Efficiency in order

Making a difference in schools

Acommon-sense definition of efficiency is “doing more with less.” The Efficiency Project, announced by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in late 2015, recommended policies to save tax dollars. A national firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, examined the state Department of Finance and Administration. Arkansas citizens volunteered to review other agencies.

Two years later, Efficiency Project ideas are being acted upon.

—————— K-12 education is one area examined by the project. The Arkansas Constitution (Article 14) cites “efficiency,” stating: “Intelligence and virtue being the safeguards of liberty and the bulwark of a free and good government, the state shall ever maintain a general, suitable and efficient system of free public schools and shall adopt all suitable means to secure to the people the advantages and opportunities of education.”

Taxpayers have made significant contributions to the K-12 system. They’ve also supported new ideas, such as charter schools, when the system delivered unacceptable results.

Policymakers have advanced two Efficiency Project educational recommendations. The project found “Certain funds are not being distributed to low-income K-12 school districts as originally intended.”

One program encouraged teachers to obtain national-board certification and work in high-poverty schools. It grew into a $16 million program paying bonuses to teachers in other schools.

A University of Arkansas’ Office for Education Policy timeline illustrates mission creep within the program: ————— 1997—State Department of Education pays $2,000 and up to three days of substitute pay ($200); 1999—Education department increases program funding; 2001—Incentive bonus increased to $3,000. School principals and assistant principals made eligible for the program; 2003—Incentive increased to $4,000 (2004) and $5,000 (2005 and beyond);

2009—Bonuses counted as salary for the purpose of retirement benefits.

————— An Office for Education Policy researcher noted that board-certified teachers are “more likely to work in districts serving the fewest high-poverty students.”

Policymakers enacted Act 937 of 2017 (sponsored by state Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale), which reduces bonuses for teachers not employed in high-poverty schools. An Office for Education Policy memo notes $1.6 million could be saved at current participation rates. More could be saved by engaging nonprofit groups like Teach for America.

Another example is Facilities Partnership funding, which the Efficiency Project found “is distributed in an inefficient manner.” School finance litigation established “warm, safe and dry” as a standard. “Growth districts” were added by policymakers, which increased spending.

In July, Governor Hutchinson told a panel, “We’ve been going down a path in terms of facility funding that needs to be adjusted.” Since 2006, nearly $3.2 billion has been spent, with $1.1 billion of that from the state, according to the Democrat-Gazette.

The Efficiency Project made three other K-12 recommendations. It noted that poverty funding is distributed inefficiently; digital courses should be provided through a competitive process; and performance measures should be applied to legacy program annual payments.

The Arkansas Efficiency Project illustrates that citizen volunteers can make a difference. They know what works in the real world, and their citizenship informs state government.