Saturday, January 31, 2009
Savage Inequalities
Jonathan Kozol's book "Savage Inequalities" is perhaps the most famous book written on education in the past 50 years. Basically in each chapter he looks at two public schools both in the same city - one might have no toilet paper while the other has an indoor swimming pool. How can it be that public schools could be funded so unequally? Have you ever noticed this phenomenon in places you have lived or visited? Should all public schools be funded equally?
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I think he makes some very powerful points in the interview we read. I have seen how schools in the same district, county, town are better funded than others. Last year, I worked at an elementary school where the sewage line flooded the kindergarten and pre-k classrooms. Everyone in town knows how old and decrepit that building is, but no one is willing to do (or spend money) anything about it. Why? Because the school's population is 60% African American,30% Hispanic, and 10% White. The parents don't complain and if they do, people assume that they don't pay taxes, so no one takes them seriously. It's disgraceful. I do hope the federal government pumps more money into building new schools and funding programs in the poorest areas. We can't expect the same results from all children if they aren't receiving the same treatment, instruction, and over all education.
ReplyDeleteOf course these schools are underfunded, but the issue runs much deeper. Though Kozol would dismiss my attitude, the facts don't lie. Much research has indicated that the cost per student is much higher in public schools versus private schools. My private school's tuition alone was much lower than the average cost per student in Chatham county.
ReplyDeleteThis being said, I still think that public schools need more money per student. The money needs to be filtered through the layers and layers of bureaucracy that are a fact of any government entity. A Gwinett county school gets more funding per student than a Baldwin county school. Of course it has a better infrastructure, teachers, and resources. But take that money and give it to a private school and they would be beside themselves with the abundance of resources. In Washington DC last year, the average private schools spends 14,600 less per student than their public school counterparts. (http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2008/04/07/the-real-cost-of-public-schools/)
Having to jump through government funding hoops apparently takes 2 1/2 times the money of more efficiently run private schools. There are some exceptions, but by and large public schools are terribly inefficient.
To answer the question, public schools should either be funded the same or with more money for the poorer communities. Both should (and can) be run more efficiently. Maybe take a lesson from a privately run school.
I have witnessed this firsthand. I went to McEachern High School, which is a public high school in Powder Springs, GA. The school has a trust fund that the McEachern family left to the school. I know that the interest (1 year's worth) in the fund paid for a $3.4 million freshman center. If I look at other schools in the same county, I know that they did not receive the same money.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lee. I think that the schools could be run more efficiently. We need to look at where the money is going in the school systems. Are they paying higher teacher salaries to balance out the cheap toilet paper?
I do agree some public schools are more funded than others. But I also think that this has to do with the schools fundraiser's. I know all schools get different amounts from the government and no that is not fair. But the schools that are struggling, why don't they try to raise there own money through fundraiser's and donations. I know that at my school, the fine arts center was build totally on donations. So No it is not fair, and the money should be divided equally. But maybe it is divided equally per student. Smaller amounts of students get less and larger schools more, that makes sense to me.
ReplyDeletepost above is JENN V
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading his interview. I think that it is a great idea for schools to be equally funded. It would give all kids a lot better chance at having a good education, and upper class parents will always have the option of putting their kids in private schools.
ReplyDeleteI thought what Lee said was very interesting about private schools versus public schools. How is it that public schools are so inefficient in spending money? I don't think that it is all about ineffecienct though. I know that it has a lot to do with the property taxes and just the fact that people write off low-income schools as having no hope. I guess I have seen the inequality, and it is really disturbing.
I don't think I could have said it better, Lee. Kozol would say shame on my parents for not allowing me to participate in democracy in the public school system. And, while I can't say I agree with his sentiments toward private education, the 'savage inequalities' he paints out in the interview are all too real and is something that I have seen first hand. I can't tell you why, or even if this has anything to do with unequal funding but I am sure it does but the public school on Pecan Island in Vermillion Parrish where I grew up, the school that is so small that it sometimes doesn't even have a graduating class, that the one time I went to a graduation there, three graduates turned there tassels, had an indoor swimming pool, seriously.
ReplyDeleteEducation should be equal and based and designed on specific needs for each individual, ideally speaking. There are so many factors that contribute to unequal funding and I think a lot has to do with specific demographics of counties- but what ever the reasons changes need to be made in two fundamental areas of education: firstly, a shift needs to take place in how schools are run. We are seeing the 'efficiency movement' every where in society- why is it not taking hold in the schools. If schools ran with this think of what could be, all the energy and resources and at the same time we would be creating a culture of awareness...Secondly, a recalibration of spending per student needs to take place. This should be proportional across the board in every school in every state. This would give us at the least an equal starting point and I think could lead to unbelievable things for education.
