Just a late-day observation before I take off for the weekend. As we noted earlier, among the various state ballot initiatives in Tuesday's elections, Oklahomans defeated a constitutional amendment that would've increased public school funding there by requiring the state to match the average per-student spending of surrounding states (apparently it would have totaled about $830 million). The incoming OK schools chief is saying that schools need to make better use of existing funds. Janet Barresi said that first on her to-do list when she takes office in January is requesting a full audit of the Education Department. She said she wants to see where the money is, where it's going, what the needs are, and then make changes accordingly. Seems like a smart move?and along the lines of advice given in the new Fordham-AEI book Stretching the School Dollar (Harvard Education Press, 2010).
?Amy Fagan