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Inefficient Education Spending in Public School Districts: A Case for Consolidation?

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Author Info
Marvin E. Dodson
Thomas A. Garrett

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Abstract

This article estimates scale economies for Arkansas school districts. Large economies of scale exist in teacher salary and supply costs, as well as total costs. The results suggest that districts, especially rural districts, would experience measurable cost savings from consolidation. The authors simulate a hypothetical rural school district consolidation to obtain cost-saving estimates from consolidation. Simulations indicate that districts could save an average of 34% in average variable costs. At the state level, consolidation of rural districts in Arkansas could annually save $40 million. However, consolidation of school districts may increase various implicit costs to students and local communities. (JEL I22, I28) Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Oxford University Press in its journal Contemporary Economic Policy.

Volume (Year): 22 (2004)
Issue (Month): 2 (April)
Pages: 270-280
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Handle: RePEc:oup:coecpo:v:22:y:2004:i:2:p:270-280

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Brewer, Dominic J., 1996. "Does more school district administration lower educational productivity? Some evidence on the "Administrative Blob" in New York public schools," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 111-124, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Christensen, Laurits R & Greene, William H, 1976. "Economies of Scale in U.S. Electric Power Generation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 84(4), pages 655-76, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Garrett, Thomas A, 2001. " Economies of Scale and Inefficiency in County Extension Councils: A Case for Consolidation?," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, American Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 83(4), pages 811-25, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Gyimah-Brempong, Kwabena, 1987. "Economies of Scale in Municipal Police Departments: The Case of Florida," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 69(2), pages 352-56, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Hanushek, Eric A, 1986. "The Economics of Schooling: Production and Efficiency in Public Schools," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 24(3), pages 1141-77, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. DeBoer, Larry, 1992. "Economies of scale and input substitution in public libraries," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 257-268, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Charles Jacques & B. Wade Brorsen & Francisca G. C. Richter, 2000. "Consolidating Rural School Districts: Potential Savings and Effects on Student Achievement," Journal of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 32(3), pages 573-583, December.
  8. Hanushek, E.A.omson, W., 1996. "Assessing the Effects of School Resources on Student Performance : An Update," RCER Working Papers 424, University of Rochester - Center for Economic Research (RCER).
  9. Jimenez, Emmanuel, 1986. "The structure of educational costs: Multiproduct cost functions for primary and secondary schools in latin America," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 25-39, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Christopher C. Klein, 2007. "Efficiency versus Effectiveness: Interpreting Education Production Studies," Working Papers 200703, Middle Tennessee State University, Department of Economics and Finance. [Downloadable!]
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