Matthew Guzman
I am a Ph.D. student in education and economics at Michigan State University. My primary research interests are school finance, local tax policies, the economics of education, and quantitative meethods. I am on the job market in fall 2026.
Below are some recent projects I've worked on. Feel free to reach out with questions or comments about my research or side projects!
The Impacts of Investment in Special Education
Costs of Special Education in Michigan
The Effects of Local Property Taxes on Special Education
The Effects of Special Education Funding on Student Achievement
- Estimates additional expenditures associated with special education in Michigan
- I find substantial variation in expenditures by disability category
- Implications: Policymakers should consider adopting dynamic weights for special education that vary with both student and school district characteristics
- Estimates the impacts of adopting special education property taxes on school district revenues and expenditures
- New taxes for special education increase revenues for special education, but special education expenditures only increase by 50% of the total revenue increase
- Implications: Dedicated property taxes for special education are effective to reduce encroachment, but they may not be as effective to increase funding for students with disabilities
- Estimates the effects of additional revenues for special education on special education identification
- Additional revenues for special education attract additional students with disabilities to districts, and they shift the distribution of disabilities as well
2014-2018
Northwestern
I graduated from Northwestern University in 2018 with a major in Middle Eastern and North African Studies, and minors in Economics and Mathematics.
2018-2021
Department of Justice
After I graduated, I worked for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. for three years. While there, I worked as a paralegal for 1 year and as a statistician for 2 years, and I developed my data and analysis skills before grad school.
2021-2026
Michigan State
I started my PhD in education and economics at Michigan State in 2021, and my dissertation focuses on special education finance and the effects of increasing special education funding on students. I hope to continue working on school finance and education research in my next position!