Mary Perry

Mary Perry
Mary Perry
Education Consultant,
Mary L. Perry Consulting

Mary Perry, an independent education consultant, served as deputy director of EdSource from 1993 to 2011. She is a noted expert on California’s public school finance system and has authored a wide range of publications on the subject. Perry is a former school board member. She received her MA in liberal arts from Stanford University.

updated 2020

Publications by Mary Perry
A Powerful Strategy for Equity
The disparity in educational outcomes between student populations is one of the most serious challenges facing our public education system. Gaps in test scores, graduation rates, and college readiness pose  a fundamental problem that school…
Can It Support California’s College and Career-ready Goal?
For decades, when California’s state leaders have wanted to see local school districts respond to shifts in policy and expectations they relied on the state-controlled school finance system to leverage local change. Through the use of categorical…
A Weighted Pupil Formula for California
Governor Jerry Brown has called for a major overhaul of California’s school finance policies. His proposal for a weighted pupil funding system would simplify the rules that govern the distribution of funds to schools and school districts, while…