Kozol made some very interesting points in his interview about the issues public schools are facing. It makes sense that there would be such a large gap between public schools in different areas due to how the system is set up right now.
ReplyDeleteI have definitely noticed this phenomenon growing up. In the same county there would be schools that were highly rated for academics, arts, and sports, but on the other side of the county there were schools that seemed like a world away in those aspects.
I like the idea of all schools being equally funded so that every student really gets an equal opportunity education, but I also think that this will be a hard to accomplish. Even if there is a set amount of dollars per student across the board, there will always be families that will donate money whether it be for building renovations, more supplies in the arts, or for a better football stadium. These donations will always put one school at a further advantage.
Even if all the schools were equally funded, the politics within each school will get to decide how to divide the money up. What if one school wants more money to go to anything academic, but only a small amount in the fine arts? The football team needs a new practice field or the freshmen need a new wing (so naturally all the new technology is put in that building). The only way each child will get an equal piece of the pie is if every part of the school, academic subjects, the fine arts, extracurricular activities (including clubs) were all giving a equal share. My hopes aren't high on that because someone will think sports are more important, someone might think the other school across town needs a new auditorium, and so on.
ReplyDeleteThat includes the consideration of donations. If someone donates for a new fine arts building, were does that leave the other school's in the system?
All one has to do to witness inequality is to take that drive from Milledgeville to Savannah--or namely, just drive through all of Dublin. I actually did not notice it until it was near election time, but that town seems to have two distinctly different economies and two totally different schools. Since the government is expectedly invovled in funding public schools, I found it interesting to see pro-McCain in the nicer, better looking section of town and then pro-Obama when one crosses the invisible line into the other side of town. you pass a public school in each section and even the aesthetics are astoundingly different.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to what jennifer is stating directly above this post... you can't please all the people al lthe time. And I think that is where the funding gets bogged down and mucked up. The more hands money passes through, the more likely it is that one area will be neglected, as in the classic sports/arts clash that schools stereotypically have. Then it breaks down to almost gambling... Will a good football team bring the school more recognition and money, or will an outstanding band be the one to win the school the right amount of gold? Funding is often a quick decision that has extremely long effects.
As others have stated, I saw inequalities in school structure across my own county and thought I had it pretty good in my school compared to the other high schools in my area. While working on my undergraduate I realized that yes I had it better than the others where I lived, but that was nothing compared to a school system that was able to bring in more money. We fundraised and had donations every year, but it wasn't always enough.
ReplyDeleteHowever, we seem to all be stuck on what can we do with the money on the academic and extracurricular level. I think our discussion is lacking the point of Kozol's arguement that it's not so much the curriculum or activities provided by the school as it is the actual envrionment. We have seen first hand how hard it is to concentrate in class when the room is cold or there's a light flickering. Imagine how hard it must be to teach and, even worse, to learn while thinking, "Man I need to use the restroom, but there's no toilet paper." So no matter where extra money is spent, schools need to be equally funded in order to at least provide the physical necessities to get through the school day.
I think the inequalities in funding in public education are going to become a political issue very soon. Congress and the President seem to be working together to pass legislation to fund a financial bailout for the country. Part of that money is allotted to education, specifically building new schools and college tuition grants for economically disadvantaged students. I'm sure there will be tremendous arguments about who needs what and where this money will be spent. I hope that the schools in the most need receive the most financial support.
ReplyDeleteI like what Amanda had to say about just the funding of the actual building being very important. Making sure that kids have a safe environment to learn in should be a priority for all school systems. As for the athletics and arts debate, if you are an art teacher or a football coach, just do your best to grow up your program and hopefully the money will follow. Getting out in the community and making everyone aware of the good that you are doing can help to bring attention and money to your program.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jennifer, funding even if it were equal still will not benefit all students equally. The money would either go here or there, to sports or to the academics. Once money has been given to the schools it goes through so many hands before actually benefits any student.
ReplyDeleteAlso I love what Katey said about just building up the program you believe. Getting out into the community and building up your program and getting the attention of the community may help you in long run. Maybe not through state funding's necessarily, but the people in the community may see what you and your students are doing and love it, they may be the ones who help you get the money you need to continue to do what you are doing.
-Jenn V
Ahh funding. I truly hope that the billions of dollars promised to education does not get lost or "rerouted" to other projects. I am also worried that all of the money will go strictly to infrastructure -a necessary cost but by no means the most important one.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the reasons that privately funded endeavors (such as fundraisers, or schools that charge tuition) are so successful is that people feel 'attached' to the money because they have had to work hard for it. Technically government funding comes from taxpayer dollars (or borrowed money from China) but it seems more distant and I think people tend to ask less questions about how it is used. If a parent spends all her spare time selling Sally Foster wrapping paper she will make damn sure that the money goes toward something she thinks is important. Likewise, private school parents are notorious for being nosy about school affairs and the leadership reflects this.
