The inequity of our schools.

Below is an essay I wrote for one of my classes. This was a while ago so this essay isn't as polished. But I would appreciate it if you could critique the claims and findings. I want to make sure that the arguments I make are sound.

School Funding

Try to recall the high school that you went to. Now imagine it if the walls were riddled with graffiti, holes, cracks and water stain. Imagine a school in which the ceiling leaked every time it rained, many of the lights have burnt bulbs and the building in general stank of dirt and grime. Such conditions are not limited to poverty ridden third world nations, they are a fact of life in the poverty ridden neighborhoods located right here in the United States. A 1999 Healthy Schools Network Survey brought to attention the decrepit conditions of public schools in New York City:
Eighteen percent (7 of 39 survey respondents) said their school had inadequate lighting. Twenty six percent (10 of 39 schools) had crumbling walls or ceilings. Twenty four percent (8 of 33) had cracks in walls or ceilings of classrooms. Eighteen percent (6 of 34) had cracks in walls or ceilings of halls. Twenty seven percent (8 of 30) had peeling paint in classes. Seventeen percent (6 of 35) had windows painted or nailed shut in classes or bathrooms. Thirty three percent (11 of 33) had poor ventilation/air circulation. Seventy three percent (27 of 37 schools) had no air conditioning, raising questions about their suitability for summer sessions for everyone, but especially for those on medications or with pre-existing health problems. Twenty four percent (6 of 25) had no heat or inadequate heat. Forty three percent (12 of 28), were without fans or vents and four reported with non-working fans/vents. Six percent (2 of 34) of the schools had no water fountains. Twenty five percent (8 of 32) had fountains that did not always work. Forty two percent (6 of 14) reported that the building conditions made the health of occupants worse. Thirty one percent (11 of 35 schools) had offensive or musty odors. Twenty one percent (6 of 29) had toxic smells from cleaning fluids. Thirty five percent (9 of 26) were without accessible fire alarms or extinguishers in classes, four without alarms or extinguishers in halls and twelve without them in auditoriums. Fifteen percent (4 of 27) of the respondents were unaware of a safe strategy for exiting the school. Forty two percent (14 of 33) of schools were overcrowded, eleven with more than thirty in each class, four holding classes in halls, two in auditoriums, and six without sufficient desks or chairs. Nine percent (3 of 33) of the schools were reported as having sinks or toilets that did not function properly; eight schools were reported having these facilities break down once a month or more often, and six had them out of order for a few days to a month at a time. Thirty four percent (11 of 32) had no soap in the bathrooms. Twenty percent (7 of 35) had no toilet paper. Forty four percent (14 of 35) did not have clean bathrooms. Seventeen percent (6 of 35) had brown or discolored water from faucets or fountains, and one was reported as having water with an offensive odor. Seventeen percent (6 of 36) did not clean up spills or food waste adequately. Forty percent (12 of 30) had garbage or discarded waste around the school. Twenty six percent (8 of 31) had evidence of roach or rodent problems. ("Neglected" 6)

School funding inequity is not a myth, it's a fact of life. A report presented by the US General Accounting Office in 1997 found that, in the United States, "the average school in a wealthy district receives 24% more funding than the average school in a poor district" ("Finance" 1) This is only an average but funding disparities vary greatly from state to state. "In 41 of 50 states, poor districts receive less total funding than wealthy districts. In 14 states, including Illinois, the minimum funding per student is less than half of the state average" ("Finance" 1).

This inequity arises due to the fact that much of a school district's funding comes from the property taxes collected locally. Though all state governments contribute to this funding as well, their share often makes up a very small percentage of the funding needed ranging from as little as 8.3% in New Hampshire to as much as 98% in Hawaii. And "only 33 states have targeted poor districts for more funding." ("Finance" 4)

The inequities in school funding can't be dealt with at a local level. "Poor districts in 35 states make a greater tax effort than do wealthy districts in the same state. In Wyoming, for example, the property tax rate in poor communities was more than 400% higher than the rate in wealthy communities. [Yet the] property values in those communities were low enough to prevent a significant impact" ("Finance" 2). Thus the problem with equality can't be solved locally and the federal government should do what it can to encourage funding equity.

State and Federal governments must intervene even if it necessitates the raising of property taxes for everyone in order to compensate for the funding disparities. "The United States General Accounting Office found that fair and effective finance systems could be created around the idea of fiscal neutrality (where funding, while not uniform, is not a reflection of the income of a particular locality) rather than universal funding levels" (Whitington 1).

Yet the federal government does little to encourage states to craft equitable finance systems (Johnston 1). The Title I Education Incentive Finance Program would award federal money to states based on their levels of equity, but the program has yet to receive funding. "While Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides $8.2 billion annually for disadvantaged students in almost every district in the country, it has met with spurious results" (Hoff 1). "Federal funding also represents only 7% of school funding nationwide, with the other 93% being left to the often-antiquated state and local systems" ("Finance" 2).

This inequity is critically important because there is an undeniable correlation between a school's funding and its ability to educate students. A longitudinal study of 40,000 students by the US Department of Education found that "students attending poor schools [even when adjusted for income] score, on average, 2 grade levels lower in mathematics and 4 grade levels lower in reading" ("Prospects" 1).
Clearly students who live in wealthy communities receive an advantage over their poorer counterparts. Thus they are more likely to attain scholarships, attend college and be successful in their future endeavors. If school funding disparities continue, the United States will essentially turn into a Caste system where the poor are constrained to the less desirable jobs. That is why state and federal intervention is a must.


Works Cited

"Funding Gap Between Poor and Rich School Districts Documented By General Accounting Office Study." Education Week on the Web. (1999). http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/6547/fundinggap.html (20 Oct. 2001)
Johnston, Robert. "Report Finds No Easy Solutions for Disparities in School." Education Week on the Web. (24 June 1998). http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/6547/report_finds.html (22 Oct. 2001).
"School Finance: State Efforts to Reduce Funding Gaps Between Poor and Wealthy Districts." United States General Accounting Office. (5 Feb. 1997). http://www.gao.gov/archive/1997/he97031.pdf (20 Oct. 2001).
Connell, Noreen. "Under-Funded Schools, Why Money Matters." Dollars and Sense. (April 1998). http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/6547/moneymatters.htm (20 Oct. 2001).
Hoff, David. "Chapter 1 Aid Failed to Close Learning Gap." Education Week on the Web. (2 April 1997) http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/6547/capter_1_aid.html (20 Oct. 2001)
"Neglected Buildings, Damaged Health: A ?'Snapshot of New York Cit Publich School Environmental Conditions." Advocates for Children of New York, Inc. and
Healthy Schools Network, Inc. (October 1999). http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/pubs/hsnsurvey/page6.html (23 Oct. 2001).
Whitington, Daphne. "A Comprehensive Look." School Funding Equity. (2000). http://www.geocities.com/~schoolfunding/equity.html (23 Oct. 2001).