Political Budget Cycles in Public Education: Evidence from California School Board Elections

Do electoral incentives shape public education spending? Although educational budgets are often portrayed as policy-driven, this study alternatively considers whether they reflect political incentives. Drawing on political budget cycle (PBC) theory and leveraging the distinctive history of educational politics and reform in the U.S., we hypothesize that local education spending follows election cycles. Focusing on California, we provide evidence that school districts spend significantly more around election years, when incumbents seek reelection, than in non-election years. Our findings support the presence of PBCs in school districts, fostering important discussion about political accountability, electoral incentives, and budgetary governance in public education.