When I first showed up as a freshman at Cedar Shoals H.S. all classes were still taking place in "the old school". The school opened in 1972 when Athens High split in two, and was basically an old warehouse that the county bought and stuck metal walls in to form classrooms. It was awful! However, after my first semester we moved into "the new school" which had just been finished. It was a complete 180 from the old school. Everthing was new; desks, chairs, computers, etc.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely feel that schools should be equally funded. It is rediculous that a school was in as bad a shape as Cedar Shoals and it took over 30 years for any improvement, while the school across town got a new library, gym, etc. I saw first hand how a better school improves student learning. In the new school there were less fights (due to higher security), and as Katy said, it made the students feel safe and student moral improved tremendously.
I agree with what C.J. said. McEachern was such an old school because it was an agricultural college before it became a high school. There were older buildings as well as newer ones, but I felt more comfortable in the newer buildings because that is what I was used to at home. I paid more attention when the technology was more advanced, and I had something hands on to do. I don't think it's fair that some of the schools had more money than other ones, but I believe that it's a reality that we are going to face as teachers.
ReplyDeleteI like Lee's take on this. I went to a public school, but two of my siblings go to GMG. Its "public private", but parents still pay tuition and they really do follow where that money goes and how it is spent. My dad has helped with tons of fundraising events for the school and the parents do keep track of where money from these types of events goes. They make sure the money is spent wisely when it comes to academics, athletics, facilities, etc. Private schools do seem to be run much more efficiently.
ReplyDeleteI think a contributing factor of unequal funding can be traced back to Plessy v Ferguson. There is nothing equal about separate but equal and while this case was heard in the late 1800s I think the ramification of the decision are still being battled today. As schools integrated the most resistance was from the white suburbs and if we look at unequal funding today we can easily draw the racial line. As Alex pointed out the example in Dublin. This decision, made over a century ago, is still being felt in our nation. We need to really be careful about decisions we are making about funding and other hot debates in education because they will be with us for a very long, long, time.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest issues equal funding has on the side of the school, is what actually brings in more money for the school? For instance, as much as I hate to say it, a football game brings in $1000's more than an art show. Its hard to seriously blame a school for giving more money to a football team (with how much revenue they are bringing in) than to the arts. It’s like a game of investing. Before I got married I knew nothing of the stock market, but my husband has taught me a lot about the human nature of the stocks. Rule of thumb: never invest on the underdog, no matter how much you support their cause, or anything, its just a bad investment decision. My husband and I invest our money in the companies that provide the most money back to us, obviously for personal gain. What most people that argue budget don’t understand is that you can not control what people like. As much as myself and every other artist would like to see happen, no matter how much money we throw at an art department, more revenue (interest on the part of the general public) is still going to be towards sports/business/etc. The numbers: an art class gets $1000 dollars, throws an art show, spends $800 on supplies/displays/etc. The show makes $200. A football team gets $1000 dollars, has a game and spends $1000 on jerseys/coach salaries/etc. The game makes $5000 in ticket sales. These numbers might be made up, but they certainly aren’t far from the truth. No matter what, the general public is going to support what the general public always supports. -J.G.
ReplyDeleteEveryone raises good points about the role of parents as watchdogs and about the role of athletics as a moneymaker, but a look at the Dept. of Audits and Accounts reveals an alarming trend. Education is growing top-heavy. Baldwin County in recent memory has gone through a huge mess concerning the new position of "Deputy Superintendents" and the accompanying large salaries. A deputy super, generally speaking, equals between 2 and three teachers fresh from their MAT program where salaries are concerned. Counties looking to trim expenditures in the economic crunch will look to the top if they wish not to commit political suicide.
ReplyDeleteEven before we address the convoluted and incomprehensible funding equations used by the state, we can look at the ways that the local Board office wherever we may be uses the funds that the taxpayers provide and raise every fuss that we can when we see something over which the community should get its collective dander up.
For the sake of this whole post, I am going to assume that the ideal scenario that any government wants is for each school to get equal funding. This may or may not be the case, but I must proceed in such a brief space with this assumption if I am to reach a solution.
ReplyDeleteIf we are to have a substantial solution on the large scale here, it will take the citizens to make it happen. Counties are woefully unprepared to take on the fiduciary responsibilities of law enforcement, public works, and education, and thus the buck is passed to the state. Now, we do have safeguards in place (the DOAA, for instance) to watch what the state does, but we see now that even the feds must get involved when the money still runs short. Once the chain of command gets that long and high, citizen oversight is nearly impossible. I think the best solution is for state BOE control of the disbursements of local tax money, complete with a new amendment to the state constitution requiring equal funding. This may be unconstitutional and a breach of all sorts of laws, but clearly the local boards do not operate with an operative level of discretion.