School Funding in the Modern Era

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School funding is a recurring issue in the modern era. Debates ranging from give schools more money, to get rid of the system in place and reform a new idea have been plaguing the world over the years. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed in 2009, provided more than $100 billion in education aid to offset budget cuts..” (School Finance). Later, “Congress provided an additional $10 billion in 2010 to avert mass teacher layoffs (Education Week, "Total Recovery Act")” (School Funding). These numbers are just a sample of the struggles in school funding, that is costing a ton of money to keep afloat. “There are many ways schools fund varying from state to state and even school to school. Income taxes, corporate taxes, sales taxes, and other fees provide 48 percent of the elementary and secondary school funds. 44 percent of local districts draw money from local property taxes. The federal government makes up approximately 8 percent of state education budgets. These funds are a dealt out on a per-student basis, and categorically to ensure enough resources for each special program or facility” (School Funding). These funds play a huge role in every student's education, either positive or negative. The three main areas that need to be addressed in the school budget are extracurricular funding, building and equipment maintenance, and last but not least staff funding. “One way to better understand school finance is to think of it in terms of the adequacy and equity of resources. Adequacy is based on the principle that states should provide enough funding for all students to be able to meet academic expectations” (School Funding). The average spending per student in 2008 was 10,0297 and then ranging from as high as 11,572 in Ne... ... middle of paper ... ...earn the material. Schools for the most part budget the money that they get to the best of their ability, but need more money to use for these basic and important needs. Overall the school budget committee needs to start from the bottom and fund what is necessary and needed to get schools back on their feet. These easily solved problems are a key part of school funding and should be addressed appropriately. Works Cited Arndt, Danielle. "Pay-to-play Fees Sideline Kids in Low-income Families." AnnArbor.com. Annarbor.com, 14 May 2012. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. Kennedy, Mike. "Top Ten: Issues Impacting School Administrators." American School & University. American School and University, 1 Jan. 2001. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Madsen, Chad. Personal Interview. 14 March 2014 "Public Schools Funding Issues." Public Schools Funding Issues. Excellentschools.org, n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.

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