What Does Money Have to Do With It?
Money plays a role in nearly every aspect of life within society. Education is no exception. With Texas’ public school funding system ruled unconstitutional, the inequity of schooling was officially established. Schools in rich areas with wealthier housing are given more funding than their impoverished counterparts. Yes, money has a lot to do with it. Schools with less funding per child have less opportunity to establish resources that help those children prosper. These underfunded schools end up having to cut other aspects of education, like hiring teachers that are not fully trained in what they are teaching, or insufficient programs for English learners. The bottom line is that public education is not equitable for every student.
The fight for equitable schooling is not new. In the podcast For Forty Years, One Texas Family Has Fought For Equal Funding, we hear the story of a father fighting for equity in the public school system. Forty years later, his daughter is an educator with the same ideals at heart. Not much has changed. Unequal opportunity to prosper created by this imbalance shifts some children away from future success and societal contribution, meaning that withholding opportunities for equity overall negatively affects our society.
As educators, our individual strides toward equitable funding will unfortunately not happen overnight. By recognizing the imbalances caused by money and being mindful of prejudice we can limit our contribution of negativity in the classroom. The wealth of your parents or the neighborhood you live in should not be a deciding factor in the quality of your education.
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Hey Ashley, great post! I think it is so crazy that there is so much unequally in the public school system and it just continues to grow. My questions to you would be how do you think we change it? Or do you think it will never be able to be fixed? I think it is so awful that based off where you live is going to depend on how much you get from school. It should be equal in every city and every county. This is why we still have so much discrimination in our world because our kids aren't all growing up receiving the same treatment.
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon Ella! Thank you for commenting. As some of the articles and videos from this week's module suggest, throwing money at the problem won't necessarily solve the issue. Delegation of funding and the creation of a formula that adequately divides funds based on the needs of the students is what will solve the problem of inequity in public schools. I do think this issue can be resolved, but the way we are going about it now will not fix it. Public schools have so much disparity and it is unfair that some students have more resources or overall opportunities for success compared to others. Education is mandated for every child, but that should mean that students should be able to go to any public school and prosper. Until that is the case, we as future educators can limit our contribution to inequity.
DeleteHi Ashley, I liked your post. I believe that its definitely sad that money determines which extracurricular activities are cut. Underfunded schools don't give students as many opportunities as richer school districts. Do you have any ideas on how we can get closer to equal funding? Do you think that we will be able to get there one day? I wish that all students had as many opportunities as the other. I hope to hear your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteGood afternoon Brittnee! I think it is important to recognize the difference between equality and equity. Even if public schools got equal funding, the needs of the children would be different. For example, schools with a high number of English learners may need more funding directed toward resources that would aid in learning a new language. Schools with children from impoverished households may need to have food security. Schools do not need equal funding, they need equitable funding that is distributed based on the needs of the school population. As a point made in the modules, those who are most at risk need the most help so they can blossom like their peers. Oftentimes, youths who already are on their way to succeed, with stable families and no learning disabilities have access to schools that are ranked highly, with countless resources at their disposal. Children that require those resources are often in schools where they are very limited.
DeleteWorking in a Title I school district makes one very aware that funding is a huge factor that affects the students. There is also the very common thing of first year teachers being hired merely because the districts are desperate the hire them to work in their poorly funded schools, which leaves the students with a teacher that is not able to teach them fully, granted all teachers have to start somewhere. Do you think that there will be any changes for the school funding in the future? I know that there is talk by the TEA to get the state to pay $50 more per student to give teachers a raise, but this really doesn't help the funding for new schools and technology that is desperately needed in low income schools.
ReplyDeleteHey Chavon! I know that the Texas Supreme Court has had many rulings in favor of changing the financial system for public schools. I think one of the big issues that are overlooked when it comes to funding is that many school districts are not distributing their finances in a way that aids the needs of students. Different schools need different resources that focus on their student populations. Students that come from marginalized communities or are low income may need assistance in specific areas, and students who are in the gifted program or who have learning disabilities may need resources in other areas. More funding is necessary, but I think a focus on the specific needs of schools and districts will also aid in creating more equitable education. I have heard about schools cutting costs by hiring underqualified or inexperienced teachers, and while I agree that we all start somewhere, students do not deserve a lesser education based on the school they go to. I hope that change comes soon, and I think advocating and continuing this fight for equity while making changes in the classroom will help speed up the process.
DeleteHey ashley! Thank you for your awesome blog post this week. You did a really great job. You mention a lot of great information and I am glad that you included your opinion of the awesome podcast that was included in the modules for this week. I totally agree with you on your point that it should never come down to money when speaking on education. No matter how much money you have, every child deserves to have an equal opportunity of education. You did mention the fact of how wealthier schools have more funding to create a better experience for students to have a more fulfilling experience in schools. Us future teachers need to provide a way to change this dynamic and make a change for our underfunded schools. That can be ways like having fundraisers in our community or talking to authorities. Thank you again for your informative blog post. I really enjoyed it so much.
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley! I could not agree more to, “Education is no exception” when it comes to how money plays a role in our society. Unfortunately, this means students everywhere are not given equal opportunities and some are being funded more than others. I believe, no matter what, students should be given equal funding so they can be given resources to succeed in their classroom and their school. As future teachers, it is important to realize the unfairness of this and to strive for better, for our school district and our students. On another note, teachers are also being affected by this because schools that are less funded will not be able to offer the same as districts that are given more funding. Like you stated, “These underfunded schools end up having to cut other aspects of education, like hiring teachers that aren’t fully trained” because teachers who have more experience/more education, are more likely to gravitate towards districts with more.
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley! I think you made great points in your blog post and agree with what you are saying. I also listened to the podcast and it made me realize how long schools have been unequal for. The system is not fair and the students are the ones who suffer due to low funding. When we think about the long term effects, funding is a big concern and issue that we must do something about. I believe that we all must do something to help this issue and help the students in the low income areas. The schools in the low income areas are hiring teachers who are not eligible, using books that are no longer legible, and are having the students being taught in rough, unsanitized conditions. My question to you is: Is there anything you as a future teacher want to do now that you have learned more about the unequal funding for schools? Again, you made great points in your blog and I loved reading it.
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