Batts 1

Christopher Batts

Dr. Angela Mitchell

UWRIT 1104

15 November 2017

Low Income School Funding

Public Schools represent an essential institution in modern society. The majority of U.S.

citizens attend public schools regardless of their background or social class. This schooling

intends to provide children with a solid foundation of knowledge, preparing them for entering the Commented [1]: Changed from

"this schooling is intended to..."

workforce or seeking higher education at a university. Public schools get most of their funding
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from income taxes on the citizens in their district. So what happens when a school district does

not receive proper funding to operate up to standard? The problem of school funding in low

income areas plagues many schools throughout the U.S., without adequate funding these schools

provide low quality education, putting their students at a disadvantage. Let's look into the effects

and reality of low income school funding, through the lens of Chicago Public Schools.

To understand the environment constructed by a lack of proper schooling it is important

to look into the daily lives of the children affected. Expelled From Every Other School: Last

Chance High (Episode 1) is an episode of a documentary series showcasing the grim realities of

low income public school systems specifically in Chicago's Moses Montefiore Academy. Moses

Montefiore is just one example of a highly troubled school in a system that suffers from

institutional corruption and misallocated funding. A prevalent factor of these low income schools

is the behavioral issues that the children develop. Many examples of this behavior are found in

Last Chance High, particularly with student Cortez Shields. Cortez repeatedly harasses other
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students and faculty members throughout the course of the episode. Cortez himself stated I just
"Cortez is repeatedly shown harassing"

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like to fight, that just be my main focus, not coming to school. These behaviors actively combat

education and progressive behaviors, when children are not taught properly they become a

detriment to themselves and other students around them by encouraging bad behavior. Unlike

well funded schools, low income schools may not be equipped with the needed tools to combat

bad behaviors. Faculty members of low income schools do not have the skills to handle problem

children so they are often just suspended or put into detention with no positive corrective actions.

If the schools had the proper funding to hire better faculty, or train their faculty to properly help

their students, these issues would be tameable.

An article by John Klingner Understanding Illinois Broken Education Funding System

explains many deficiencies with the current school funding system in Illinois, which is heavily

affected by improper funding in certain areas. The focus of Illinois current education funding

system is not whats best for students its who controls the flow and distribution of taxpayer

money (Klingner 1). The misallocation of funds is an obvious issue because it indicates that

policies are being put in place without the best interests of students at heart, students are

supposed to be the main focus of education without doubt. Instead all policies and actions

decided by the schools are to benefit those at the top of the chain, this corruption is the biggest

issue for these schools. Klingner delves deeper into the topic and specifies that these

inadequacies are fairly new, As recently as 2000, the vast majority of the GSA was distributed

to school districts that demonstrated need. Nearly 90 percent of aid went to districts that lacked

the local funds to meet the states minimum funding standards. But because of changes to the

GSA formulas, billions in special subsidies now flow to Chicago and districts in Cook County

and its collar counties (Klingner 1) . The current division of funding between Chicago schools

has been altered over time in a way to benefit those in charge; when the money is spread thinly
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and to some who do not need it, those who do need it suffer. A large amount of funding goes to

schools that do not need it drastically, leaving the very poor schools without the proper funding

they need to meet the minimum requirements. Klingner speculates that the only feasible solution

to this issue is to remove the power from politicians who may have special interests that

influence how they divide the funding: All special subsidies need to be ended immediately

To fix Illinois broken education system, financial power needs to be taken away from politicians

and special interests. (Klingner 1). Klinger's findings show that these schools are taken

advantage of, at the expense of the students. This corruption harms many kids, taking the Commented [3]: Changed from

"This corruption is harming many.."

opportunity of stability, and high education from them.
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An interesting and valuable perspective on the topic of low income school funding comes

from an anonymous faculty member in Practitioner's Essay: Reflections of a Chicago Public

School Teacher. The teacher known as Marilyn Baker describes the experience of working in a

low income high school, this offers insider knowledge of how low funding affects teachers and

students on the surface level. Baker explains the difference in what society thinks, opposed to

what she has experienced: So often the rhetoric is simply that America's failing schools are

underfunded. They are and that creates immense difficulties in trying to give a student on the

South Side an equal education to a student in the suburbs.... educational needs of the students

ahead of any personal egos, pride, and most importantly, self-interest (Baker 100) . Bakers

viewpoint on the topic matches well with Klinger's, not only do these schools need more

funding, but they also need a fundamental shift that puts the students as the center of focus.

Baker explains in her essay that the entire school is held to such a low standard that schooling is

interrupted during the day by many distractions such as announcements and general lack of

organization. These schools are ultimately damaged by their low standards. When a teacher feels
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overwhelmed by the disorganization and poor quality of the school, the students are affected as

well. In order to have a well functioning school, it must be organized and free of jarring

interruption.

Despite the evidence that Chicago schools are struggling with low funding, in the next

academic year the funding for CPS is dropping significantly. Although funding per pupil is

increasing, overall enrollment is decreasing. CPS already does not have enough funding to

function properly, so receiving even less funding will definitely be an issue for all low income

schools in the district (Perez 1). In the recent news article Chicago schools to receive more

money per student, but less overall as enrollment dips author Juan Perez explains the upcoming

change to Chicago school funding: Despite the increase in per-pupil funding, a projected

enrollment decline of about 8,000 students for the 2017-18 school year will mean district-

operated schools receive roughly $43 million less than they did last year, officials said (Perez

1). 43 million dollars is a significant amount for the school district to lose, taking away funding

for many programs in many schools. Many school officials and people involved with school

funding have criticised this decision, such as union president of the Chicago Teachers Union

Karen Lewis: "These (budgets) merely allow the district to run in place.. Enrollment declines,

exacerbated by Springfield uncertainty, will put us right back where we were last year: facing

midyear cuts and the threat of furlough days or a shortened school year."(Perez 1). Lewis

expresses that this set back severley limits what the schools are able to do to improve anything at

all. Although theres no clearly evident solution for the school funding issue is, but decreasing

funds will only further the issue into the wrong direction.

Low Income school funding represents an issue for various districts across the country;

Chicago is only one of these many districts. Many suggest that the problem lies with corrupt
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officials who misallocate the funding and hunger for more while they are not concerned with the

education of students. In order for this issue to be solved education needs to be placed with

critical importance and taken care of before anything else. Schools must receive funding based

on how much they need it and how much of it they do need. Elementary school provides a

foundation for society; young students must acquire the fundamental knowledge offered in early

schooling, especially in low income communities where people desire to rise above their social

class.

WORKS CITED

Bad Boy School: LAST CHANCE HIGH (Full Episode). YouTube, YouTube, 28 July 2017,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WeD9roIupg. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.

Baker, Marilyn. "Practitioner's Essay: Reflections of a Chicago Public School Teacher." Depal
Journal for Social Justice, vol. 3, no. 1, Fall2009, pp. 97-113. EBSCOhost,
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librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&d
b=a9h&AN =48949248&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Jr., Juan Perez. Chicago schools to receive more money per student, but less overall as
enrollment dips. Chicagotribune.com, 7 Aug. 2017,
www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-school-budget-plans-met-
20170720-story.html. Accessed 17 Sept. 2017.

Klingner, John. Understanding Illinois. Illinois Policy, 24 Aug. 2017,

www.illinoispolicy.org/reports/understanding-illinois-broken-education-funding-system/.
Accessed 20 Sept. 2017.