Summary

 

The current method of determining the adjusted allotment for charter schools results in charter schools receiving at least $600 more per pupil than is received by regular school districts, on average. It would likely require a change in the relevant statute to remedy this deficiency.  However, WADA counts for charter schools are also inflated. This argues that revenues per pupil based on the use of WADA should not be used for any policy-related purpose pertaining to charter schools. 

 

One very practical implication of the foregoing conclusion is that whenever LBB (or TEA) produces forecasts of ISD and charter school M&O revenues per pupil those forecasts should also include per pupil amounts on a per-ADA basis, as well as on a per-WADA basis.  Revenue comparisons based on the use of WADA are still relevant when comparing one ISD with another ISD, or with one group of ISDs with a different group of ISDs, or even when comparing charter schools with one another.  But WADA-based comparisons of revenues between a charter school and an ISD, or between a group of charter schools and a group of ISDs, are meaningless, which means they are likely to be misleading, if used.

 

Texas’ school finance system, as presently structured, results in an increase in cost to the state each time a student chooses to attend a charter school instead of a regular school district.  This fact, only observable when costs per student are calculated using ADA, rather than WADA, should be a consideration when formulating state policy relative to the potential further expansion of charter school enrollments. If the additional funds are deemed to be beneficial to students in charter schools, they would be equally beneficial to students remaining in regular school districts.

 

The following chart shows the degree to which the presentation of M&O revenues per WADA hides the actual amounts by which such revenues to charter schools exceed the amounts going to regular school districts.  The graph is the same as Figure 1 in the following paper. The lengths of the bars in the graph represent the differences of M&O revenues per pupil going to each of six charter schools as opposed to the amounts going to the six nearby regular school districts.

 

When the revenues per pupil are expressed in terms of WADA, three charters receive slightly more than the nearby regular districts, about $50 less on average, while the other three charters receive about $200 more per student.  But when expressed in terms of ADA or non-weighted students, all six of the charter schools receive at least $985 more per student than the regular school districts, with the difference as high as $1,628 per pupil in the comparison of KIPP Inc to Houston ISD.

 

The majority of the amounts by which M&O revenues to charter schools exceed the amounts to regular school districts is explained by the method used to determine the adjusted allotment for charter schools, as explained in the paper below and in other documents on this web page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Comparisons of maintenance and operations revenues between charter schools and independent school districts: use WADA, ADA, both, or neither?

 

Larry Toenjes*

 

One of the long-standing criteria used in assessing the equity of Texas’ school finance system is that of “equal revenue for equal effort.”  Equal effort refers to tax rates; equal revenue refers to revenue per weighted pupil, where the number of weighted pupils in a district was intended to reflect cost variations among districts. But when charter schools are included, the criterion that includes “equal (tax) effort” is not applicable, as charter schools have no taxing authority. In addition, the concept of “revenue per weighed pupil” has a different meaning for charter schools than for regular school districts.

 

It is difficult enough to make meaningful comparisons even between school districts, let alone between districts and charter schools.  Districts vary widely in size, proportions of economically disadvantaged students, tax rates, and regional costs of education.  Most of these differences between districts are normalized with the use of the weighted student concept, or WADA. 

 

Differences in costs associated with differences in size are assumed to be reflected in adjustments made under the small district and mid-sized district scale adjustments.  An additional adjustment is made that reflects differences in districts’ Cost of Education Indexes. The scale and CEI adjustments are used to convert districts’ Basic Allotments into Adjusted Allotments, or AAs.  The AA for each district, reflecting differences in costs associated with district size and local variations in costs of education, is perhaps the most important determinant of the level of state allotments to which districts’ are entitled, given the numbers of students enrolled in each district.  The AA multiplies the number of regular students in the district, as well as the number of extra-cost students such as those in special education, in determining total allotments to which districts are entitled.

