money and schools edu 224 | newberry college. money and schools why is money important? what are the...
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Money and SchoolsEDU 224 | Newberry College
Money and Schools
• Why is money important?• What are the three main three trends in
educational finance? What do they mean?• How is education in South Carolina funded?
Why should teachers worry about money?
History has determined that American schools are funded through property taxes.
• Old Deluder Satan Law (1647, MA)• The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 • The Land Ordinance of 1875• 1874 Kalamazoo Michigan case (MI)
• Equity
• Adequacy
• Productivity
Trends in educational finance
Trend #1 Equity
Equity Focus on US Constitution – 14th Amendment (equal protection of the law)•Plessey v. Fergusson (1896)•Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)•San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (1973)
Focus on funding inter-district equity through state constitutions •Serrano v. Priest (CA, 1971)•Robinson v. Cahill (NJ, 1973)•Edgewood v. Kirby (TX, 1989)
Trend #2 Adequacy
AdequacyDespite equalized funding, disparities remained, so some poorer NJ school districts sued. •Abbott v. Burke (NJ, 1985)
NJ Supreme Court ruled that a “thorough and efficient education” required setting of state curriculum standards, achievement outcomes, and application of particular school reform models for lowest performing schools
This case led to the birth of a funding adequacy argument and court-ordered school improvement.
Trend #3 Productivity
ProductivityAfter Abbott v. Burke, poorer NJ school districts (known as the Abbott districts) received higher levels of funding than other, more prosperous NJ school districts. Did increased funding in the Abbott school districts make a difference? •At the elementary school level there has been some improvement
•At the middle and high school levels student achievement has not improved
In a recent South Carolina case involving Abbeville, elementary, middle, and high school funding was found to have a negligible effect on student achievement.
The Public Education Dollar: Where the Money Comes From
Sadker & Zittleman, p. 218 (citing US Census Bureau,
April 2008)
In SC, where does school money come from?
How equal are schools?Average Per-Pupil Expenditures
• Who spends the most?NJ & NY $14,500+• Who spends the least?UT < $,5000• Average = $9,138• SC = $8,001 - 8,500
Sadker & Zittleman, p. 224 (citing US Census Bureau,
April 2007)
Federal RoleCivil Rights
US Department of Education (est. 1979)
Funding (Legislation/Control through funding)•Categorical or block grants•Unrestricted or restricted grants •Examples:1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)2001 reauthorized as No Child Left Behind
What does all this mean for you?• Accountability will not go away.
• Competition will increase.
• Choice programs, charter schools, and for-profit schools will multiply.
• School budgets will continue to be tight.
• Local schools and districts will seek alternate funding.
What do you need to do?
