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All Politics Is Local: Introducing a Relative Measure of How Adequately States Fund Community Colleges Based on County-Level Demographics

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Title: All Politics Is Local: Introducing a Relative Measure of How Adequately States Fund Community Colleges Based on County-Level Demographics
Language: English
Authors: Frank Fernandez, Xiaodan Hu, State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO)
Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers. 2025.
Availability: State Higher Education Executive Officers. 3035 Center Green Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: 303-541-1600; Fax: 303-541-1639; e-mail: sheeo@sheeo.org; Web site: http://www.sheeo.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 34
Publication Date: 2025
Sponsoring Agency: Joyce Foundation
Document Type: Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Two Year Colleges
Descriptors: Community Colleges, Counties, State Aid, Educational Finance, Financial Support, Equal Education, Student Financial Aid, Minority Group Students, Measurement Techniques, Racial Composition, Credentials
Geographic Terms: United States
Abstract: Twenty-two times, state courts have ruled that legislatures are inadequately funding K-12 schools based on constitutional rights to public education. When states implemented court-ordered financing reforms, the poorest school districts increased per-student spending by 11.5% to 12.1%. Those districts then showed increased graduation rates by between 6.8% and 11.5%. The notion of funding adequacy should be extended beyond public high schools and into community colleges to ensure students have consistent and adequate resources to equal learning opportunities in higher education. Community colleges enroll disproportionate shares of the nation's underrepresented racial minority students. These students have often been poorly served by underfunded schools and school districts and enter higher education with additional academic and student services needs that can be costly for colleges. Underrepresented racial minority students are also disproportionately affected when college budgets are cut. The authors argue that states should examine how they fund community colleges based on the students those colleges serve. Prior literature has examined education funding based on county-level demographics. Prior literature has focused on K-12 school resources, but in this report the authors argue that it is important to focus on community college finance for two reasons: First, examining adequacy in community college funding could be used to help prevent legal allegations that states are perpetuating racialized funding disparities between community colleges. Second, state policymakers could use this approach of defining and measuring funding adequacy based on how county demographics relate to the overall state population to close inequitable funding gaps that correlate with race. Achieving funding adequacy while considering racial equity ensures that the community colleges that are best situated to address state higher education completion gaps (e.g., between Black students and white students) have more resources to do so. State completion agendas are contingent on improving college success for these groups of students, particularly in community colleges.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED675442
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: All Politics Is Local: Introducing a Relative Measure of How Adequately States Fund Community Colleges Based on County-Level Demographics
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Frank+Fernandez%22">Frank Fernandez</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Xiaodan+Hu%22">Xiaodan Hu</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22State+Higher+Education+Executive+Officers+%28SHEEO%29%22">State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO)</searchLink>
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  Data: State Higher Education Executive Officers. 3035 Center Green Suite 100, Boulder, CO 80301. Tel: 303-541-1600; Fax: 303-541-1639; e-mail: sheeo@sheeo.org; Web site: http://www.sheeo.org
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  Data: 34
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Two+Year+Colleges%22">Two Year Colleges</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+Colleges%22">Community Colleges</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Counties%22">Counties</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22State+Aid%22">State Aid</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Finance%22">Educational Finance</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Financial+Support%22">Financial Support</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Equal+Education%22">Equal Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Financial+Aid%22">Student Financial Aid</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Minority+Group+Students%22">Minority Group Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Measurement+Techniques%22">Measurement Techniques</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Racial+Composition%22">Racial Composition</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Credentials%22">Credentials</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: Twenty-two times, state courts have ruled that legislatures are inadequately funding K-12 schools based on constitutional rights to public education. When states implemented court-ordered financing reforms, the poorest school districts increased per-student spending by 11.5% to 12.1%. Those districts then showed increased graduation rates by between 6.8% and 11.5%. The notion of funding adequacy should be extended beyond public high schools and into community colleges to ensure students have consistent and adequate resources to equal learning opportunities in higher education. Community colleges enroll disproportionate shares of the nation's underrepresented racial minority students. These students have often been poorly served by underfunded schools and school districts and enter higher education with additional academic and student services needs that can be costly for colleges. Underrepresented racial minority students are also disproportionately affected when college budgets are cut. The authors argue that states should examine how they fund community colleges based on the students those colleges serve. Prior literature has examined education funding based on county-level demographics. Prior literature has focused on K-12 school resources, but in this report the authors argue that it is important to focus on community college finance for two reasons: First, examining adequacy in community college funding could be used to help prevent legal allegations that states are perpetuating racialized funding disparities between community colleges. Second, state policymakers could use this approach of defining and measuring funding adequacy based on how county demographics relate to the overall state population to close inequitable funding gaps that correlate with race. Achieving funding adequacy while considering racial equity ensures that the community colleges that are best situated to address state higher education completion gaps (e.g., between Black students and white students) have more resources to do so. State completion agendas are contingent on improving college success for these groups of students, particularly in community colleges.
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  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 34
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Community Colleges
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Counties
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: State Aid
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Finance
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Financial Support
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Equal Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Financial Aid
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Minority Group Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Measurement Techniques
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Racial Composition
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Credentials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: United States
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: All Politics Is Local: Introducing a Relative Measure of How Adequately States Fund Community Colleges Based on County-Level Demographics
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            NameFull: Xiaodan Hu
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