Across the country, there are debates about educational funding, the distribution of wealth, and the inequality of the public-school system. The taxing system in America is based on the income of constituents in the community, so naturally, affluent communities have higher taxes and hence, more funding. And while this is the nature of capitalism and the American taxing system, the result causes a clear disproportion in the distribution of wealth and funding of public schools.

Essentially, unequal school funding causes poorer kids to be at a strong disadvantage. According to an article by Michelle Chen of The Nation, the broken system of funding is hurting the people who need it the most. The Education Law Center and The Rutgers Graduate School of Education showed that funding levels vary dramatically along district lines, separating kids by socioeconomic status and property tax.  The interesting thing is that over fifteen years after “No Child Left Behind” said they were going to close gaps in achievement in race and socioeconomic backgrounds, 33% of kids in the states are going in the opposite direction. In 17 states, the school systems “provide less funding to their higher poverty school districts, even though student in these districts require more resources to achieve” (Chen).

In the states suffering the worst from underfunding, they abandon the basic tactics to close these gaps. Teachers are overworked, schools are overcrowded, and the basic curriculum is not met, causing underperformance in these schools.  For example, per-student spending in New York is about $18,500 for each kid (even though their schools are still segregated by wealth) and Idaho is less than $6300 per student. This gap shows the vast difference between states and communities. Another example is in Utah, where higher poverty-stricken neighborhoods receive about 25 percent less funding than wealthier neighborhoods.

On top of this inequality, these results showed how the lack of money is causing a decrease in the quality of education. Underfunded schools have less teachers per class and less resources. These patterns of underfunding reflect inequality in socioeconomic settings across district lines. This is connected to history and the patterns of housing segregation in communities at the beginning of urbanization. According to CAP, in about 40 percent of school districts, richer and poorer students are physically and socially segregated throughout their education (Chen).

In Hartford, Connecticut, children attend some of the worst schools in the entire country. However, just a few towns over in rich neighborhoods, students have more resources and opportunities, such as guidance counselors, laptops, and textbooks. Students in higher poverty areas tend to need more support, and yet they are given less at school. Once again, the uneven distribution is a result of the taxing systems of local citizens. In 2005, there was a lawsuit, Connecticut Coalition for Justice in Education Funding v. Rell, which decided whether inequality in school funding is unconstitutional or not (Semuels).

In each state, the inequality continues to grow. Education is paid for by money available, and in poorer neighborhoods, this does not always mean readily available money required to fund schools and teach students. Richer neighborhoods get more funding, which in a straightforward sense, makes more sense. But this system and mentality is what fuels the cycle of poverty. When students in low income societies do not have the options and opportunities for adequate schooling, they become less educated and in return, lower in the socioeconomic community. Most inner-city schools and schools in high poverty neighborhoods are located in epicenters of high crime, drug use, etc. The dropout rate is statistically higher and the college acceptance rate is lower. Overcrowding causes less personalization amongst students and teachers and lesson plans.

From personal experience, I was fortunate enough to go to an amazing and well-funded public school in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Lower Merion School District’s Harriton High School. At my school, I had access to school guidance counselors, college counselors and fairs, new textbooks, and even individual laptops for each student. The school was just renovated with brand new fields and equipment.

I didn’t realize how lucky I actually was until I went just 3 miles from my school in North Philadelphia into one of their schools. The classes are so large with only one teacher, they share only a few, old textbooks, and most kids cannot even afford basic school supplies such as pencils and notebooks. There are police officers roaming the halls. After talking to a few kids, I realized how little they had and how they did not have access to further education after high school and didn’t even believe in themselves enough to apply for college.

And while this is just my personal experience, students face these problems across the entire country. So, why does this happen? Is this fair to those students? But then again, what exactly can we do to help? Will equally funding schools allow more students to flourish, or will it take away access to resources for the more fortunate kids?

This is a debate that goes on and will go on for a long time, but one thing is for sure, every student deserves an equal opportunity at their education and in life.

Sources:

Chen, Michelle. “How Unequal School Funding Punishes Poor Kids.” The Nation, 14 May 2018, www.thenation.com/article/how-unequal-school-funding-punishes-poor-kids/.