Equal doesn't mean equitable, and that is especially true when it comes to school funding in the United States, where laws haven't adjusted to evolving communities and student populations. In the United States, schools get most of their funding through a per-pupil formula that allocates money from local taxes, state lotteries, and federal grants to districts, who in turn allocate funds to schools (Turner, Khrais, Lloyd, Olgin, Isensee, Vevea, & Carsen, 2016). Having the same universal per-student allocation for schools in both affluent and nonaffluent communities will never level the playing field for those who need it most.
Although the federal government compensates qualifying schools with Title funds, there is never enough money, and here's why.
- Schools need "wraparound" services. This is a term used to refer to a plethora of services performed by a team of professionals that address the complex needs of children and their families (VanDenBerg, Bruns, & Burchard, 2008). Services include but are not limited to dental, mental, behavioral, and basic health services. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to "wraparound" services, which makes it challenging to plan ahead for funding.
- Students need personalized learning tools tailored to their varying levels of achievement. Tools—such as leveled, high-interest books in each classroom, schoolwide intervention systems, high-quality curricula, and educational technology—are so varied that building a comprehensive school toolkit takes a significant amount of capital.
- Schools need to be equipped with high-quality, effective staff. In an era of budget cuts, schools are getting increasingly creative with job titles, which means that school employees are likely fulfilling various roles within a given day. Everyone in the building is indispensable to the work and must be highly effective. This means all staff (administrators, support teams, and teachers) must be nurtured, developed, and trained; all of that costs a lot of money.
Coming up with a system that addresses these needs requires education leaders to prioritize spending in areas that specifically narrow the opportunity gap.
What Principals Can Do
Principals are the gatekeepers when it comes to funds. They ultimately decide what to spend money on. Below are some strategies to ensure the spending in your school has the greatest impact on narrowing the gap.
- Know what you don't know. Visit affluent schools and get in their classrooms to see what students are learning, what tools they are using, and how teachers are getting trained on them. Our schools must be equipped to give students from low socioeconomic communities the skills to compete in the same workforce as students from affluent communities, so that they can have a chance at social mobility.
- Conduct a comprehensive needs-assessment that addresses both immediate and future needs. Knowing what your school needs right now and having a vision of how your school can narrow the opportunity gap in the future are both equally important.
- Prioritize spending by creating a multiyear plan that focuses on one area at a time. Most school improvement plans are short term, focusing on a one- to three-year period, at most. To maximize your school budget, you have to step back and look at the big picture. That means having, at the very least, a five-year plan that addresses curriculum, technology, staff preparation, and wraparound service needs. Focusing on one area each year will ensure you build a strong enough foundation to maintain your plan with smaller amounts of capital in the years to come.
- Stay focused. Life as a principal is distracting by nature. Vendors, departments, and different agendas come across your desk each day. New programs will come, go, and upgrade; stay focused on your outcomes and fight the urge to go with the "latest and greatest" trend. Simply put, be prepared to say "no" a lot.
What District Leaders Can Do
District leaders are the decision makers when it comes to deciding what to spend money on before funds are distributed to schools. Below are some strategies to ensure that funding coming from outside of schools has the greatest influence inside of schools.
- Ask principals about their schools' needs. Principals are eager to ask for what they need, but their input may sometimes not feel welcomed. Over time, this may discourage channels of communication between district departments and schools. If you lead a department at the district level, communicate with principals often and share the decision-making process. Each community is different from the next; it is highly unlikely you will find one program that will fit all schools. Personalization will increase the likelihood that your support will make an impact on narrowing the gap.
- Prioritize support to Title I schools. Although all schools must receive support from central office, narrowing the opportunity gap must be a priority for all departments. That means that the time and money spent supporting Title I schools must be equitable to that spent supporting schools in affluent communities.
- Lead the hunt for a grant. Principals and staff in high-needs schools are already working overtime. The greatest support you can give to these schools is the gift of time and money. Lead the search for alternative sources of funding that could make an impact in the greatest areas of need for a district.
The school funding debate in the United States will continue for years to come, and maybe one day legislation will reflect the true needs of evolving communities. In the meantime, whether you are a principal or district leader, it is crucial that you know how to make the most out of what you have been given and know how to make it work for the kids and those who teach them.