The Wealth Distribution Problem in Public Education
Unequal distribution of wealth and resources among K-12 schools.
Abstract
Schools collect their spending budget from property taxes. When the values of homes in a poorer neighborhood are low, the property taxes are low and in turn, the school gets less funding. Because of this, young couples starting families, move out of these neighborhoods to one with a better school system and the property value goes down, creating a non-ending cycle.
Research
- The fourteenth amendment of the United States constitution declares that all persons should be equally protected under the law and establishes that no person should be denied the right to education. Even with the national high school graduation rate being as low as 87%, it is crucial to take into consideration the quality of education across all 50 states and localities.
- “On average, Norfolk Public schools Spend roughly, 11,000 per student,
while children in Richmond School District see nearly 14,000 dollars spent on each student. (Turner et al.2016)” These changes in fundings are not a one-off case. Scenarios that look exactly like this appear all over the country, from city to city, from school to school.
- Inadequate funding affects course materials, proper infrastructure, extracurriculars and post-graduation preparation opportunities, as well as so much more. “In addition, schools with high-concentrations of poverty have difficulty attracting and retaining the best teachers. Schools in urban areas with higher levels of low-income and non-white students have less qualified and experienced instructors. And schools with more minority and low-income students have much higher turnover rates for teachers, which disrupts the school environment and causes a loss of talented staff.” (The commonwealth Institute, 2021). When children are not given the proper foundation for their academic success, with qualified teachers, they cannot ever reach their full potential. This effect is felt immensely by those stuck with poverty and those in minority groups.
- As mentioned above, the disparity in funding comes from a long history of racially segregated housing and redlining. The property tax revenue collected is such a large figure in the amount of funding schools receive to offer for their students. In fact. Critical race theory is defined as, an intellectual framework that proves race is a socially constructed theory used to oppress people and that certain institutions in our society are inherently oppressive/racist. In the classroom, CRT is used by “analyzing historical events through a lens of racial bias, encouraging students to share personal experiences of racism as "counter-stories," examining the impact of racial stereotypes in media, and incorporating diverse perspectives in curriculum to challenge dominant narratives about race.” Governor Younkin issued an executive order early on in his term that denotes critical race theory as something to be scared of. That it is teaching our students that they are inherently racist just for being white. Not only is this an incorrect demonstration of what CRT is, but the policies he creates from this statement are harmful to the learning environment.
Stance
As a group fighting for democracy, Education funding is a critical issue to SAN and it should be to you as well. SAN firmly believes that each child deserves the chance to reach their full potential and bloom into a successful and productive member of society. We push for a strong public education system with the resources that our children, the future of this country, deserve. Policy must be created to reflect the needs of the general populous, with all minorities and subcultures in mind. By allowing the current administration to fundamentally alter the way the education system is funded and ran, children who are already disadvantaged because of poverty, racism, homelife issues, or intellectual disabilities are going to be forgotten more than they already are. It is crucial that student and the young bright minds of our future are enlightened to the hard truths of our society so that we can light the path for them to create change. It is our jobs as citizens to fight for the right to be human, in all that those words encompass. Being human is to think, feel and act freely. It is to be knowledgeable, rational, and empathetic. Being human is to learn, inside and outside the classroom each and every day. Donald Trump and Governor Younkin want to take these aspects of our humanity away. SAN will not stand for it. We will not go back.