School district and housing price responses to fiscal stress labels: Evidence from Ohio

This paper examines the effect of the Ohio fiscal stress labeling system on school district outcomes and housing prices. Under this policy, financially troubled districts are labeled and required to implement financial recovery plans. In response to these plans, districts increase local tax revenues and decrease capital and operating expenditures. Although these recovery plans lead to better long-term financial health for school districts, there appear to be some negative impacts on welfare in these districts during the duration of the label. I find that residential home sale prices fall following fiscal stress label receipt, but rise again once the label is removed. These districts also undergo substantial restructuring, including reductions in enrollments, teachers, and schools, which coincide with a transitory reduction in math proficiency rates following label receipt.