Emily Rauscher, Professor of Sociology at Brown University
Title: Priceless Benefits: Effects of School Spending onChild Mortality

Abstract:

The benefits of school spending go beyond academic and economic outcomes to improve child health and well-being. We use close school district tax elections (1995-2018), National Vital Statistics mortality data, and a regression discontinuity approach to estimate effects of a quasi-random increase in school spending on county-level child mortality. We find that increased school spending from passing a tax election reduces child mortality. Districts that narrowly passed a proposed tax increase spent an additional $262 per pupil, mostly on instruction and salaries, and had 4% lower child mortality after spending increased, equivalent to -3.6 fewer child deaths per 100,000 children for each $1,000 increase in spending per pupil. We replicate our study using progressive school finance reforms and county-level difference-in-differences analyses and find consistent results. Estimates predicting potential mechanisms suggest that lower child mortality partly reflects increases in the number of teachers and counselors, higher teacher salaries, and improved student engagement.