Blazing New Trails - Connexions

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CRITICAL ISSUES IN SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT
The Social Justice Implications of the Deteriorating U.S. Economy on
Public Schools in Selected U.S. School Districts in Colorado and Illinois
John W. Hunt
Gregory N. Pierson
Unlike many countries, the federal government in the United States provides little of
the funding necessary to support its public school system. The United States government,
through the United States Department of Education, provides an average of less than 10 % of
the money needed to operate the public schools. Historically, education in the United States
has been a function reserved for the individual states (Essex, 2005). Consequently, the
primary responsibility for funding the public schools falls to the fifty respective states. Most
states rely upon a combination of money provided from the state, often called general state
aid, and local property taxes, along with the relatively small percentage of federal funds, to
support their schools. Due to this funding mechanism, the distribution of resources among
public school districts in many states is inequitable (Thompson & Wood, 2005). The degree
of inequity varies from state-to-state. In Illinois, for example, the amount of money spent per
student ranged from under $6000 to over $18,000 per year during the FY 2009 fiscal year
(Fritts, 2008). The districts on the upper end of this financing scenario relied heavily upon
local property taxes and relatively little upon state financial assistance. Antithetically, the
districts in the bottom quadrants of this fiscal system relied very heavily upon general and
categorical state aid.
Educators, parents, and the general public have long known that they were operating
under an inequitable funding system. While the Illinois constitution requires that the state has
the primary responsibility for financing the system of public education, this has never actually
transpired. Primary responsibility has been interpreted to mean funding 51%, which has not
happened since the ratification of the most recent Illinois constitution (Illinois Constitution of
1970). Numerous attempts have been made to correct this inequitable system, including the
formation of a number of commissions and study groups over the years. The most recent of
these coalitions is the Education Funding Advisory Board, subsequently known as EFAB,
which was created by the Illinois General Assembly in the late 1990’s to once again address
this issue (105 ILCS 5/18-8.05 (M)). By law, the EFAB was required to submit a report to the
General Assembly by January 1 of each year, beginning in 2001. Based upon the very first
EFAB report, several major recommendations were posted on the Illinois State Board of
Education (ISBE) website in October of 2002 (Education Funding Advisory Board). Among
the major recommendations were the following:
Increase the foundation level of the general state aid formula to $5665 for the
subsequent year;
John W. Hunt, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Gregory N. Pierson, Education Consultant, Greeley, CO