Tara Bergfeld is a senior education finance associate with WestEd’s Resource Planning and Implementation team. With over a decade of experience at the state and district levels, Bergfeld provides technical assistance on issues related to school finance, policy analysis and alignment, and program evaluation. She has served as a director of resource strategy and managed a district’s school-based budgeting process and weighted student funding formula. She has also provided policy research and analysis to the Tennessee General Assembly and worked on issues pertaining to the state’s education funding formula, teacher compensation, and school choice as they relate to fiscal impacts on state and district policies.

Tia Taylor serves as a Senior Program Associate with WestEd and supports numerous projects for the Region 13 and 15 Comprehensive Center as well as the Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC). Tia leverages her years of experience in school finance to provide state and local education agencies guidance and support with developing and implementing equity-driven resource allocation strategies. With extensive experience with participatory budget development, strategic planning, and resource alignment, her work is focused on addressing resource inequities across the entire education system. Taylor has unique insight on federal and state programs and fiscal requirements which enables her to provide support to educational leaders with exploring braiding and blending strategies to maximize the use of resources and expand access to programs and services for all students.