Poor schools need more funding than their rich counterparts. However, schools in rich districts receive more money from the state and local sources than the poor ones that need the funding the most.
The U.S. Department of Education has proposed a rule that would oblige local school districts to give equal funding to both rich and poor schools. The Education Department's decision comes after the U.S. Congress finished reviewing the omnibus federal education law called the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, or ESEA, the New York Times wrote.
School Districts Failing To Provide Equal Funding
U.S. districts with high rates of impoverished children receive $1,200 less per student from state and local sources than rich districts. In accordance with the 50-year-old ESEA's Title I, local school districts receive federal grants based on the number of low-income students enrolled in a school. The law also requires districts to spend majority of the federal money in areas where it is most needed and where children face additional barriers to their education.
Administrators in local districts were discriminating against minority students. This is why lawmakers are worried that districts would practice a shell game and divert funds for poor schools into rich ones, the New York Times further reported.
In 1970, Congress amended ESEA and required districts to spend Title I funding on additional education for poor students. That money serves as supplementary funding aside from what the students receive from other sources.
Issues Affecting School Funding In The US
U.S. school funding comes from three sources: 45 percent local money, 45 percent from the state and 10 percent from federal, the NPR reported. Marguerite Roza, a scholar from Georgetown University, said numerous districts spend a third less per student in poor schools. There are many reasons behind this issue like affluent parents swaying budget allocations, the New York Times noted.
The problem is also due to teachers' salary based on longevity. Teachers have the tendency to flock in rich schools because of this. As a result, only novice and badly compensated teachers remain in poor schools.
Texas Supreme Court Funding
Texas is one of the states in the U.S. that struggle with school funding. Just recently, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the state's public school districts will continue to use the current public education funding system. According to the court, the state meets minimum constitutional requirements despite its notable flaws, BusinessWire reported.
In 2014, a district judge ruled Texas' system as unconstitutional, inefficient, inequitable and underfunded. The state's legislature slashed almost $5.5 billion in school funding in 2011, Chron wrote.
