Comprehensive Wyoming Adequacy Study

In 2020, the Wyoming Legislature once again asked Picus Odden & Associates to conduct a comprehensive school finance adequacy study for the state. Wyoming law requires the state to “recalibrate” its school funding formula every five years.  Picus Odden & Associates conducted the recalibrations in 2005, 2010 and 2015.  For 2020, in addition to updating the Wyoming Evidence-Based Funding Model, we conducted ten case studies of improving and high performing schools and a comprehensive study of special education and how it is funded in Wyoming.

The Wyoming EB Adequacy Study 2020 report reflects the most current version of the EB Model including how it was tailored specifically for school level resources in Wyoming. The model makes multiple adjustments for small school and district student size. 

The Wyoming Case Studies of Improving Schools 2020 includes case studies of 10 schools. One very high performing school with a large concentration of students from low-income backgrounds is included in the case studies, along with cases of small (around 100 students), medium and large size (a 2000 student high school) improving schools.  The results show a high degree of similarity between the programs and strategies resourced by the EB Model and the strategies used by these Wyoming schools. 

Wyoming provides 100 percent reimbursement for the costs of special education services.  The Wyoming Special Education Report 2020, conducted under subcontract by the District Management Group, assesses how special education services are typically provided in Wyoming, comments on the effectiveness of those strategies, and includes suggestions for how over time the state can both enhance the effectiveness of special education services and reduce their costs.  One major recommendation in the report is to reduce the use of paraprofessional staff to provide academic support and increase the use of content-expert teachers to provide that academic extra help. 

Because of COVID 19, the bulk of the case studies and special education studies were conducted remotely via Zoom sessions, as were the meetings with the interim Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration.

Investing So Schools Work

Recognizing the need for new estimates on how much school funding is adequate for Pennsylvania school districts, Philadelphia-based Research for Action commissioned Picus Odden & Associates to use the Evidence-Based Model to determine if three districts had adequate funding, in a project called Investing-So-Schools-Work. Using the core EB recommendations, we found evidence of inadequate state funding in each participating district:

  • Butler Area School District — 16% adequacy gap
  • Chambersburg Area School District — 17% adequacy gap
  • Upper Darby School District — 22% adequacy gap

We concluded that “If such funds were provided and used as the [model] indicates, the state could reasonably expect significant overall improvements in student achievement and reductions in the achievement gaps linked to student demographics.”

Illinois School Funding

Recently, Illinois began providing state aid to local school districts using the new school finance system the state adopted during the 2017 legislative session. Illinois calls the new system its Evidence-Based Funding Model as it closely follows our firm’s EB recommendations.  Former Allan Odden Ph.D. student Michell Mangan, now an associate professor at Concordia University, who helped develop the  system, has been appointed to a Review Panel to assess the implementation and impact of the new funding system.

Michigan Adequacy Study

Picus Odden and Associates completed an evidence-based Michigan 2018 Adequacy Study  under contract with Augenblick Palaich and Associates in early 2018.  The report includes a new base expenditure per pupil figure and pupil weights for poverty and ELL students.

New Illinois EB-Based School Funding Model

On August 31, 2017, Illinois adopted a new school funding formula based on our firm’s Evidence-Based (EB) adequacy model.  In Spring 2016, the state’s governor appointed a school finance task force comprised primarily of legislators.  Michelle Mangan, an associate professor at Concordia University and an Allan Odden advised Ph.D. graduate of the University of Wisconsin who had worked with us in several states, provided technical advice to the Task Force on the EB model.  The new funding formula includes all the core EB model elements, including the additional tutors, extended day, summer school and counseling resources for at risk students.  Though it will take several years for full implementation, Illinois becomes the 6th state with the EB model as the basis of its school funding structure.

Maryland Adequacy Study

Picus Odden & Associates, under subcontract with Augenblick Palaich and Associates, has just completed an Evidence-Based adequacy study for Maryland.  The study includes 12 case studies of improving and high performance schools.

The case studies can be found in the Resources tab of this website.  Chadwick Elementary is a fascinating case of a high poverty, high ELL school performing at very high levels.

5 Case Studies Showing Improved Performance

Picus Odden and Associates is pleased to provide five additional cases of schools that have significantly improved student performance.  The five school cases are part of the firm’s analysis of the adequacy of Vermont’s school funding system Using the Evidence-Based Method to Identify Adequate Spending Levels for Vermont Schools, which will be posted soon.  The five cases are:

Academy Elementary School
Integrated Academy School
Oak Grove Elementary School
Colchester High School
Fair Haven Union High School

 

2015 Wyoming Recalibration Report

In mid-November, Larry Picus and Allan Odden presented to the Wyoming Interim Committee on School Finance Recalibration the firm’s final report titled, 2015 Wyoming Recalibration Report, which reviewed all elements of the state’s Evidence-Based school funding model.

 

EB Document for Vermont’s Judgment Panel

Draft EB Analysis for review by Vermont’s professional judgment panels. To be reviewed on November 10-11th by Vermont’s professional judgment panels. Final report due in January, 2016.

Pictures of the Select Committee in Cody, Wyoming

 

Pictures taken at the June 29 30, 2015 meetings of the Select Committee in
Cody, Wyoming.

Hank AllanHank Coe Larry

Allan Odden and Larry Picus featured with Senator Hank Coe, Co-Chair, Wyoming Select Committee on School Finance Recalibration (above) and with Representative David Northrup, Co-Chair, Wyoming Select Committee on
School Finance Recalibration (below).

Northrup AllanNorthrup Larry