Proper funding of public schools is essential fo the success of all students

Perspectives on Public School Funding, Societal Disconnects, and Progressive Action
Pete Knotek, Racine Education President
March 22, 2009

 

I.  Proper funding of public schools is essential for the success of all students.

The Racine Education Association is committed to efforts to assure that all students in this school district graduate from high school career and/or college ready.  To this end teachers are engaged in work to share a detailed vision of what the right path from kindergarten to high school graduation looks like.  We are carrying out necessary steps so that data analysis, evidence based school improvement planning, and teaching practice can improve for all students.  All of this work has implications for how we properly fund the school district as a whole and distribute resources to individual schools.  My comments tonight will focus on Racine but I believe are consistent with current realities faced by similar large urban school districts across the nation.

An important first step in assuring success for all is being certain that all really means “all” when it comes to outcomes for kids.  We traditionally look at high school graduation rates and ACT scores for students as a whole group.  Historically we have not adequately disaggregated student performance data as part of our work to address the needs of all students.  As a consequence, our district perpetuates systems that allow factors such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, and disability status to be predictors of student success.

Why should we take a closer look at student performance data?  Because we must be focused on results and there are important lessons to be learned.  In Racine, the recent average ACT score across all demographic groups is 21 points.  This is slightly below the state average of 22.  However, when data are disaggregated we find that the performance of Racine’s white students is at the state average of 22 but African-American student performance is only 17.  A 25% poorer rate of success.

Let’s look at another group of our students: third graders and their reading performance.  67% of Racine’s third graders scored at the proficient or advanced levels in recent testing.  80% of third graders across the state scored proficient or advanced.  However, when Racine data are disaggregated results show 79% percent of white students scored proficient or advanced.   But we see that only 53% of African-American students scored in this range.  Only 56% of Hispanic students scored proficient or advanced.  The picture is even more troubling when we note that only 45% of students with disabilities scored proficient or advanced on the state reading test.  So we see that rates of success for many students are depressed by approximately 25-30 percentage points.

Why are these data important?  In part, because changing the complex systems in our district and our community that give rise to achievement gaps requires resources.  Profound improvements must be implemented in areas such as curriculum, instruction, and assessment, professional development programs for all employees, teacher recruitment and retention, student breakfast and lunch programs, and school safety.  Improving upon the research and development capacity of the District is essential for aligning the work of employees with a shared vision of success for all students.  Sustaining what we do well now and addressing challenges requires adequate funding that is currently not being provided for this District nor many others in Wisconsin.

With this in mind, let me turn to societal disconnects that negatively impact students and teachers.

 

II. There is a gap locally, at the state level, and at the federal level between what we as a democratic people say we want for students and what we provide.

Here are some important examples of what we as a society mandate by way of law:

1. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 states “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

2. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 states its purpose is “to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic assessments.”

3. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 declares that “improving educational results for children with disabilities is an essential element of our national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.”

4. Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 115 states that “public education is a fundamental responsibility of the state” and “each school board shall adopt pupil academic standards in mathematics, science, reading and writing, geography and history.”  Further, Chapter 121 indicates each school board in Wisconsin shall provide the opportunity for students to receive instruction in the arts and music, vocational training, social sciences, health, physical education and foreign language.  In referencing these laws, the Wisconsin Supreme Court recently held that all Wisconsin students “have a fundamental right to an equal opportunity for a sound basic education. An equal opportunity for a sound basic education is one that will equip students for their roles as citizens and enable them to succeed economically and personally.”

5. And finally, the Racine Unified School District’s Board of Education states in its Results policies that the District will “Educate All Students to Succeed” and “All students will be prepared: academically, for personal success in life, for their chosen careers, and to be positive, contributing members of the global community.”

These many directives give me reason to celebrate the boldness of the American ideals upon which we have built our public school system.  However, at the end of the day, all of the aforementioned mandates have been chronically under-funded.

The Racine Unified School District is a resource deprived but high needs school district.  In comparison to similar school districts, Racine is 7th out of 10 in revenues per student and 9th out 10 in expenditures per pupil.

While Racine is below average in its investment in teaching and learning, the school district must attempt to address a wide range of costly student needs.  Examples include services for students with disabilities, students in poverty, and students who are English language learners.  The District provides special education services to 16% of its students.  The percentage of RUSD students eligible for free or reduced lunch has increased over the past 10 years to approximately 50%.  The percentage of Limited English Proficient students has increased over the past 10 years to 12% of students.

Further costs are associated with overall modernization of the District’s main focus: curriculum, instruction, and assessment for all students.  In addition, there are likely untold costs related to solving problems that hinder our progress toward assuring all students regardless of factors such as race and disability status graduate career/and or college ready.

Though certainly not the only factor, the funding gap helps explain why we struggle to meet with success for all students in Racine and in many other similar urban school districts.  It’s time now to turn to what can be done about all of this.

 

III. What will it take to assure proper funding of public schools?

Let’s unite as a community and take action.  Responsible citizens should urge lawmakers to properly fund public schools.  Funding to address public education needs should be done through well-reasoned progressive taxation policies from the local to federal levels.  Further, the Wisconsin system of school funding must be substantially reformed such that the formula for allocating resources is related to the cost of educating students.

There is legislation currently at the state and federal levels that we should support.  However, these proposals do not go far enough to provide for sustainable progress in improving teaching and learning in our public schools.  Achieving funding levels necessary to educate all students for success in the 21st century must be done in the first decades of the century if we really care about our future.  An example of visionary thinking is embodied in the proposal being put forward by the Wisconsin School Finance Network.  It should be embraced by citizens and acted on by our legislature.

There is no doubt that there must be improved, rigorous accountability mechanisms and constant vigilance with regard to the uses of public money.   Citizens should support improving the Racine Unified School District by holding the Board of Education accountable for the system’s results.  It’s the job of the Board to hold the superintendent responsible for assuring that the District educates all students to succeed. 

People should avoid being distracted by ill-informed side show debates such as those focused on eliminating the U.S. Department of Education, labeling Wisconsin a “tax hell,” and promoting private school vouchers.  As we look to improve public school funding, we should not be discouraged by the present economic downturn that reflects the cyclical meltdown of certain markets and the failure of government to responsibly regulate corporations that have grown so large and powerful that their demise threatens the well-being of the nation.  Nor should we be discouraged by the profound growth in the last several decades in pervasive and perverted greed at the expense of human life and the planet.  We should be distrustful of those who suggest that all that matters in America’s economic system is material growth, wealth accumulation, and unfettered ever-growing consumption.

Rather, we should transition to public policy and an economy that measure development based on the overall well-being of the American people.  This perspective requires continuous improvements in health, education, and standards of living.  As such, there is no time to waste in addressing the needs of students here in Racine and across our nation.