Is School Funding Fair- A National Report Card from the Education Law Center

http://www.schoolfundingfairness.org/National_Report_Card_2014.pdf

UP-DATED Blog to reflect the summary of data from the 46 page report

In this report, “fair” school funding is defined as a state finance system that ensures equal educational opportunity by providing a sufficient level of funding distributed to districts within the state to account for additional needs generated by student poverty.

The Fairness Measures

The Report Card consists of four separate but interrelated fairness measures. The four measures are:

(1) Funding Level  

The State of California is ranked 42 - Funding Levels are down since 2007

This measures the overall level of state and local revenue provided to school districts, and compares each state’s average per-pupil revenue with that of other states. To recognize the variety of interstate differences, each state’s revenue level is adjusted to reflect differences in regional wages, poverty, economies of scale, and population density.

2007: $9,069

2008: $9,426

2009: $9,024

2010: $7,942

2011: $8,378

Under Governor Browns NEW Local Control Funding Formula CUSD hopes to become restored to 2008 funding levels by 2021. This means that the District should have no real expectation of being able to restore the $130 million in cuts to programs, staff, deferred maintenance or to decrease class sizes. What the District has as far as programing, building maintenance, class size is probably going to remain the status quo.

(2)  Funding Distribution - The State of California gets an “A” 

Funding Distribution measures the distribution of funding across local districts within a state, relative to student poverty. The measure shows whether a state provides more or less funding to schools based on their poverty concentration, using simulations ranging from 0% to 30% child poverty. 

2007: California 103% C

2008: 108% B

2009: 111% B

2010: 109% B

2011: 

at 0% Poverty $7,919 

at 10% Poverty $8,146 

at 20% Poverty $8,378 

at 30% Poverty $8,618 109%* A

The State of California got an "A" on this measure because the Governor's new funding formula gives schools more money based on having a greater percentage of English Language Learners or Socially Economically Disadvantaged students. The reality is that while many Districts in poor parts of the State are receiving very large increases in funding. Districts such as CUSD cannot only hope to reach a Maximum level of funding to reach 2008 ADA. That level of funding is not sufficient to provide even a basic education to our students. To really discuss fairness you must consider the poor and socioeconomically disadvantaged children in our district who are underfunded and do not have the ability to fundraise for things that have been cut.  

(3) Effort  - The State of California gets an “F”  

Effort measures differences in state spending for education relative to state fiscal capacity. “Effort” is defined as the ratio of state spending to state gross domestic product (GDP). 7 Third Edition Is School Funding Fair? A National Report Card

2007: $48,646 0.034 D

2008: $47,976 0.033 F

2009: $45,105 0.031 F

2010: $44,793 0.028 F

2011: $44,898 0.028 F 

This is really the point: 

In 2007-08 the California State General Fund Budget was $101 Billion The State spent $41 Billion on K- 12 Education and 12 Billion on Higher Education

Source: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2007-08-EN/Enacted/BudgetSummary/SUM/8867168.html

 In 2012-13 the California State General Fund Budget was $104 Billion. The State plans to spend $45 Billion on K- 12 Education and $12 Billion on Higher Education

Source: http://www.ebudget.ca.gov/2014-15/pdf/BudgetSummary/FullBudgetSummary.pdf

So California is spending about the same dollar amount on education as it did in 2008 but enrollment has exploded and much of the increase in student population is english language learners and students that socioeconomically disadvantaged which is taking greater and greater resources from all students such that students in wealthier districts are now being deprived of even a basic education - (a full year of school, clean safe buildings, reasonable class sizes).

Coverage  - The State of California is ranked 34 -Coverage is down since 2007

This measures the proportion of school-age children attending the state’s public schools, as compared with those not attending the state’s public schools (primarily parochial and private schools, but also home schooling). The share of the state’s students in public schools, and the median household income of those students, is an important indicator of the distribution of funding relative to student poverty (especially where more affluent households simply opt out of public schooling), and the overall effort to provide fair school funding. 

% 6 to 16 year olds in Public School

2007: 89% 

2009: 89%

2011: 90%

Median Household Income Public School $78,287

Median Household Income Private School $ $148,658

Private/Public Income Ratio 190% Rank 34

Early Childhood Education:

School Enrollment for 3 & 4 year Olds by Income Level

Total: 47%

> 185% Federal Poverty Line: 53%

< 185% Federal Poverty Line: 38% 

Attendance Gap by Income: -15%

Pupil to Teacher Ratios:

2009:

at 0% Proverty 23 

at 10% Proverty 22 

at 20% Poverty 22 

at 30% Poverty 21

Fairness 107% 

2011:

at 0% Proverty 24 

at 10% Proverty 24 

at 20% Poverty 23 

at 30% Poverty 22

    Fairness 108%

Wage Competitiveness

California 96%

National Child and Student Poverty Rates

Census SAIPE Poverty Rate 21%

Predicted Free and Reduced Lunch at 26% Census Poverty 

Predicted Free and Reduced Lunch at 29% Census Poverty 

Predicted Free and Reduced Lunch at 71% Census Poverty