5342+Week+3+Part+3+(+Intro+and+part+1+of+Paper)

The State of Texas makes an attempt to equalize funding for all schools. This week, we have taken a look at two similarly sized districts and have found that the equalization of funds has not occurred. We will take a look at the intent of Weighted Average Daily Attendance (WADA) and why the action failed in the comparison of these two districts. We will also address the potential positive and negative impact these differences make on the programs funded under Maintenance and Operations (M&O). The intent of WADA is to provide more professionals, materials and programs for students that are economically disadvantaged and or underachieving. WADA takes into account groups such as Bilingual, Limited English Proficient, Gifted and Talented, Special Education, and Career and Technology Education. These special populations take more funds to educate. The way WADA is calculated is complex; however the end result is a number that will be greater than the Average Daily Attendance (ADA). WADA is greater because the formula to attain the number takes into account the type students that are being served by a district. The greater the number of students eligible for special entitlements, the greater a school district’s WADA will be. The Summary of Finances studied for these districts indicate that the district with the greater property values, District Two, is able to hire more teachers and other staff, even though an equalization of funding is supposed to occur. The equalization of funding failed in this case, even though the percentage of Economically Disadvantaged students in District One is more than four times higher than in District Two, District Two is a “richer” district based on local property values that increase its Total Target Revenue. District Two was able to collect substantially more WADA funds at the compressed rate than District One which will greatly impact the students of both districts.