Pulic School Funding
Low Funding Equals Low Success
Should a child's wealth determine whether or not he or she can get a quality education? Funding for public schools is an enormous issue that affects many people. A major issue is unequal funding throughout the country. There are various reasons for these differences, from the governmental level to the lack of public support. There is a need to re-work the current formula used by states to determine how school funds are disbursed and also to increase public support for education funding. After all, whether a child is wealthy or poor, it is in everyone's interests to ensure that America's future generations are both skilled and educated. Limited funds for public schools have primarily affected the poor and have put them at a disadvantage in getting a quality education. Unequal funding through out the country demonstrates the unfairness some school districts face. According to "School Funding," an article by PBS, the facts and figures of government spending on public schools is very imbalanced. In order to understand the problems of education in America, it is necessary to look at the way public schools are financed. As the article notes, "expenditures are not equal from state to state because of the different costs of education and inputs and real estate and teacher salaries"(1). An example is New Jersey spending twice as much as Utah per student. It is more striking to see how a district within a state varies tremendously as well. The example it used to compare the disparity is how district spending in San Antonio, Texas ranged from $2,112 to $19,333. (2) Because of that disproportion, low income schools have the short end of the stick. The federal government has tried to alleviate the gap by passing laws that benefits schools more equally. President Bush set up a program to ensure that all children are getting the quality education they need and deserve. President Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act" is a program that sets
Should a child's wealth determine whether or not he or she can get a quality education? Funding for public schools is an enormous issue that affects many people. A major issue is unequal funding throughout the country. There are various reasons for these differences, from the governmental level to the lack of public support. There is a need to re-work the current formula used by states to determine how school funds are disbursed and also to increase public support for education funding. After all, whether a child is wealthy or poor, it is in everyone's interests to ensure that America's future generations are both skilled and educated. Limited funds for public schools have primarily affected the poor and have put them at a disadvantage in getting a quality education. Unequal funding through out the country demonstrates the unfairness some school districts face. According to "School Funding," an article by PBS, the facts and figures of government spending on public schools is very imbalanced. In order to understand the problems of education in America, it is necessary to look at the way public schools are financed. As the article notes, "expenditures are not equal from state to state because of the different costs of education and inputs and real estate and teacher salaries"(1). An example is New Jersey spending twice as much as Utah per student. It is more striking to see how a district within a state varies tremendously as well. The example it used to compare the disparity is how district spending in San Antonio, Texas ranged from $2,112 to $19,333. (2) Because of that disproportion, low income schools have the short end of the stick. The federal government has tried to alleviate the gap by passing laws that benefits schools more equally. President Bush set up a program to ensure that all children are getting the quality education they need and deserve. President Bush's "No Child Left Behind Act" is a program that sets
Cited: Buddin, Richard, Brian Gill, and Ron Zimmer. "Examining Federal Impact Aid 's Reimbursement for Local School Districts." Contemporary Economic Policy. 22.4 (2004): 534-543. Carey, Kevin. "State Poverty-based Funding: A Survey of Current Programs and Options for Improvement." Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. 2002. 1 Apr. 2005 "Funding for Educational Projects." School Funding Services. 2005. New American Schools. 4 Apr 2005 < http://www.schoolfundingservices.org/> Milligan, Susan. "Bush Seeks to Expand Education Act." Boston Globe 13 Jan. 2005: A1 "School Funding." Online News Hour. 2005. PBS Online. 16 Mar. 2005 < www.pbs.org/newshour/backgrounders/school_funding.html> "What Now?" NEA Today 23.4 (2005): 32-33. Zielinski, David. "No Nickel Left Behind." Presentations 18.9 (2004): 31-35.