 

The adjustments related to size and estimated regional differences in education costs that are embodied in the AA not only affect program allotments or entitlements, they also directly affect the calculated WADA number as well. The greater the adjustments due to size (smaller districts get larger adjustments), cost of education, and greater proportions of extra-cost students, the greater are total allotments, and the greater are the weighted student counts, or WADAs. Although WADA is calculated for the purpose of determining state funding in the enrichment tiers, it is also used to divide into total M&O revenues going to districts, in an attempt to establish  a revenue measure that takes into account the differences in costs incurred by different districts. When total maintenance and operations revenues to districts are divided by their respective WADA counts, the resulting measures—M&O revenue per WADA—are fairly indicative of how well off the various districts are, relative to one another.  The ideal is that two districts with the same tax rate will have almost exactly the same level of M&O revenue per WADA.  While not perfect, adjusting M&O revenues to districts by dividing by WADA makes it possible to make more meaningful comparisons between districts.

 

With respect to charter schools, the method of adjusting charters’ basic allotments into adjusted allotments is quite different than it is for regular independent school districts (ISDs). In particular, the adjusted allotment (AA) that is used to calculate the entitlements for the regular student and the extra-cost student programs for charter schools is not related to individual cost factors such as size (of enrollments) or regional cost of education variations.  Rather, the AA that is applied to all charter schools is the simple arithmetic average of all of the AA values that are determined individually for each school district.

 

One consequence of this method of determining the AA that is applied to all charter schools is that the charter school AA is biased upwards.  It is too great. The reason for this is the fact that 450 or so very small school districts receive very generous adjustments from the small district scale adjustment formula.  However, those small districts contain only about 4 percent of total district enrollments.[1]  In calculating the average AA, therefore, a district with 30 students with a very high AA counts equally to Houston ISD with nearly 200,000 students and a relatively low AA. It is estimated that this phenomenon results in the average AA being at least $500 greater that it would be if size of districts were taken into account when calculating the average AA.[2] This upwards bias in the AA for charter schools results in those schools receiving at least $600 more per student than ISDs, when total ADA (average daily attendance) is divided into total M&O revenues going to each sector—charter schools and ISDs.[3] 

 

It has been argued by some that charter schools, on average, have greater proportions of extra-cost students and are therefore entitled to more M&O revenues per pupil than are ISDs.  However, a close look at the actual entitlements in the six first tier programs, based on data in TEA’s Summary of Finances reports, reveals that this claim is false.  If anything, regular school districts have greater proportions of students in the five extra cost programs, while charter schools, in the aggregate, have a greater proportion of students in the regular program line item.[4]

 

The inflated charter school AA not only results in greater amounts of M&O revenues per pupil going to charter schools, but their calculated WADA numbers are also inflated, and in almost exactly the same proportion.[5]  Consequently, when M&O revenues are divided by WADA the additional revenues going to charters are deflated by the higher WADA numbers. The result is that charter schools M&O revenues per WADA are reduced to values that are even lower than the M&O revenues per WADA that go to ISDs with similar characteristics in terms of proportions of extra-cost students and other cost-related factors.

 

The end result of the inflation of the AA applied to charter schools is twofold.  First, it gives additional M&O revenues to charters.  Second, the resulting WADA increases essentially hide the increases in M&O revenues going to charters when those revenues are presented on a per-WADA basis.[6] This latter effect is clearly visible in comparisons of M&O revenues per pupil represented in Figure 1 in the Appendix below. In all six of the comparisons depicted in Figure 1, the ISD-charter comparisons based on WADA were either slightly in favor of ISDs or modestly in favor of charters, but in terms of M&O per ADA the charter schools’ advantages ranged from $985 per pupil to $1,628 per pupil.  Even when comparing the averages for all charter schools and all ISDs in each of the six counties, (see Figure 2, Appendix) in five of the counties the charter advantages ranged from $657 to $1,318 per pupil. These six counties, incidentally, contained approximately 75 percent of all charter school students that were included in LBB’s projections for SY 2017-2018.

 

This distortion of M&O revenues going to charter schools, both in fact and in perception, has policy consequences.  For example, charter proponents have been trying to convince the Legislature to provide them money for facilities.  Any additional state funds for this purpose, however, should only be considered within the context of levels of M&O funding already being received by charter schools, in comparison with ISDs.  In particular, this comparison should not be based upon M&O revenues per WADA.

