My So-Called Public School: School foundations and the myth
of funding equality
Written by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca Fall 2016
Key Points: The
biggest point that is pointed out in this article is the fact that the
districts or schools with school foundations end up having the most
funding. All education taxes go onto a
general fun
and are allocated relatively equitably on a per-pupil basis. With that being said once the funding per
school is out they have to turn to money raised by parents. One of the things the school boards have
noticed is the fact that school foundation donors want a hand in things because
there money is helping buy the supplies, fieldtrips, and extra teachers for the
school.
Relevance: As we all
become teachers we will quickly find out how much funding we are allotted from
the school and then how much parent support groups help out. It will be interesting to see depending on
the school and parent support groups what parents want to have a hand in
decision making and who is just donating money to help the school. Applying for grants as a teacher can also
help students receive the classroom materials they need to be successful.
This is something I find myself worrying about from time to time. I grew up in a well off community in a fairly well off family. Our school had a great amount of support from parent groups that did a lot to help with trips and fundraising for other activities. I appreciated everything that I had because I know that many schools go without those opportunities. I suppose I will find out when I get there, but it will be interesting to see how much of an impact our budgets will be on the education we will be providing. Thank you for sharing this article.
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