Viewpoint: Ask legislators, state board, to invest in public education in Indiana
Stuart Greene
South Bend Tribune
Writer Daarel Burnette II concluded in his recent article in Education Week that "States should consider replacing their existing funding formulas." He argues that they should develop formulas that "provide more money for schools serving a high concentration of students" from low-income backgrounds.
The opposite is true in Indiana where state legislators have provided limited support for public schools in high-need districts. As it stands, overall per pupil funding is 34th in the nation.
Arguments for school choice — and equity — ring hollow when support for privately run charter schools, virtual schools, and school voucher programs take precedence over public school. After all, as the Supreme Court ruled over sixty years ago, "… it is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the opportunity of an education" (Brown v. Board of Education). This is what is happening in underfunded schools.
Cuts in funding affect populations of students (and their families) who are already vulnerable in a state that is in the bottom 7 in the nation for public health spending. As we know, education and health go hand-in-hand in measurements of children's academic achievement.
Lawmakers in Indiana have already cut $337 million, or about 30 percent, of the state funds earmarked for students from low-income families since 2015. And now House Republicans unveiled a plan in March 2019 to cut $105 million for schools with the highest needs. In addition, Indiana is projecting about $100 million less to work with than previously predicted as lawmakers craft the state's next budget. The overall budget increase for public schools is a mere 2.06% for 2020 and 2.07% for 2022 with substantial increases going to charter schools (10.30%, 10.47%), virtual schools (5.25%, 9.14%), and voucher programs (9.28%, 5.60%).
Unfortunately, high-need schools are all-too-often schools that fail to meet expectations. It is hard to ignore that cuts in public school budgets are occurring at a time when educators are expected to do more. The result is that the state has either closed or taken over "failing" schools. State takeovers — even when described as "transformation zones" — fail to address the real problems of doing more with less.
Rather than taking over schools, it is especially important to address the problems of infrastructure, teacher pay, socio-emotional learning, health care, and affordable housing that affect students' performance. In states like Massachusetts, where school turn-around seems most successful, the state legislature infused hundreds of millions of dollars in efforts to improve the quality of education, school climate, and a shared approach to leadership, among other concerns.
The State Board in Indiana offers little in the way of a road map for success or the means for transforming a school based on evidence. During the past 10 years, lawmakers have supported virtual schools, which are at the center of much controversy. Last year, nearly 2,000 students never received a credit across Indiana's six virtual schools. How much of the $10 million in state funding could have been allocated to public schools?
What about the funding that has gone to support charter schools? The State Board has sought to renew the contract of a charter operator despite its failure to "transform" two Indianapolis schools after eight years. It seems irresponsible to reward operators with contracts using tax money when they lack a record of success. Imagine if the money allocated to failing charter schools — in whatever form — had been directed toward public education.
The state board has not been consistent in supporting voucher programs. At one time, students were required to attend public schools before they could transfer to another school. This is no longer the case. Vouchers were once aimed at low-income students, but a growing share is allocated to suburban areas — about 25% of all voucher students. Taxpayer money is potentially helping thousands of families pay for a choice they were already making. In South Bend, this translates into over $3 million per year that is diverted from our schools.
If we are to change the trajectory of education in our local schools, voters need to persuade state legislators and the state board to invest in public education. As Jamie Vollmer ("Schools Cannot Do It Alone") reminded us in his recent visit to South Bend, it's not enough to say to teachers to just go back to "basics."The expectations are higher than ever. Accountability exerts enormous pressure as educators prepare young people for an increasingly complex society and a challenging knowledge-based economy. This entails providing students with programs in media, leadership training, health and wellness programs, entrepreneurship, career and technical education and financial literacy.
But significant cuts in the state budget for education threaten these programs and democracy itself. Let's all commit ourselves — faith and business communities and city government —to ensure that all children reach their full potential in order to fulfill the promise of the Brown decision.