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Stretching the School Dollar
The fiscal crisis for states and schools is likely to endure and the era of big spending on American education may be over. We aim to provide bold ideas for how schools can become more efficient, rethink basic assumptions about their costs, structures and financing, and ultimately deliver more achievement at a cost the country can afford.
Recent Publications
Halting a Runaway Train: Reforming Teacher Pensions for the 21st Century
Mike Lafferty / October 20, 2011
When it comes to public-sector pensions, writes lead author Mike Lafferty in Fordham's newest report, "A major public-policy (and public-finance) problem has been defined and measured, debated and deliberated, but not yet solved. Except where it has been." As recounted in Halting a Runaway Train: Reforming Teacher Pensions for the 21st Century, these exceptions turn out to be revealing???and encouraging. As leaders around the country struggle to overhaul America???s controversial and precarious public-sector pensions, this study draws on examples from diverse fields to provide a primer on successful pension reform. Download to find valuable lessons for policymakers, workers, and taxpayers looking for timely solutions to a dire problem.
After the Budget, What Next? Ohio's Education Policy Priorities
August 1, 2011
To what extent have Ohio's leaders met the challenges and opportunities before them in K-12 education? What needs to happen next?
Charting a New Course to Retirement: How Charter Schools Handle Teacher Pensions
Amanda Olberg , Michael Podgursky / June 22, 2011
In this new "Ed Short" from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Amanda Olberg and Michael Podgursky examine how public charter schools handle pensions for their teachers. Some states give these schools the freedom to opt out of the traditional teacher-pension system; when given that option, how many charter schools take it? Olberg and Podgursky examine data from six charter-heavy states and find that charter participation rates in traditional pension systems vary greatly from state to state. When charter schools do not participate in state systems, they most often provide their teachers with defined-contribution plans (401(k) or 403(b)). But some opt-out charters offer no alternative retirement plans at all for their teachers. Read on to learn more.
Recent Articles
Stretching the School Dollar
Will Steve Jobs finally conquer the classroom?
January 26, 2012
The education sector remains an elusive prize for Apple, but the company is making a big move to change that.
Stretching the School Dollar
Why shame is never enough
December 6, 2011
Fostering efficiency in education will take more than transparency, as Montgomery County demonstrates.
Stretching the School Dollar
Why cut your core service?
August 23, 2011
Stretching the School Dollar
Who's to blame for the pension shortfall?
May 5, 2011
Stretching the School Dollar
What our Education Reform Idol contestants accomplished this year on collective bargaining and benefits reform
August 10, 2011
