Summary of Objectives
To ensure that taxpayer resources are spent wisely and are focused on improving outcomes for children and families, StudentsFirst will pursue the following policy objectives:
- State law must permit mayoral and state control where failing districts demand accountability and reform. State law should expressly provide a "trigger" that a mayor or governor can activate to take over failing schools or districts.
- States must require districts to produce public budgets that clearly track central office, programmatic, and curriculum spending against student achievement.
- Hard and fast caps on budget categories are counterproductive and should not be legislated, as they hinder management's ability to implement smart fiscal priorities. Where such restrictions exist in state law, StudentsFirst will seek to remove them.
- State law should prohibit districts from establishing a salary schedule that guarantees increases based on additional degrees. (See corresponding imperative 1.4: salary schedules must be based on effectiveness.)
- State laws should not prescribe maximum class size above the 3rd grade.
- State law should permit districts to identify management alternatives to realize efficiencies in secondary school supports such as facility construction and management and food service and allow districts to keep and reallocate the resulting savings.
- States and districts must shift new employees from defined-benefit pension programs to defined-contribution plans with full portability of these benefits across districts and states; employees must contribute a proportional share.
