Date of Award
2004
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Paul Borthwick
Committee Member
Mel D. Coleman
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
allocation formulas, budget, caseloads, class size, data warehouse, disability program types, educational finance, equitable allocation, exceptional student education, Florida, gifted students, operating budgets, public school districts, resource allocation, school districts, special education, student distribution, teacher caseloads, utilization of resources, verification of allocation procedures
Abstract
In an era of shrinking operating budgets for public schools, it is important that resources are used efficiently and are allocated equitably. Exceptional Student Education (ESE) resources (disabled and gifted) encompass over 20% of school operating budgets with students in these programs being some of the most expensive to educate. In Florida, each individual school district allocates their ESE resources to school centers using an approach unique to their district. As the resources encompass so much of the district’s operating budget, it would be beneficial for districts to be able to identify commonalities in these allocations across other school districts.
The purpose of this study was to identify commonalities across school districts in how ESE resources are allocated and to verify that the subject district’s ESE resources have been utilized as intended. The data used to complete this study came from historical data from a large school district’s data warehouse along with reports that identified specific class sizes and caseloads across the same district.
Modifications to the way schools report data were made prior to the beginning of the 2003-2004 school year. These modifications enabled the author to be able to identify whether actual class sizes and caseloads correspond with intended allocations.
The results of this study found that public school districts across Florida use various approaches to allocating special education resources. The subject district’s allocation formulas were found to be consistent with other districts’ allocation procedures that utilize disability program types. Additionally, it was found that the subject district’s actual class sizes and teacher caseloads corresponded with the district’s allocation formulas.