Theodore Arapis, PhD
Associate Professor and Chair of Public Administration | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | Villanova University
Villanova, PA, UNITED STATES
Theodore Arapis, PhD, focuses on local government financial management and budgeting, fiscal performance measurement and transparency.
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Areas of Expertise (6)
Public Administration
Fiscal Transparency & Accountability
School District Financing
Budgeting
Public Finance
Government & Financial Management
Biography
Dr. Theodore Arapis focuses on school district financing, local government fiscal savings, international fiscal transparency and the practice of budgeting for the state-level bureaucracy. He has written recently on the need for charter school funding reform, particularly in Pennsylvania. Dr. Arapis has been featured in POLITICO, WalletHub, The Philadelphia Inquirer and The WorldPost.
Education (3)
Auburn University: PhD
Kennesaw State University: MPA
University of Macedonia: BS
Select Media Appearances (4)
Opinion: Amend State School Code to Reflect Realities of Charter Funding
The Philadelphia Inquirer
2017-06-26
"Public schools and charters exist for a single purpose—educate the youth. However, the cost of educating a student may differ between traditional public schools and charters—both brick/mortar and cyber. The state school code, if it is to be efficient, should pay greater attention to the unique costs education providers bear."
Commentary: Pa. Has More to Do on School Funding Fairness
The Philadelphia Inquirer
2016-08-25
"Pennsylvania needs to take a crash course in school funding fairness. That's one conclusion drawn from the 2016 National Report Card (NRC), which gave the Keystone State a D for its inequitable funding system. Although ranked among states that generally provide high fiscal support to their school districts, Pennsylvania is in the unenviable company of 13 other states deemed regressive in their school-funding levels."
D.C. Schools Have High Hopes for Their Study Abroad Program
Politico
2016-08-16
More than three quarters of the district's students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Theodore Arapis, an assistant professor in Villanova University's Department of Public Administration, said study abroad programs "are typically offered through national level programs or philanthropic organizations, and mostly attract students from affluent families." D.C.'s program is "remarkable," Arapis said, in that it provides this opportunity to large numbers of low-income students.
Commentary: Greek Residents Put Up "Walls of Kindness" to Feed Needy
The Philadelphia Inquirer
2016-04-10
"While the Greek government is failing its people, a social movement has appeared with the sole purpose of helping those in need... The idea is simple. Citizens place racks of hooks along frequently traveled routes and those with the ability to give leave bags of bread, vegetables and fruits, boxes of spaghetti, canned milk and other food items."
Select Academic Articles (3)
Examining the Evolution of Cross-National Fiscal Transparency
The American Review of Public AdministrationTheodore Arapis, Vincent Reitano
2017
The Fiscal Savings Behavior of Pennsylvania School Districts Through the Great Recession
Public Budgeting & FinanceTheodore Arapis, Vincent Reitano, Earl Bruck
2017
A Glimmer of Optimism in Government Savings Accumulation? An Empirical Examination of Municipal Unassigned Fund Balance in Florida
Public Finance ReviewTheodore Arapis, Vincent Reitano
2016
