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Rural Policy Matters: January 2011
Last Updated: January 25, 2011
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Facts and Figures: Comparing Funding Levels for Rural Schools By State
Question: In which ten states do funding levels vary the most between rural districts? In other words, in which states is the funding gap largest between high-wealth rural districts and low-wealth rural districts?
Marty Strange Briefs U.S. Senate on i3, Title I
Rural Trust Policy Director Marty Strange briefed U.S. Senate staffers on the rural impact of the Investing in Innovation grant program. Strange also presented information on inequities in Title I funding that harm very low-income students in smaller school districts…
RT Report: Few i3 “Rural” Grants Generating Rural Innovation
The federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant program — intended to spark innovative approaches in schools — included a “competitive preference” for projects designed to focus on the unique challenges of high-needs students in rural school districts. But a report released this month by the Rural Trust finds that with few exceptions i3 did little to generate innovation specific to rural schools. Instead, the rural preference primarily benefitted urban projects that included a small number of rural schools. The report examines how the rural preference component was applied in projects that won i3 funding and offers thoughts on alternative approaches that might generate rural-specific innovations for high-needs students in rural schools…
Homelessness is a Rural Problem Too
Homelessness may look different in rural places, but rural communities are not immune to the problem. This week marks the window in which states must conduct a semi-annual point-in-time count of homeless individuals. Schools may not always recognize when a student is homeless, but the school has legal responsibilities to provide specific services…
Formula Fairness Campaign Continues to Grow
The number of organizations that are co-sponsoring a national effort to bring fairness to the federal Title I program continues to increase…
Rural School Funding News Special Series:
Financing Rural Schools: Characteristics of Strong Rural School Finance Systems
Equity and adequacy are school finance terms used so frequently in discussion that they seem almost interchangeable. But they are actually two different, but interdependent and equally important, measures of a state’s school funding system and how well it provides educational resources and opportunity to all students and all schools…
Wyoming Legislation Could Add Strings to Funding
Legislative proposals could add a number of new requirements for districts to the school finance formula…
South Dakota Funding Proposal Worse Than Expected
Schools in South Dakota thought budget cuts would total 5%, but cuts are likely to be much deeper…
Washington Special Education Funding Lawsuit Ends
Court denies districts’ request for more funding for special education; rural districts would be disproportionately affected by proposed budget cuts…
North Carolina Weighing Options
North Carolina facing severe education funding cuts and increases in student homelessness…
California Settles School Fee Lawsuit
California will enforce its law prohibiting schools from charging students “fees” to participate in certain classes and activities…
Funding Crisis Driving Some Rural Oregon Districts to Charters
The funding crisis and other budget cuts are pushing some small rural districts in Oregon to become charter schools…
Average Base Salaries for Public School Teachers, 2008
Rural teacher salaries are lower on average than salaries in urban, suburban, or town settings
This graph illustrates, by locale, the average base salaries for public school teachers in 2008…
Related Tags: Rural Policy Matters Issue Index, Rural Trust Publication
