For All

I'm taking a graduate class this summer about allocating resources for public schools. If you're still reading after that first line, I thank you! Every week we respond to discussion threads online. I don't know why I got so worked up over this weeks about recapture (i.e. Robin Hood). But I felt strongly about what I wrote and decided that I wanted to share with lucky you...

Fair and equal are not synonymous. The way that our state government funds public schools has evolved from private funding to systems that foster more equalization of resources through mediums such as flat grants, foundation programs and recapture. In a recapture funding model, the state establishes a cap on the amount of revenue that a district may access. Revenue above that cap is then recaptured by the state and and redistributed to less wealthy districts.

Having been educated by and chosen to teach for an educational system that is benefited by recapture, I must acknowledge my bias. Beyond that, I feel that it is important that we look also to the greater good. I am interested in the principle of recapture. I found a resource that included statistics from the activity of Robin Hood in 2004 prior to it's judicial upheaval. Of the 1,041 school districts in the state, only 134 were considered wealthy and were having funds recaptured. The remaining 887 districts house approximately 90 percent of our student population.

Students from low socioeconomic areas are often more costly to educate because the district must work to compensate for a lack of early literacy development, improper health care, and a myriad of other factors. I've heard it said that public education seeks to provide a Chevy education, not a Cadillac. I think that that's fine. The important thing is that all students have an effective means to an education.

Socioeconomic status is cyclical in nature. I believe that this knowledge is one of the reasons that I am so passionate about this topic. I chose to go into education because I truly believe that education is an effective equalizer. I want my students to be presented with a glimpse of what else is out there, whether that is through literature, science, drama, etc. I want them to have a chance to break the cycle that they are in.

Does equity in resources equate to equity of outputs? No. There will always be those opposite extremes- the one who rises above and the one who throws away every opportunity. However, one cannot deny the positive effects of an "equal" educational system on our society as a whole. We are relational in nature. We move and interact. Each of us wants to employ "highly qualified" individuals to staff our schools, hospitals and so on. Perhaps this focus on the whole is socialistic in nature, but we must collectively consider what is best for our students and act in their best interest.

If you are still reading, bless your heart!