 

Another policy consideration that requires an accurate assessment of the amounts of funds that are actually received by charter schools vis-à-vis ISDs is an assessment of how much it costs the state whenever a child transfers from an ISD to a charter school. If the marginal decrease in cost to the state when a child leaves an ISD is less than the marginal increase to the state when that same child enrolls in a charter school, the resulting increase in state burden should be one of the factors taken into consideration when evaluating the extent to which the growth in charter enrollments will be permitted or facilitated.  The use of WADA in assessing these differences is very misleading. Changes in revenue per pupil when such a transfer occurs is almost imperceptible when measured in terms of WADA, but when expressed in terms of revenue per ADA the additional cost to the state due to the transfer of a single child can exceed $1,000 in many cases.[7]

 

Conclusions

 

The current method of determining the adjusted allotment for charter schools results in charter schools receiving at least $600 more per pupil than is received by regular school districts, on average. It would likely require a change in the relevant statute to remedy this deficiency.  However, WADA counts for charter schools are also inflated. This argues that revenues per pupil based on the use of WADA should not be used for any policy-related purpose pertaining to charter schools. 

 

One very practical implication of the foregoing conclusion is that whenever LBB (or TEA) produces forecasts of ISD and charter school M&O revenues per pupil those forecasts should also include per pupil amounts on a per-ADA basis, as well as on a per-WADA basis.  Revenue comparisons based on the use of WADA are still relevant when comparing one ISD with another ISD, or with one group of ISDs with a different group of ISDs, or even when comparing charter schools with one another.  But WADA-based comparisons of revenues between a charter school and an ISD, or between a group of charter schools and a group of ISDs, are meaningless, which means they are likely to be misleading, if used.

 

Texas’ school finance system, as presently structured, results in an increase in cost to the state each time a student chooses to attend a charter school instead of a regular school district.  This fact, only observable when costs per student are calculated using ADA, rather than WADA, should be a consideration when formulating state policy relative to the potential further expansion of charter school enrollments. If the additional funds are deemed to be beneficial to students in charter schools, they would be equally beneficial to students remaining in regular school districts.

 

Attached to this document is an appendix that includes seven tables of data and two graphs that support these conclusions.


Appendix

 

Tables and graphs comparing M&O revenues between charter schools and independent school districts

 

Recently the Texas Legislative Budget Board I(LBB) projected total maintenance and operations (M&O) revenue going to Texas independent school districts (ISDs) and charter schools for the next biennium (a) under current law and (b) under House Bill 21.

 

The following heading and leading paragraph were taken from the LBB-prepared printout document. Model 060 refers to projections based on current law; Model 26690 refers to projections using changes to current law embodied in HB 21, authored by Rep. Huberty, chairman of the House Education Committee.

 

 

“Total Maintenance & Operations (M&O) Revenue Comparison for School Districts between Current Law (Model 060) and Model 26690

FISCAL YEAR 2018

 

Note:  All figures below are estimates and are subject to change based on actual and final student counts, property values, and tax effort.  Current law amounts reflect LBB Model 060, which is based on available statewide estimates and may differ from local projections. Updates to key source data including student counts, property values, and tax rates may change results significantly.  The amounts below do not include distribution of the $100,000,000 provided under this scenario for the Hardship Aid Grant Program because grant amounts and recipients are not known at this time.”

 

The LBB document contained projections for 1,023 school districts and 176 charter school systems. Five of the 1,023 ISDs are omitted from the following analysis:  Boys Ranch ISD, Ft Sam Houston ISD, Lackland ISD, Randolph Field ISD, and South Texas ISD. 

 

The following are the column headings that LBB provided on each page of their printout.

