Governance

The cost of education can be defined as the minimum amount of money that a school district must spend in order to achieve a given educational outcome. There are multiple ways to incorporate costs into a state funding system, and each has implications for local control and governance.

Voters distrust politicians and believe that a large share of public spending is wasted, in education as in other sectors. Persuading them that more educational spending will lead to better outcomes for students is a huge political challenge.

John Deasy deserves the welcoming he is getting as superintendent of the nation’s second largest school district. He should savor the moment; he’ll need it.

The public and private speculation about Deasy concerns whether he is really a “reformer,” whatever that means, what deals he has cut with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa or the Gates Foundation, or whether United Teachers Los Angeles will electioneer a hostile school board in March.

California education policy in recent publications: