Baltimore, MD, Dec. 21, 2023 – Allovue, a K-12 finance software company, has established a Department of Strategic Services (SSV). The department will operate as the organization’s research and consulting arm, separate from its SaaS products. Directed by Justin Dayhoff, the SSV Department will partner with public school districts and policymakers to address critical questions in education finance, such as understanding the all-in costs of student learning interventions.
“I’m thrilled to be back at Allovue in this new role,” said Dayhoff, whose tech startup Equiday was acquired by Allovue in 2019. Most recently, Dayhoff served as Assistant State Superintendent for the Maryland State Department of Education and helped lead implementation of comprehensive education finance reforms.
“Allovue has always focused on helping school districts achieve their strategic aims,” said Dayhoff. “Now, we can go a step further, using the latest data to bridge research, policy, and practice and drive actionable change. Ultimately, this is about leveraging all we know and can do in K-12 finance to advance outcomes for children and narrow opportunity and achievement gaps,” he said
SSV Department projects will include but are not limited to: federal, state, and local research on education funding and spending; state and district resource allocation and funding formula evaluation, design, and implementation; supporting districts with strategic approaches to district right-sizing and efficiency; and conducting education cost studies, staffing analyses, and program/resource deployment and utilization reviews. Dayhoff will oversee project direction and implementation, and senior research scientist Lucy Caffrey-Maffei will manage individual projects and lead quantitative work using advanced statistical, data science, and computational methods.
“With this department, our goal is to provide more holistic services to education decision-makers,” said Jess Gartner, founder and CEO of Allovue. “We’re excited to expand our research efforts and meet our partners’ demand for data-driven resource planning support,” she said.
Justin Dayhoff
Justin is the Director of Strategic Services at Allovue. His years of experience in K-12 school finance and education policy, along with his passion for translating complex data into practical solutions, make him ideally suited for this position. As a former state education agency (SEA) policy leader and SEA CFO, public school finance analyst, Allovue team member, and tech startup CEO, Justin has helped multiple districts and governments refine their finance operations and maximize student resources. He has a proven track record of leading high-stakes initiatives—most recently, he implemented a $14B state aid formula while serving as Assistant State Superintendent of Financial Planning, Operations, and Strategy at the Maryland State Department of Education. Justin holds a master’s degree in Sociology & Education (Education Policy concentration) from Teachers College, Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from New York University.
Lucy Caffrey-Maffei
Lucy is a Senior Research Scientist at Allovue. Her primary responsibilities include conducting in-depth research and leading consultancy initiatives for K-12 public school leaders and policymakers. She specializes in advanced statistical, data science, and computational methods to identify and help address education resource inequities. Lucy has already supported many department projects, including a national effort to demystify special education spending. Prior to joining Allovue, Lucy served as a Project Manager of Data & Analytics in Philadelphia’s K-12 school enrollment sector, and as a Fulbright scholar in Madrid, Spain, where she taught high school English and social studies. She holds a master’s degree in Education Data Science from Stanford University and a dual bachelor’s degree in Sociology & Spanish from Temple University.