 

1. District Name                                    6. Change in Total M&O Revenue

2. County District Number                     7. Current Law  (M&O revenues per WADA)

3. Current Law (CL) WADA                8. Model 26690 (M&O revenues per WADA

4. Current Law Total M&O Revenue     9. Change in Total M&O Revenue per CL WADA        

5. Model 26690 Total M&O Revenue

 

Several additional variables used below were added to these data.  They were taken from files obtained from the Texas Education Agency and which pertained to their Summary of Finances reports for the current school year (2016-2017). They include the following:

 

Refined ADA (usually referred to simply as ADA for average daily attendance)

WADA (weighted average daily attendance)

Percentage of economically disadvantaged students

Adjusted allotment (AA)

 

While LBB did provide projections of total M&O revenues, projected ADA numbers for the next biennium were not included.  LBB also provided projections of WADA and of revenues per WADA. These could be converted to revenue per ADA by (a) multiplying by WADA and then (b) dividing that product by ADA.  This would be the same as multiplying the projected revenues per WADA by the ratio WADA/ADA.  The printout by LBB, however, did not include the projected values of ADA.  But as both WADA and ADA are available for the current school year, their ratios for SY 2016-2017 were used to multiply LBB’s projections of revenues per WADA to convert them to revenues per ADA. While not exact, the factors that create WADA as a multiple of ADA are considered to be sufficiently stable from year to year so as to make this technique accurate and meaningful.  Consequently the following tables use these estimates of M&O revenues per ADA for SY 2017-2018.[8] 

 

In the following tables the values beneath the heading “LBB CURRENT LAW M&O PER WADA” were taken directly from the LBB document.  The values beneath the headings “ADA”, “PCT ECON. DISADV.”, “ADJ ALLOT”, and the calculated amounts for “WADA/ADA RATIO” are from data obtained from TEA which that agency had used in producing its Summary of Finances reports for school year 2016-2017.

 

Most importantly, the values beneath the heading “ESTIMATED CURRENT LAW M&O PER ADA” were calculated from LBB’s current law projections of M&O revenues per WADA for school year 2017-2018 but multiplied by the WADA/ADA ratios that were calculated from WADA and ADA data for school year 2016-2017.  In the case of results for groups of ISDs or charter schools, the figures for ADA are merely totals, while the others shown are averages of the values for the individual ISDs or charter schools in each group, where the averages were weighted either by ADA or WADA, as appropriate.

 

For individual districts or charter schools, the LBB projection per WADA found in tables 2 through 7 can be multiplied by the WADA/ADA ratio on the same line to obtain the estimated projections per ADA under current law. These results should be exact.  When the same operation is performed for groups of districts, the results will not be exact because of the fact that averages of both the revenues per WADA, revenues per ADA, and the WADA/ADA ratios are themselves weighted averages calculated from the data for the individual districts.  However, the results are close, even for the groups of districts or charter schools. For example, referring to Table 1, if the average of LBB’s projections of Current Law M&O per WADA ($6,211) is multiplied by the WADA/ADA ratio of 1.35, the result is an estimate of current law M&O per ADA of $8385.  However, if the same is done for East Central ISD in Table 2, multiplying $6,053 times 1.3175, the  result is exactly $7,975, the same as shown in that line of the table.

 

From Table 1, where the data used involved virtually all ISDs and charters, the difference in M&O per WADA between charters and ISDs was $204, in favor of ISDs. However, the comparison based on the estimates of M&O per ADA resulted in charters receiving $834 more per ADA than ISDs received.  This is a swing of $1,038 in per pupil M&O funds when going from a WADA comparison to one based on ADA. It should be noted that the average percent of economically disadvantaged students is 67 percent for ISDs, 66 percent for charter schools.  These figures are quite close, and one could conclude that, in the aggregate, they had little or no impact on any differences in revenues per pupil.


 

Table 1. Texas statewide totals or averages for charter schools and independent school districts

 

 

NBR

NAME

ADA

PCT

ECON.

DISADV.

