| The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the effects of additional revenues for performance on the equity of a state school finance system. The research included an analysis of the equity of the 1997–1998, 1999–2000, and 2000–2001 Florida Education Finance Program (FEFP) with and without the application of performance-based funding of reward dollars from the Florida A+ Plan and School Recognition Program. The FEFP included revenue from state and local sources.;Using statistical measurements that were developed for public school equity studies, the degree of horizontal equity on revenue per weighted full-time equivalent student (WFTE) was analyzed for the 67 public school districts prior to and following the implementation of performance-based funding. The results of the study indicated that additional revenues of performance-based funding had slightly disequalizing effects within the years of the study. The results were indicated by resource accessibility measures, including the range, restricted range, federal range ratio, variance, and the standard deviation. The coefficient of variation indicated a decreased equity in the last year of the study, as performance-based funding was applied. Calculations of the McLoone Index indicated decreased equity, while the Gini coefficient indicated a negligible increase in equity due to the additional revenues from performance-based funding within the year of the study. Both indicated that the additional revenues had slight to negligible effects on equity and wealth neutrality within those years. Some values increased during the years of the study with and without the award dollars so it cannot be determined that the decrease in equity was due solely to performance-based funding.;For all of the measures analyzed, the decrease in equity, or the slight shift toward disequalization, was most evident when the revenues from performance-based funding were applied within the years of the study. |
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