Challenges to public education financing in Missouri and the nation topic of public forum, Nov. 4.

Oct. 31, 2005 -- State public education funding formulas and the relationship between funding and student achievement will be among topics addressed in a public forum to be held from 8:15 a.m. - 5 p.m. Nov. 4 at Washington University in St. Louis.

"I think the biggest selling point of the symposium, besides the timeliness of the topic, is the diversity of the participants -- academic, superintendents, and legislators," said conference co-organizer Thomas Garrett of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

"I hope all attendees will leave the symposium with a better understanding of how the current legislation will influence school finance in Missouri, and also have a broader understanding of school finance in general to better understand and evaluate policies as they arise."

The forum will be held in the May Auditorium of the business school's Simon Hall, located along Forsyth Boulevard just east of Francis Field. The program is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.

Co-sponsored by the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy and the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the program features nationally recognized scholars in the areas of school finance and accountability. Mike Podgursky of the University of Missouri will present an overview of the current system of K-12 education finance in Missouri, as well as plans for reform. Eric Hanushek of Stanford University will discuss improving school accountability and student achievement. Thomas Nechyba of Duke University will present on alternative education finance strategies.

State legislators and school superintendents will be on hand to provide their views on the appropriate school funding formula/approach for their districts and to comment on current school finance legislation.

For reservations, please call the Weidenbaum Center Events Line at 314-935-6790, extension 2. For program information, contact Melinda Warren at (314) 935-5652 or warren@wustl.edu; or Thomas Garrett at (314) 444-8601 or garrett@stls.frb.org.

A detailed agenda and list of panelists is available online at the Weidenbaum Center Web site: wc.wustl.edu.