Translating Expenditures into Opportunity: The Impact of School Finance Reform on Edgewood ISD

San Antonio’s Edgewood ISD has played a premier role in school finance reform in the 20th century. The Edgewood community spearheaded San Antonio ISD v. Rodriguez and Edgewood v. Kirby to the US Supreme Court and Texas Supreme Court, respectively, which culminated in Chapter 41 wealth equalization measures. The goal of the reform movement was to achieve equity in available resources for schools, no matter how wealthy or poor the surrounding area may be. This inquiry is designed as a follow-up study on Edgewood ISD and San Antonio area districts to assess the state of equity with respect to financial resources, teaching staff, and academic achievement. The data suggest that the reforms have been successful in providing adequate funds to districts independent of a district’s level of property wealth. However, equitable financial resources have not manifested into equal academic opportunities for Edgewood and San Antonio districts. Districts with greater property wealth staff teachers with more experience and higher educational attainment, and students in property wealthy areas score higher on standardized tests and college entrance exams than students in property poor areas. School finance reforms have not materially affected the opportunity gap.