Results-Based Budgeting
Origin: Oakland Unified School District, California
Bill Name/Number: Oakland Unified School District Impact Assessment Results-Based Budgeting
Link: Click here
Summary: In this impact assessment, Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) details its progression from
enrollment-based formulas to its current operational procedure of results-based budgeting. In 2004, OUSD
pioneered results-based budgeting (RBB) – also known as student-based budgeting, weighted student funding, and
fair student funding, among others – for its 108 schools. This new allocation system was a strategy to increase
equity, transparency, autonomy, and accountability throughout OUSD. In addition to creating budget equity, RBB
gives schools more flexibility in configuring their own staffing arrangement and instructional programs.
Talking Points & Important Information:
• School finance reform has become a key component for transitioning public schools in the United States, and,
over the last decade, a growing number of districts have turned to the results-based budgeting model in which
budgets are allocated to schools in dollars based on the needs of students within a school, rather than in staff
positions.
• Student-based budgeting allows for more equitable and rational allocation of funds among students and
schools with differing levels of and types of needs. Moreover, RBB is a better alignment of school budgets with
instructional goals. Schools are able to express the needs of their students clearly and request services from
central offices.
• RBB transfers resources – and thereby authority – to school communities and enables them to make better
decisions and resource configurations for students.
• Furthermore, RBB is a more transparent budgeting model because it forces districts to openly account for each
investment and it places more pressure on central offices – rather than school sites – to make cuts in budget
and staff.
• The current structure of most school districts in the U.S. is primarily top-down and compliance-oriented.
The low level of achievement of many students causes policymakers in all levels to impose additional rules
and restrictions on how schools use funds. With the RBB system, the school shifts its focus from inputs and
compliance to student outcomes. This doesn’t mean that districts will not comply with state and federal
regulations, but rather provides space and time for school districts to dedicate resources to strategy, innovation,
and reinvention.
• For more resources on smart budgeting, click here.
2015 POLICY BOOK
SCHOOL
INTRO
BOARD
LEVEL
PAGE 23