Fulfilling Parents' Wishes: Property Taxes, School Choice, and Referendum Success
Do charter schools improve the odds for school districts seeking increased funding at the polls?
Satisfaction with the local public schools affects voter' opinions on school district funding initiatives. As such, the tendency of charter schools to serve families dissatisfied with the specific schools to which they have been assigned under the traditional education governance structure may boost local satisfaction. Following this line of thinking, Arnold Shober theorizes that the relatively narrow direct appeal of charter schools may lead to increased funding for public schools more generally. That is, the satisfaction generated through the opportunity to choose a school may also translate into greater support for public schools.
In order to test this theory, Shober collected data on Wisconsin ballot initiatives pertaining to education spending. He found a positive, statistically significant relationship between the number of charter schools in a school district and the level of voter support for increased spending initiatives on education. One fascinating implication of this study that deserves further investigation is whether providing more school choice generates more funding support for traditional forms of public education as well as charter schools.
By Arnold F. Shober
Occasional Paper No. 168 - Click here for full publication
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