Punctuated equilibrium theory (PET) is an agenda-based theory that offers a theoretical foundation for large budget shifts. PET emphasizes that the static, incremental nature of agendas is occasionally interrupted by punctuations. These punctuations indicate shifts in priority among the agenda items, and with those agenda shifts come trade-offs.…

Today's education governance reform efforts call for new ways of allocating resources to public education to allow for more local control of budgetary decision making. This research begins by exploring the federal, state, and local mechanisms by which public education is supported in California before turning to an examination of how those…