LBB

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER WADA

ESTIMATED

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER ADA

ADJ

ALLOT

WADA/

ADA

RATIO

1,018

Districts

4,779,074

67

$6,211

$8,320

$5,679

1.35

176

Charters

251,565

66

$6,007

$9,154

$6,466

1.54

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$204

+$834

+$787

 

Note: Per pupil estimates are for school year 2017-2018

 

 

There is, however, a significant difference in the average adjusted allotments for the two groups. It is true that the AA for charter schools--$6,466 is in fact the average of the AAs of all ISDs.  As discussed previously, this average does not take into account the differences in enrollment size of the various ISDs. The average AA shown in Table 1 for ISDs, however, does take enrollment differences into account.  More precisely, the average ISD AA of $5,679 is a weighted average where ADA was used as the weighting variable.  As can be observed, the difference in AAs of $787 between charters and ISDs is fairly close to the difference in estimated current law M&O per ADA of $834 in favor of charters.  This similarity is not accidental.

 

In fact, it is precisely the inflated value of the AA that is used for charter schools that inflates their program allotments.  This, in turn, causes their WADA values to be inflated, which, when used as the divisors in calculating M&O revenues per pupil, results in those amounts being reduced relative to those for ISDs. This effect is manifested in the higher WADA/ADA ratio for charters (1.54) than for ISDs (1.35).

 

In the remainder of the tables, Table 2 through Table 7, each contains six lines of data.  The first two lines comprise the aggregated numbers for all ISDs and charters, respectively, in each of the six counties presented.  The third line shows the ISD-charter differences for three of the columns.   The remaining three lines present corresponding data comparing an ISD and a charter school in the same county.

 

In five out of six cases the county average of M&O per ADA for the charter schools is substantially greater than that for the ISDs, with the county differences lying between $657 in the case of El Paso County to $1,318 for Travis County.  Hidalgo County is the exception in this regard, with the ISD average M&O per ADA just $73 greater than that for the charters in that county.  It is noted, for Hidalgo County, (a) that the percentage of economically disadvantaged students is 15 percent greater in the ISDs, (b) that the difference in the average adjusted allotment at $651 is the lowest for these six counties, and (c) that this is the only county out of these six where the average WADA/ADA ratio for the ISDs is as high as 1.41.  And while not reported in these tables, the average M&O tax rate for the ISDs in Hidalgo County was 1.15, considerably higher than the next highest average tax rate of 1.08 in Harris County.[9] Higher tax rates do result in higher per pupil revenues. All of these factors just noted work to increase revenues to ISDs in Hidalgo County, thereby reducing the relative charter advantage observed there.

 

The largest differences in average county M&O revenues per ADA are in Harris County (Table 5) and Travis County (Table 7).  In the case of Harris County, charter schools receive, on average, $1,250 more per ADA than do ISDs, and in Travis county charters receive, on average, $1,318 more per ADA. The comparisons of the individual ISDs and charter schools shown in the tables for these two counties are even more striking.  In Harris County, KIPP Inc is estimated to receive $1,628 more per ADA than is estimated for Houston ISD, and in Travis County KIPP Austin is estimated to receive $1,365 more than is estimated for Del Valle ISD. These differences are either much less or of the opposite sign when assessed on the basis of M&O revenue per WADA. These large differences are striking.

 

Table 2. Bexar county totals or averages for charter schools and independent school districts

 

ID

or

NBR

NAME

ADA

PCT

ECON.

DISADV.

LBB

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER WADA

ESTIMATED

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER ADA

ADJ

ALLOT

WADA/

ADA

RATIO

12

All Districts

303,747

73

$6,247

$8,264

$5,569

1.32

22

All Charters

25,643

67

$5,994

$9,124

$6.466

1.54

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$253

+$860

+$897

 

15911

East Central ISD

9,253

71

$6,053

$7,975

$5,505

1.3175

15826

KIPP Aspire

2,814

81

$6,022

$9,397

$6,466

1.5605

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$31

+$1,422

+$961

 

Note: Per pupil M&O estimates are for school year 2017-2018

 

The differences in M&O revenues per pupil, expressed both in terms of WADA and ADA, are summarized in Figures 1 and 2 below.  Figure 1 contains the six ISD-charter school comparisons that are included in Tables 2-7, and Figure 2 contains the six corresponding countywide average comparisons. In both figures, positive bars indicate an M&O revenue per pupil advantage to charter schools.


