Bruce D. Baker
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schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker
@schoolfinance101.bsky.social
1.3K followers 500 following 1.4K posts

Professor, Education Finance & Policy
Personal Website: https://schoolfinance101.com
School Finance Indicators Database: https://www.schoolfinancedata.org/
Books: https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/author/bruce-d-baker/

Videos
Political science 45%
Sociology 22%
Posts Replies Media Videos

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 22h
I added it to my post ... but just screen captured

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 22h
Saw an argument that Atlanta is a perfect example of hiring lots of new (useless, inefficient) staff while enrollments plummet. Here are the long term trends. And one might argue that hiring more teachers to provide smaller classes is the right move in a high poverty district.

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
This does not discount the reality that there are specific locations which have experienced substantial population decline and have yet to adjust to their new reality. But looking at these things in the aggregate isn't very useful.

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
And, instead of reporting it in staff per 100 pupils, I could just report an aggregate number and say that districts are hiring thousands of additional district support staff to serve fewer and fewer students. Then it would sound so much more impressive/apocalyptic.

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
I could focus on that anecdotal jump in district support staff, ignore the fact that it is largely offset by a reduction in school support staff (likely a reclassification in data) and make a dumbass argument that public districts are increasing bureaucracies to serve ever decreasing populations.

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
Meanwhile, we might be increasing staff where there are enrollment increases - might have to increase support staff if we don't yet have additional classrooms (capital/space) to actually reduce class sizes (hire teachers).

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
Also - from a staffing/planning/district budgeting standpoint, we don't have the flexibility to fully optimize staffing for growth or decline across all schools nationally or within any state. There will be carried costs in some places (outlying towns) with sharp enrollment declines.

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
Teachers per 100 pupils are relatively flat since COVID, and not too different from what they were just prior to the great recession.

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
1. enrollments aren't dropping that much, and it varies a bit by locale.
2. The largest share of staffing - teachers - aren't changing much on a per pupil basis.
3. There are some anecdotal shifts in support staff that are relatively small, in the larger context.

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Bruce D. Baker, Robert C. Richards , and 1 more

revolvingdoordc.bsky.social
Revolving Door Project @revolvingdoordc.bsky.social · 1d
Great to see the new House Oversight Democrats’ report on the schemes behind DOGE's creation, the benefits it offered the billionaire class, and the harms it brought to taxpayers, federal workers, and public services. 🧵
oversightdemocrats.house.gov/imo/media/do...

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
Ivermectin is our Idiocracy's Brawndo.

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
Outstanding - let's shut down research on truly groundbreaking mRNA vaccines, and pursue completely unfounded miracle cures. Great investment of taxpayer dollars.
Brawndo - it has electrolytes!

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
by locale:

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
What about all of those huge staffing increases while enrollments plummet (even if they aren't)? Here's the aggregate for staff per 100 pupils - mostly teachers - not growing!!!!! Some reclassification shifts & drift in those tiny categories at bottom:

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
Now by Locale (aggregating urban centric locale codes):

schoolfinance101.bsky.social
Bruce D. Baker @schoolfinance101.bsky.social · 1d
Another quick story time - About those unsustainable "huge" staffing increases while public schools bleed enrollments. First - those enrollments (overall)

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker

Reposted by Bruce D. Baker, Gerald Friedman, Henry Jones

crockett.house.gov
Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett @crockett.house.gov · 1d
Pam Bondi has been a complete and total failure at her job. The Epstein survivors showed more courage just by being in that room than she did under oath. She refused to answer questions and chose complicity.

America deserves better.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Bruce D. Baker, Jacob T. Levy

kevinmkruse.bsky.social
Kevin M. Kruse @kevinmkruse.bsky.social · 2d
I can't think of an attorney general ever showing this much open contempt for Congress before.

Not only would most of them think this kind of conduct was beneath them, they'd have known that the Judiciary Committee chair, whatever the party, would never stand for clownish antics like this.
atrupar.com Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d
Bondi is now just straight up ignoring questions from Democratic members