Students Make Do With Little as Debate Over School Funding Rages On

Story by David Fouty

Oct. 14, 2008 – Most people would call musical chairs a game, but at Morse Elementary in Humboldt Park, it’s as real as survival of the fittest.

“Kids had to sit on the floor and share textbooks because there weren’t enough of either to go around,” said Wanda Hopkins, a spokesperson for Parents United for Responsible Education (PURE). Hopkins said the school’s officials knew that students were going to drop out, so they didn’t feel the need to buy enough textbooks or desks to accommodate every student.

A group of about 50 people including politicians, board members, CEOs and concerned citizens met at the Oak Park Village Hall to discuss these and other issues, as well as some possible solutions for reforming the methods by which Chicago’s schools are funded.

“Chicago ranks 49th out of the 50 states when it comes to funding education,” said Arne Duncan, CEO of Chicago Public Schools.  School funding has been a hotly debated topic for quite a while now, so it’s no surprise the subject came up in Oak Park at the state legislative committee meeting on education last month.

Chicago has the third largest achievement gap between students in a single school district, according to Chris Butler, a field director for A+ Illinois.

“We don’t need more studies, we need action” said Butler. “We have seen what the problems are; we just need to start taking action and fixing them.”

Duncan says the problem is not a matter of how much but how.

“We need to ask ourselves if this is a matter of not enough or not well spent,” he said.

The state of Illinois funds schools with property tax revenue.  Chicago Public Schools receive funds based on property taxes in a particular neighborhood.  Each suburban district gets money from the state based on the property tax in its area as well. But in blighted neighborhoods, where property values are low and businesses are struggling, property taxes are significantly lower.

“This is the problem, not with how the money is spent, but the method in which amounts received are determined,” said Ron Defalco, of the Illinois Education Association.

Hopkins agreed, and proposed that the “people in charge” need to be held accountable, and their operations be more transparent.

“The state government decided how money should be spent for the Chicago Public Schools.  We need to be able to decide for ourselves how money is spent in our own communities,” said Hopkins.

Hopkins also addressed the strain on students’ lives when their school runs out of supplies.

“Students can’t be expected to meet criteria without adequate materials,” said Hopkins.  “How can a child be expected to achieve at a high level of education when they have a terrible foundation because of their sub-par primary education?”

According to Hopkins, schools like Alcott High School in Lincoln Park don’t run in to problems of that nature because of higher property taxes, thriving business and newer facilities.