Education finance sets the foundation for what is possible in every school in the country. Education finance equity is critical to leveling the playing field for underserved students in under-resourced schools. But in too many states, the education funding system remains inequitable, inadequate, and opaque to all but a few. Even state school finance systems designed to reflect strong principles around equity can be rife with technical pitfalls or loopholes that jeopardize the realization of those principles for students and schools. 

How can states make school funding formulas work more effectively to provide the necessary resources for all students? 

Splitting the Bill: A Bellwether Series on Education Finance Equity gives advocates, state policymakers, and other stakeholders a crash course in the fundamentals of education finance and in key questions to ask in their states and communities. First published in 2021, we are adding new briefs to the series on an ongoing basis.

This series of short briefs is part of Bellwether’s ongoing work to address inequities in state education finance in order to help level the playing field for marginalized students in under-resourced schools and communities. Read more of Bellwether’s work on state education finance here.