Aaron Smith

Reason’s latest K-12 study takes a comprehensive look at resources and outcomes for all 50 states over the past two decades. Bringing together key revenue, expenditure, enrollment, staffing, and NAEP data, here are five key takeaways from our report. reason.org/k12-ed-spendin… 🧵1/9

This is wild Staff rosters are ballooning but not because of teachers Schools are hiring everything but teachers (while student enrollment is declining) I don't want to hear any complaints about funding or class sizes when this is how schools handle personnel h/t @ASmithAZ

With K–12 enrollment down by about 1.4 million students since the start of COVID-19 and projected to fall by another 2.5 million students by 2032, it’s critical for policymakers to understand why public schools are still adding staff to their payrolls. — @ASmithAZ

Full analysis here: educationnext.org/propulsive-gro…

Much has been written about public school staffing growth, but what’s behind this trend? My latest for Education Next explores this question, taking a close look at the role of special education. The takeaway is clear: Sped has indeed played a substantial role in the K-12 staffing surge in the last two decades. But the data indicate that it’s also more than just special education. The “whole child” approach could be another key driver.

"Despite losing more than 200,000 students, LAUSD’s inflation-adjusted spending on employee compensation grew by about $1.7 billion, or 27%, during the same period." — @ASmithAZ and @graphgoesup

With taxpayers responsible for public pension debt, what role, if any, should crypto investments play in public retirement systems managing trillions of dollars in assets? Join us June 23 for a discussion featuring @NCTreasurer @brad_briner, @MariiFTrujillo, @lengilroy, and Todd Kanaster of @SPGlobal. Register here: reason.org/event/webinar-…

While losing 34% of its students, LAUSD’s spending on compensation increased by $1.7 billion. The largest increase in compensation spending, about $315 million, went to administrative positions, not teachers. reason.org/commentary/los… via @ReasonFdn @graphgoesup @ASmithAZ

As public schools adjust to a new reality with fewer students, state policymakers and school district administrators must make difficult but necessary decisions to rightsize. — @JudeSchwalbach. buff.ly/NT5rXes

@MrDanielBuck Great work, @MrDanielBuck. Too many school choice advocates either supported this effort or remained silent. This will likely go down as an own goal for the movement.

Fraud and waste? A slush fund for public schools? Regulations on private schools? Look, I’m all for school choice at the state level, but a federal program could blow up in our faces fordhaminstitute.org/national/comme…

I'd wager that the lion’s share of federal school choice dollars won’t fund school choice at all.

“Public officials owe it to students and taxpayers to ensure that district and school consolidations are conducted transparently and reflect efficient use of public funds that best serve the remaining students.” — @JudeSchwalbach. buff.ly/NT5rXes

See all of findings on LAUSD's employee compensation spending here: reason.org/commentary/los…

Our latest research looks at Los Angeles Unified School District’s employee compensation spending, and what we found raises serious concerns about the district’s fiscal health and strategic priorities. While LAUSD’s enrollment fell by 34% between 2013 and 2023, inflation-adjusted expenditures on compensation grew by 27% ($1.7 billion). But only a fraction of these dollars went to teacher paychecks. Total dollars going to teachers rose by only $85.4 million, as their share of employee compensation fell from 51.8% to 41.8%. LAUSD spent more on employees, but the new dollars went disproportionately to non-teaching staff, including administrators, counselors, social workers, and instructional aides. It’s also clear that rising benefit costs, driven largely by pension debt, are consuming a larger share of total employee compensation. Benefits accounted for 21% of employee compensation spending in 2013, rising to 26% in 2023. Why does that matter? In 2013, an employee earning a $109k salary cost the district $133k in total compensation. But in 2023, an employee earning the same inflation-adjusted salary cost $154k in total compensation. Research shows that these trends predate the COVID-19 pandemic and that many districts across the country face similar fiscal circumstances.

As public school choice expands across the country, new data show a clear pattern: families are using open enrollment to move their children to higher-performing districts, writes @JudeSchwalbach. reason.org/education-news…

It seems the more I study community schools, the less I understand what they are and how they're supposed to improve K-12 outcomes. Exhibit A:

@NealMcCluskey Not to mention the effects on general ed classrooms. But it’s difficult to have a rational, nuanced conversation about it.

There is a clear tension between the benefits of mainstreaming & providing specialized assistance for students with disabilities, especially for disabilities that are more rare or challenging. I'm not sure we acknowledge that enough. texastribune.org/2026/05/08/hou…

@DuellSays It will take some time to play out, but I’m not optimistic.

Federal school choice will likely be a financial windfall for public schools in the long run. And I don’t think that’s a good thing.

@NealMcCluskey There’s a reason Arne Duncan jumped on board (and it’s not because he’s changed his mind on private school choice) the74million.org/article/were-a…

@ASmithAZ Unless I missed something, the regs for this aren't even out yet. Choice fans need to not oversell this thing, unless we want to set people up for disappointment.

Researchers used administrative data from Florida and looked at the effects of teacher experience, advanced degree attainment, and professional development. Effects on student achievement were meager, and often not in the direction you'd hope: