Providing Adequate Funding

ON THE AGENDA

Will Too Much Debt Fuel A Double-Dip Recession?

Francie Grace
Nov 20, 2009

That was the question raised by President Obama during an interview in China (one of our biggest creditors), as cartoonists seized the opportunity to comment on America's looming national debt. "It is important," said Mr.

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Will a Delay on the Climate Treaty be Time Well-Spent?

Scott Bittle
Nov 16, 2009

World leaders flatly admitted this weekend what everyone pretty much knew: there won't be a major deal on climate change at the big conference in Copenhagen next month. Instead, leaders will try to keep the process going, in hopes of coming up with a deal next year.

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FACING UP TO THE
Nation's Finances

National Debt Clock

Providing Adequate Funding

PERSPECTIVE IN BRIEF

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You get what you pay for, and too many schools are starved for funds. Public schools are expected to turn out high-achieving students, but many school systems are forced to operate on a shoestring. As a result, classes are too large, school buildings are falling apart, and teacher salaries are too low to attract good teachers. In particular, a glaring difference exists between per pupil spending in wealthy and poor communities in many states. That means kids from lower-middle income and poor families tend to go to second-rate schools. Rather thanserving as a great equalizer, public education is a wedge that is driving us further apart.

PERSPECTIVE IN DETAIL

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What Should be Done?

Substantiallly increase state and federal funding to ensure that all public schools, especially those in poor communities, are funded at a level that permits them to deliver a quality education.

Stop forcing school districts to depend so much on local property taxes, as this practice ensures that poor districts lack the resources to provide quality education.

Equalize educational opportunities for children from families at all income levels by eliminating spending disparities between school districts.

Promote programs widely believed to improve student achievement, including hiring more teachers and giving them more training and support.

To attract the best teachers, raise salaries and improve working conditions.

Stop deferring maintenance and modernization of school buildings. Provide school districts with adequate funds to make repairs, update laboratories, install computers, and connect schools to the Internet.

Arguments For This Approach

No school reform can succeed until schools have sufficient resources to provide an adequate educational environment.

Public schools need more money to do the job right. In many cases, classes are too large, school buildings are falling apart, and schools don't have the equipment they need including computers and well-equipped science labs to teach the skills students will need to succeed in the workplace.

The indispensable requirement for good schools is good teachers. To recruit and retain first-rate teachers, public schools must be able to offer salaries competitive with other professions.

We say we're committed as a nation to equal opportunity, yet schools in poor communities are often unable to provide students with the skills to succeed. In effect, education has become a wedge that is driving us further apart.

Arguments Against This Approach

School funding in the United States has long been primarily a local responsibility. If some communities choose to spend more on public education than others, that is legitimate.

Anyway, why should taxpayers in one community have to support other school districts that waste money?

Increasing school budgets hasn't led to better results in the past. Per pupil expenditures have risen substantially over the last 30 years and class size decreased -- but scores on standardized tests fell.

While educating our kids should be a top priority, the schools don't need more money. They need to use their budgets more efficiently. If budgets were increased, the additional funds would be eaten up by higher administrative costs, or classroom frills that don't really help students.

The source of the student achievement problem isn't what the schools are doing, or failing to do, but what families do. If parents don't teach their kids to take school seriously, and do well, even the best schools can't make much of a difference.