 

The interested reader should read the report by Moak Casey and Associates for a comprehensive understanding of the issues presented here.[10]   In addition, materials by this author can be found at www.polinetworks.com/nogap , where more detail is presented that explains why the adjusted allotment for charter schools is biased upwards.

 

 

Table 3. Dallas county totals or averages for charter schools and independent school districts

 

ID

or

NBR

NAME

ADA

PCT

ECON.

DISADV.

LBB

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER WADA

ESTIMATED

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER ADA

ADJ

ALLOT

WADA/

ADA

RATIO

14

All Districts

420,035

81

$6,155

$8,361

$5,639

1.36

34

All Charters

59,461

70

$6,014

$9,231

$6,477

1.55

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$141

+$870

+$827

 

57905

Dallas ISD

149,127

100

$5,936

$8,383

$5,724

1.4123

57804

Dallas Can

4,426

91

$6,227

$9,915

$6,466

1.5922

 

--Diffs--

 

 

+$291

+$1,532

+$742

 

Note: Per pupil estimates are for school year 2017-2018

 

 


 

Table 4. El Paso county totals or averages for charter schools and independent school districts

 

ID

or

NBR

NAME

ADA

PCT

ECON.

DISADV.

LBB

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER WADA

ESTIMATED

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER ADA

ADJ

ALLOT

WADA/

ADA

RATIO

9

All Districts

162,696

85

$6,126

$8,387

$5,548

1.37

7

All Charters

5,533

63

$5,990

$9,044

$6,466

1.51

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$136

+$657

+$918

 

71909

Socorro ISD

42,878

77

$5,776

$7,750

$5,210

1.3418

71806

Harmony Sc.

3,212

57

$5,983

$9,047

$6,466

1.5121

 

--Diffs--

 

 

+$207

+$1,297

+$1,256

 

Note: Per pupil estimates are for school year 2017-2018

 

 

 

Table 5. Harris county totals or averages for charter schools and independent school districts

 

ID

or

NBR

NAME

ADA

PCT

ECON.

DISADV.

LBB

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER WADA

ESTIMATED

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER ADA

ADJ

ALLOT

WADA/

ADA

RATIO

19

All Districts

799,648

71

$6,121

$8,104

$5,678

1.33

35

All Charters

50,711

83

$6,008

$9,354

$6,466

1.56

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$113

+$1,250

+$788

 

101912

Houston ISD

194,935

93

$5,786

$7,900

$5,569

1.3653

101813

KIPP Inc

12,114

96

$5,999

$9,528

$6,466

1.5883

 

--Diffs--

 

 

+$213

+$1,628

+$897

 

Note: Per pupil estimates are for school year 2017-2018

 

 

 

Table 6. Hidalgo county totals or averages for charter schools and independents school districts

 

ID

or

NBR

NAME

ADA

PCT

ECON.

DISADV.

LBB

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER WADA

ESTIMATED

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER ADA

ADJ

ALLOT

WADA/

ADA

RATIO

15

All Districts

190,428

95

$6,585

$9,255

$5,815

1.41

5

All Charters

32,679

80

$6,009

$9,182

$6,466

1.53

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$576

-$73

+$651

 

108907

Mercedes ISD

5,429

95

$6,027

$8,305

$5,763

1.3779

108802

Technology Ed

1,122

90

$5,972

$9,290

$6,466

1.5556

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$55

+$985

+$703

 

Note: Per pupil estimates are for school year 2017-2018

 

Table 7. Travis county totals or averages for charter schools and independent school districts

 

ID

or

NBR

NAME

ADA

PCT

ECON.

DISADV.

