Last month, a Connecticut judge ruled the state’s school financing system unconstitutional — a decision that is forcing the state to reevaluate every major aspect of its educational system. In his decision, Judge Moukawsher claimed “Connecticut is defaulting on its constitutional duty” of providing children a proper education. The ruling offers states a chance to reshape their approach towards public education funding and to assure their governments are providing adequate and equal educational opportunities to all students.
The Connecticut court ruling highlights alarming flaws in our the educational system’s funding that have led to inequities between children of different socioeconomic backgrounds and districts. In our current system, rich districts are allowed to “raid” state money that is desperately needed by poorer districts, according to the ruling. Schools in richer districts, then, have more access to state and federal resources than schools in poorer districts — leaving “rich schools to flourish” while poor schools lag behind.
Additionally, state governments are occasionally faced with the need to cut education aid to some of its districts because of poor economic and fiscal conditions. However, as in Connecticut, the poorest districts are usually the first in line for these cuts, while wealthier districts receive more cash.
Yet despite inequality within its public school system, Connecticut has a reputation for the quality of its schools. The judge cited a few “impressive statistics” of the good ones, such as the report by the National Assessment of Education Progress in 2013 on the state’s public schools. However, as the judge pointed out, these types of praises are often based on the statistics and numbers of the good schools located in the wealthier districts. If we want a clearer picture of the situation, we need to compare different schools located in different districts.
According to the decision, high schools in wealthier communities “scored on state tests as “advanced” in math and approached the same level in reading.” Meanwhile, one out of three students in poorer areas “did not reach the most basic level in math and did only slightly better in reading” — mostly a result of the uneven distribution of funds. If Connecticut and other states want to ensure that kids are receiving the same quality of education from the government, these results shouldn’t be showing up.
This trend is not unique to Connecticut — it’s one other states are also experiencing. There are currently at least 11 states involved in school-funding lawsuits. The disparities among states are also concerning — in Virginia, the average district spends $10,044 per student, less than the nationwide average of $11,841.
The reliance on property taxes to fund public education at a local level has been a popular and prevalent political tradition in the United States for years. This should be cause for concern. While it works in some areas, the reliance on property taxes as a source of funding creates huge disparities between communities with lower property values and those with higher values. This is because different property values lead to different levels of property tax revenue.
States should reevaluate the use of property taxes as a source of local funding for its public schools and shift towards more sustainable and practical practices, such as increased allocation of state or federal funds. By stepping in and providing extra state funding for its disadvantaged schools, states can start compensating for this large imbalance and disparity among their districts while they search for longer-term alternatives.
Don’t misinterpret the point: money is essential (if not necessary) for governments when it comes to providing education. But, as James E. Ryan, the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, said: “Money spent well is a good way to boost outcomes; money spent poorly is not.” States that misuse and misallocate funds meant for education and rely on local property taxes as the main source of funding will experience increasing inequality and disparity among its districts when it comes to education quality and results. Lawmakers’ top priority in addressing this issue should be rewriting their state’s funding formula in order to assure school funding is conducted evenly throughout their districts, regardless of affluence.
Government officials and lawmakers should pay attention to the ruling and address the issues it highlights. More broadly, they should aim to reshape our nation’s public educational system, starting at the local level. A state’s child should not receive a poorer quality of education merely because he lives in a poorer district. The fundamental question our nation’s lawmakers face now is straightforward: How do we pay for our schools?
Carlos Lopez is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at c.lopez@cavalierdaily.com.
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