General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsProperty Taxes Cannot Pay For All Public School's Needs. State/Federal General Funds Must Help.
It is very difficult to keep pushing up mill levy to pay for public schools. Many home owners are maxed out on their property taxes and the burden for virtually all of the schools have been shifted to property taxes in many states. Federal and state funds is way to share the burden in a more fair way for people who pay no property taxes. These huge tax cuts for the rich and corporations who have stored money overseas is the real culprit.
Over time the federal government and states have reduced their funding to public schools because of huge tax cuts for the rich and businesses. Non home owners pay less of he burden as does business and the rich. Schools are underfunded because of huge tax cuts and give aways. We will not restore public schools by tax home owners & business owners with high mill levies alone. Sure there will have to be some increases but those tax will NOT pay for all the needs that have been neglected since Reagan.
SunSeeker
(51,378 posts)Poor neighborhoods with low property tax revenue do not provide enough money to their schools for a good education for their kids. A child's education should not depend on what neighborhood they come from. But right now, it does. Schools in poor neighborhoods are completely devastated. Meanwhile, schools in rich neighborhoods are swimming in money and have all the equipment, supplies and facilities they need.
This results in the rich kids getting a head start, while the poor kids being left unprepared. This has reverberations in college acceptance rates, college graduation rates, and lifetime earning potential. In other words, it's immense the current vast wealth disparities in this country.
ProfessorGAC
(64,425 posts). . .is for all (ALL) the money to be pooled and then distributed on a per student basis. The "local cut" is a killer for equitable distrubution.
As an example, there were towns in the north suburbs of Chicago (yes, expensive to live there and taxes high) were spending over $20k per student from tax dollars. Inner city Chicago schools were spending less than 6k. The small town i live in was around $6500.
The affluent areas had boys and girls lacrosse teams, boys hockey teams and girls field hockey teams. The inner city schools could not afford baseball or softball teams, let alone those two other sports. The school in my town had neither of those. (They could do baseball and softball)
The affluent areas had boys and girls tennis and golf teams. Inner city schools, nada.
In the township where my company headquartered, the text books were replaced every other year. In my town, every 7 and in the inner city every 12. A social studies book 12 years old? Coming close to useless.
MA teachers in the affluent areas were making $70k per year. In my town, $36k and in the inner city $32k.
This was 20+ years ago. Didn't work then, and doesn't work now.
SunSeeker
(51,378 posts)MissB
(15,800 posts)So the education portion of my property taxes get mixed in with everyones and the state doles out an equal amount to each district per kid. Rural schools get a bit more because they have to bus kids further. Districts with large populations of kids with special needs (concentrated in large urban areas with great hospitals and services) get a bit more for those kids. Really small schools get a bit more so they can offer more diverse classes. In general, the taxes I pay for education dont go to my district except for a teeny amount.
Sounds great?! Yeah, but then there are the private school foundations. The one that exists in my district (admittedly, an affluent district) asks for a $3k/kid donation each year. That $$$$$ goes to the school to fill funding gaps.
ProfessorGAC
(64,425 posts)Getting public money? That seems inappropriate. Pretty sure we don't have anything like that in IL!
Now, charter schools, that's a different matter.
MissB
(15,800 posts)Foundations created to funnel extra $ to local public schools while providing a tax deduction to folks that contribute $. The foundation is private- not run by the school or connected to it in any way. The public school receives a donation from the foundation and the school uses it as they see fit.
Victor_c3
(3,557 posts)Money can come out of the woodwork to start wars, but when it comes to teaching our children it becomes scarce.