Education Finance Thoughts

These are my thoughts for Week One submission after reviewing the comments of some of my colleagues:

Part one:  The three most important events in the historical background of financing education in Texas:While we haven't been able to reach a consensus yet on the three most important events in the history of Texas education, I see patterns of similarity. First of all, we have all stated that the establishment of the Texas constitution was first most important event. Sheri and I mentioned the importance of the 1845 constitution which "provided for the establishment of free schools and called for state taxes to support education" (EDLD 5342 Lecture Template, page 1) while Shelley mentioned the 1876 Constitution "established by name the Permanent and Available School Funds"(EDLD 55342 Lecture Template, page 2). The essence of all these decisions leads to the fact that the founding fathers of Texas placed an emphasis on education and state support of the education system. The second historical event that we all agree upon has to do with the court decisions centering around the Edgewood case. We all commented on how the interpretation of the court decisions from Edgewood, Rodriguez and West Orange Cove have greatly impacted how Texas funds education with respect to equity, adequate and equality. At first I suggested that HB 1 was the third most important event, but upon reflection of what Shelley and Sheri shared, I would agree that the third most important event would be the passing of the Gilmer Aiken Laws. Since this law" established an organized approach to the state supplementing local taxes in an attempt to adequately fund public education" (EDLD 5342 Lecture Template, page 3), it surpasses the HB 1 because it truly created the opportunity for HB 1 to even exist! Since the implementation of the Gilmer Aiken Law, it seems it became the catalyst for changes in school funding to be battled in the court room instead of the legislature. This is where we are today even, so I would agree that the Gilmer Aiken Laws were the third most important event.

Part Two:  Identify three or four basic issues impacting a state formula:Once again, I see a pattern in the thinking of our group when we consider the issues that are important to state funding. We have consensus on two of the three items. The first item we all agree upon includes the taxes that fund education. While those taxes are dependent upon many issues, public education in Texas could not survive without the taxes generated statewide. The taxes are also probably the most contested part of school funding since the distribution of these taxes differs from district to district. As both Sheri and Shelley mentioned, the property taxes collected can vary depending upon whether you are from a property wealthy area or not. The second issue we agree upon that impacts the state formula is the weighted average daily attendance (WADA). Since WADA tries to balance the playing field for districts by taking into account "additional education needs" (EDLD 5342 Glossary, Week 1) of students, this WADA can be critical to a district. Anyone who has ever tried to fund an automobile technology class or provide a one-on-one teacher for a special needs student can appreciate the WADA provided to make the education of these students happen. I believe our group would be wise to include the next two items as the third and fourth consideration for state funding. Average Daily Attendance (ADA) is critical because we can't teach the students if they are not in attendance. The emphasis the state puts on schools by provided funding based on ADA is important, but Sheri brings up a valid point. Some cultures and parents do not understand or value the importance of education. As a result, a choice of the family or culture becomes a financial burden to the district without any impact on the family. Many schools are providing creative solutions to entice attendance, but the bottom line is that the district suffers for the decisions of the family. Shelley brings up that the compensatory education funding is important because it provides "financial support to school district to teach educationally disadvantaged pupils and underachieving students." (EDLD 5342 Glossary, Week 1). Perhaps this is the funding that compensates for the ADA deficiencies of those families who are disadvantaged or at risk that do not support education by getting their students to school. I concur with my colleagues that these are four important issues in school funding.

Part Three:  Define the concepts of equality, adequacy and equity and identify two examples of each.  If we consider equity to be defined as "fair or equal distribution of resources for schooling, taking into account student differences and school district characteristics" (EDLD 5342 Glossary, Week 1), there are many examples I could provide for equity. These examples might include transportation issues for districts whose children live far apart, career courses that have expensive equipment requirements, and special programs to address gifted students or special education students. To me, these are the funds that are used to help level the field for districts. I agree with Sheri that many people confuse these words by using them interchangeably. I believe equity and equality are probably the most misused. Equality means "every student has the same type of basic educational program." (EDLD 5342 Lecture notes, Week 1, page 7). To me, this means everyone gets the same basic education. Examples of this would include basic educational allotments for every student and Tier I funding sources for extraordinary situations such as new instructional facility allotments, technology, and military child allotments. Dr. Arterbury and Dr. Nicks define adequacy to include that "the school district receives financial support sufficient to meet state accreditation standards." (EDLD 5342 Lecture notes, week 1, page 7). Examples of this include textbook sand minimum teacher salaries.