New Map: School Funding Inequality, Often Measured By State, Is Far Worse Nationally Than You Think
Inequality in school funding is not limited to disparities at the state level; a new report by EdBuild shows that national spending differences make the situation even worse. The report reveals that the poorest districts in the country receive 21% fewer dollars per student compared to wealthier districts. This means that in a school with 500 students, there is a gap of almost $1.5 million between the funding for poor students and wealthy students.
Rebecca Sibilia, CEO and founder of EdBuild, emphasized that the discrepancies in funding point to a completely arbitrary system. A scatterplot released by EdBuild demonstrates that on average, as poverty increases, state and local funding decreases.
Nearly every state in the country has faced a school funding lawsuit arguing that the current education funding system is inadequate or unfair. While some lawsuits have been successful, others are still pending. Studies have shown that states like Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois spend the least amount of money on poor students. EdBuild’s report also highlights regressive funding systems in many areas, with states spending 5% less per student on poor children compared to wealthier ones in the same state.
Interestingly, the latest study reveals that funding inequality on a national level is worse overall than the inequality observed within individual states. Sibilia explains that states with a high number of students in poverty tend to fund education at a lower level than states with fewer students in poverty. This may be due to less wealthy states having limited funds for education.
These findings expose the existence of funding inequities at the national, state, and local levels of the education system. The report by EdBuild does not include federal dollars, as they serve the purpose of supplementing resources for lower-income students rather than addressing existing inequalities.
Bruce Baker, a professor at Rutgers University, raised concerns about the methodology used in the report but acknowledged that the basic findings accurately reflect the reality of funding disparities. In some high-poverty states, the issue lies not in poor districts receiving less funding, but rather in overall inadequate and equitable funding.
The data portrays a troubling picture of resource inequality, but the political challenges in addressing this issue are even more disheartening. Both Baker and Sibilia agree that correcting funding inequalities would be a difficult political task. As the problem exists at a national level, the most efficient solution would involve federal intervention. However, with the highly decentralized education system and the reduced federal oversight imposed by the Every Student Succeeds Act, the only viable approach would be to withhold money from states that fail to address inequities. This approach, however, runs the risk of exacerbating problems in states that are already underfunding their schools and are likely to reject federal money with strings attached.
Undoubtedly, a critical issue at hand is the correlation between school funding and student performance. Some individuals argue that money does not consistently drive student outcomes, while others maintain that resources play a vital role in the quality of education.
A considerable amount of recent research indicates that, on average, investing more money into schools leads to improved student outcomes.
Sibilia also agrees with this viewpoint, stating that "money absolutely matters… It influences a school’s ability to attract and retain teachers, the availability of extracurricular activities for students, the implementation of dropout prevention programs in areas of concentrated poverty, and the funding for transportation in rural areas. Money impacts every aspect of education."
It is important to note that both and EdBuild receive funding from the Walton and Buck foundations. In 2012, I worked as an intern at StudentsFirst during the same period when EdBuild’s Sibilia was employed there, although we did not have direct contact.
