancies have no logical explanation.
To better understand student expenditures, a recent report by Metro Organizations for People examined each school’s mix of students to calculate the funding each school should get if dollars were allocated equally according to need. We found that DPS spends an average of $677 of additional funding on students in poverty, $407 more on second-language learners, and $145 additional per pupil on gifted students.
If DPS defined this additional funding as a “weight” given to students with special needs and was consistent with the allocation of such weights, the district could clearly determine where the money goes. However, our research suggests that the current weights are largely inadvertent and inconsistent. In addition, the weights for second-language learners and students in poverty are lower than some other large urban districts.
We advocate the district move toward a transparent, weighted student funding model in which weights are determined by the district and the community based on actual student needs. By converting to this type of accounting, dollars would be tied directly to students and each child would receive equitable funding based on a simple formula, not 60 pages of antiquated policies. It is a funding model that is transparent and understandable.
Once a weighted student-funding model is in place, we would urge the district to increase the funding weights for second-language learners and students in poverty.
Fortunately for Denver, the transition to a weighted student formula would be relatively smooth, given that we already have relative equity (not counting actual teacher salaries at individual schools) and a slightly higher average expenditure for at-risk students, which could be used to determine the initial weights. We also have an administration that already has taken steps toward a more transparent budget.
Unfortunately, a larger discrepancy lurks beneath the pages of the budget: the unequal distribution of experienced teachers across DPS. Schools that are the lowest performing have the greatest population of students in poverty and the largest population of English language-learners have, in almost every case, the newest and least-experienced teachers. When teacher salaries are taken into account, there are significantly fewer actual dollars spent in the schools with the greatest needs.
Attracting veteran teachers into lower performing schools is not easily accomplished. Denver is stepping in the right direction by rewarding teachers in hard-to- staff positions and hard-to-serve schools with the implementation of ProComp, the new salary plan. Will this be enough? Probably not. DPS will have to closely monitor the results of ProComp.
We also urge the district to research other models that have been implemented elsewhere to attract more experienced teachers to the most challenging schools.
Currently, Denver allocates 51 percent of its budget to individual schools for their leaders to determine how to spend. Other school districts grant up to 70 percent of their budgets directly to individual schools. Districts that implement weighted student funding sometimes pair this reform with greater budget control and discretion at the local school level. Combined with high principal accountability, local control can foster schools more closely tailored to community needs.
However, without proper principal leadership training and a plan to address the current staffing formulas, it does not make sense to simply hand over more control to individual schools.
Denver could implement a plan to reward schools with more budget control if they are successful at using their resources and have found innovative ways to increase student achievement.
By addressing the discrepancies in the budget and implementing a formula that allocates a fair share to each student, DPS would align with progressive districts across the nation in making the budget transparent and understandable. This would empower the larger community by enabling people to see where the money goes and thus allows them to speak up about the district’s spending decisions.
Money won’t solve all of our education problems, but proper funding is extremely important and relevant to quality education.
By formalizing a weighted student-funding formula, increasing weights for at-risk students, examining the unequal distribution of teacher salaries, and exploring how to transfer more budgeting control to individual schools, the district would send the message that the community believes every student should get a fair share and have the opportunity to excel.
Metro Organizations for People (MOP) is a 26-year-old federation of congregations, schools, youth and neighborhood associations. The study “Unraveling the DPS Budget: Toward Transparency and Equity through Weighted Student Funding” was conducted by Dr. Marguerite Roza of the Center for Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington. For the full report, go to .
Jessica Buckley is a Harrington Elementary School teacher and a leader in the Education Reform Committee for Metro Organizations for People. Michael Kromrey is the Director of Metro Organizations for People.