LBB

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER WADA

ESTIMATED

CURRENT

LAW M&O

PER ADA

ADJ

ALLOT

WADA/

ADA

RATIO

7

All Districts

140,960

64

$6,267

$8,168

$5,498

1.30

15

All Charters

15,244

69

$5,997

$9,486

$6,466

1.59

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$270

+$1,318

+$968

 

227910

Del Valle ISD

11,732

99

$6,085

$8,436

$5,541

1.3864

227820

KIPP Austin

4,463

96

$6,009

$9,801

$6,466

1.6310

 

--Diffs--

 

 

-$76

+$1,365

+$925

 

Note: Per pupil estimates are for school year 2017-2018

 


Figure 1

 

Data source: Tables 2 – 7 above.


Figure 2

 

Data source: Tables 2 – 7 above.



* Larry Toenjes has been involved in school finance issues in Texas, Illinois and other states for over 30 years. Toenjes has a doctorate in economics from the University of Southern Illinois, is now retired, and lives in Clear Lake Shores, Texas.

[1] Based on data for SY 2014-2015 there were 451 ISDs with regular ADA of less than 1,000 and with adjusted allotments that were equal to or greater than the state-determined average adjusted allotment for all ISDs of $6,265 for that year.

[2] For SY 2014-2015 the weighted adjusted allotment for all ISDs was $751 less than the simple average of $6,265 which was the value actually used for charter school state aid calculations that year.

[3] This observer’s best estimate of the amount by which the average of M&O revenue per ADA for charter schools exceeds that for ISDs is $611. This estimate is for SY 2016-2017, and was based on data contained in the Texas Education Agency’s Summary of Finances reports for this year.

[4] Based on figures from TEA’s Summary of Finances reports for SY 2016-2017  regular program allotments as a percentage of all six of the Foundation Support Program Tier I Allotments are 73.9 percent of ISDs, 78.6 percent for charter schools.  ISDs, with a lower percentage for the regular program allotment, obviously have greater proportions of extra-cost students in the other five allotment categories of extra-cost students.

[5]The near-proportionate increase in M&O revenues and WADA as AA is increased is demonstrated both with simulation results as well as mathematically in Item 5 found at www.polinetworks.com/nogap .  See equations 4,5 and 6 for the mathematical statement.

[6] In fact, it is shown in the reference cited in the previous footnote that as AA increases, M&O revenues per WADA actually decrease slightly, all other factors held constant.

[7] For the vast majority of students in ISDs the adjusted allotment (AA) in their ISD is less than the AA in any charter to which they might transfer.  If it is assumed that the child transferred is classified as economically disadvantaged, it is only necessary that the difference in the AAs between the ISD and a charter school be at least equal to 1000/1.2 or $834 for the increased cost to the state to exceed $1,000, taking into consideration the 20 percent increased benefit accruing to such students. This would be the case for four of the six comparisons between specific charter schools and ISDs that are exhibited in Tables 2 – 7 contained in the Appendix below. In one case (Table 4) the difference in the adjusted allotments is $1,256. If a student transferring from the ISD to the charter school identified there was also economically disadvantaged, the increased cost to the state would be 1.2 times 1256 or $1,572. This ignores the one-year lag associated with extra state funding for economically disadvantaged students after they have been declared eligible. One would think that state policy makers should be aware of the magnitude of this effect.

[8] The assumption that the ratios WADA/ADA are stable from year-to-year was tested by comparing the correlation coefficient between these ratios for the school years 2014-2015 and 2016-2017. The WADA numbers for each year were actually those generated by the author’s school finance computer program but numerous checks indicated they were extremely close to WADA estimates generated by TEA and LBB. Combining ISDs and charter schools the correlation coefficient was 0.967 when restricted to ISDs and charter schools with more than 1,000 students in ADA.

[9] It is customary in Texas to express tax rates in terms of a hundred dollars of property values.  Thus, if the school tax rate was equal to 1.08, the actual tax bill on a residence valued at $200,000 would be 1.08/100) x $200,000 or $2,160.

[10] Moak, Casey & Associates, “Texas Charter School Finance”, study prepared for Raise Your Hand Texas, released November, 2014.  The report and summary report are available at http://www.texaskidscantwait.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/RYHT-Charters-Final-Report-111715.pdf and http://www.texaskidscantwait.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/RYHT-Charters-Final-Report-Executive-Summary-111715.pdf