Funding Education Policies

Education has an impact on every citizen’s life in our country.  According to Baker, 2012, most of the funding for public education comes from state and local sources, and is under the jurisdiction of a State school finance systems.   Ultimately, Federal entities do not have much control over States’ spending; to the contrary, States have the greatest control over allocation of those funds based on “funding formulas”.  A key point is, it’s not how much is spent, but rather how it is spent -- and whether local public schools have access to sufficient levels of resources.  For example, schools within the same district budget the cost per pupil based on different factors unique to its school needs; depending on the percentage of demographics (special needs students, ELL learners, certain necessary equipment/materials in order to teach curriculum, in line with school/district policy, can be different from a school that has a fraction of such population.  Therefore, funds allocated for both of these schools will be budgeted to reflect this difference.

However, funding (or lack thereof) can impede a school’s ability to implement policy; in turn affect academic programs, extracurricular activities, teachers and students --particularly in terms of the overall quality of education a school can provide for its community.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan has declared this the era of the “new normal,” a period in which budget cutbacks are the norm and local public school districts must learn to do more with less (Baker, 2012).  That being said, which local public school districts must learn to do with less, is the question. 

For example, this short video: Campaign for Fiscal Equality: Students Speak Out – provides some insight into what can transpire from policies developed and implemented with minimal funding available. 

http://teachersnetwork.org/TNLI/nyc/cfe/movieIntro.htm

Compare the above video to this school’s video:  Video Overview of the BWMCA - http://www.sccresa.org/bwmc/

Many politicians at every level; federal, state and local use education as a vital platform in their campaigns in hopes to sway their constituents (and other politicians) to select/vote for them as a public/civil servant, and have influence over localities in which they serve.   And during an election year, which one gets what is a matter of politics; both step into the ring and at the sound of the bell comes out swinging… Elmore, 1997, puts it this way, “During this period, the education profession gets an introduction to bloody-nose politics” (para. 6).  Politicians are opportunist; “politics provides most of the policy-making opportunities” (Mitchell, Crowson, & Shipps, 2011, p.). Different perspectives and “education movements”  come into focus as it moves from local,  state and up to federal level, meaning that “a new stability in how policy is made, where, and by whom”  (Mitchell, Crowson, & Shipps, 2001, p.280) come into play; and consequently, opportunities for funding education movements (teacher salaries; unionization, charter/magnet schools, etc.). 

 References:

Baker, Bruce, D. (2012).  Revisiting the Age Old Question:  Does Money Matter in Education?  Retrieved from http://www.shankerinstitute.org/images/doesmoneymatter_final.pdf

 
Mitchell, D.E., Crowson, R.L., & Shipps, D. (2011).  Shaping education policy power and process. New York, Routledge.

St. Clair County Regional Education Service Agency (2013).  Blue Water Middle College Academy.  Retrieved from http://www.sccresa.org/bwmc/

 
Teacher’s Network (n.d).  Campaign for Fiscal Equality: Students Speak Out.  Retrieved from http://teachersnetwork.org/TNLI/nyc/cfe/movieIntro.htm