Governance and Finance Regulating and Funding Schools Chapter 7 Governance and Finance Regulating and Funding Schools

Issues in Education Mandate ….VS…..Academic Freedom Idaho State Board ….VS….Local Board of Education Superintendent Role….VS….Principal’s Role School Funding Different forms of School Choice

Chapter Objectives How schools are regulated and run How the governance of schools affects teachers How schools are funded and the inequalities in education How schools choice reforms: vouchers and charters affect education

State Administrative Organizational Structure State Courts Principals and Schools District Office District Superintendent District School Board Local School Districts State Office of Education Chief State School Officer (Superintendent, Commissioner, or Secretary of State Board) State Board of Education Governor State Legislature Constitution Butch Otter Tom Luna Mandatory Department of Education Twin Falls Autonomy Wiley Dobbs

Idaho State BOARD of Education ***Issuing and Revoking teaching licenses…… Establishing the length of the school year…. (ex. 180 days). Publishing standards for approving and accrediting schools…… Developing and implementing a uniform system for gathering education data such as standardized achievement test scores, enrollment trends, and demographics (ex. IRI, ISAT).

Idaho State Office of Education (Department of Education) State BOARDS of education make policy; …..state offices of education are responsible for implementing that policy on a day-to-day basis. Staffed by full-time education professionals. Responsible for implementing teacher and administrator licensing. http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/teacher_certification/

State Office of Education (Department of Education) As new teacher, you will apply to your office of education for an initial teaching certificate. The state department of education also plays a major role in determining curriculum in the state. Usually states will offer districts a choice of several acceptable textbooks.

Functions of Local School Boards Groups of elected lay citizens, are responsible for setting policies that determine how districts operate.

Functions of Local School Boards The curriculum compliance They set attendance, dress, grooming, conduct, and discipline standards for their districts. Gay and Lesbian Clubs Controversial issues such as these are on the school board meeting agenda, attendance usually rises, with different citizen’s groups attending in attempts to influence board decisions.

Membership and Selection of Local School Boards White majority candidates who either have more money to run an election campaign or benefit from White majority voting pools. Tends to be male, white, older, and wealthy, although figures are gradually changing in some areas.

The Superintendent The district’s head administrative officer. 24% are women. The average tenure for superintendents is 3.5 years.

The School Principal Is given the ultimate responsibility for the school’s operation. Is the key to establishing the educational climate and overseeing the everyday operation of the school. Evaluation Interview Curricular and instructional leadership

Principals Community relations (PR) Monitor the school budget Help teachers teach effectively Demonstrate leadership by establishing high expectations for teachers and students. Most important people in the district’s administrative structure because they work directly with teachers and students.

Profile of School Principals (textbook has 2010) 70.6 40.1 29.4 59.9 Slight variations 3.3 60.8 26.6 9.3 7.6 59.4 25.3 7.7

School Funding Sources 2013 States: contribute 47.6% of educational funds Local: governments contribute 43.9% of funds Federal funds: constitute 8.5% of educational monies The public identified the lack of financial support and funding for education as the biggest problem facing their local school (Rose & Gallup, 2000). The state and local shares are about equal and are considerably greater than the federal share.

Education Revenues from Local, State, and Federal Sources 2010 Federal Funds

Quiz: “Attention Getter” What percentage of educational revenues come from Local taxes? What percentage of that comes from property taxes? From the Federal government, which would you rather have a block grant or a categorical grant? Why? What is site-based management? What does “School Choice” mean?

Local Funding: (may vary by district) More than 98% school revenues come from property taxes. Authorities first assess the value of property and then tax the owners a small percentage. 2%: Income taxes Fees for building permits Traffic fines User fees

State Revenue Sources The largest source of educational funding comes from the states. State sales taxes represent the largest source of state income. “Sin” tax- state income tax Taxes on stupidity = lotteries

Federal Funding for Education Most controversial source: GRANTS About 8%. Critics warn of increased federal control over what they believe should be a local responsibility. Although, the actual percentage of money spent by the federal government on education has been small, the impact has been considerable.

Categorical vs. Block grants Categorical grants, money targeted for specific groups and designated purposes. Head Start, aimed at preschoolers, Title I, targeted at economically disadvantage youth, and The Bilingual Education Act of 1972 are aid programs targeting specific needs or populations. Block grants, provide states and districts with funds with few federal restrictions. Block grants purposely reduce the federal role in policy making.

Educational Revenues: Where Do They Go ? A comprehensive review of over 30 studies in this area concluded: higher per-pupil expenditures resulted in better qualified teachers and 8,101.00 Idaho smaller class sizes, which translated into improved student learning.

State-by-State http://www. epodunk State-by-State http://www.epodunk.com/top10/per_pupil/ Spending per Student* very different than book source

Educational Expenditures on Different District Programs Instructional Support 13% From 2013 8% 10% 4% Admin Instructional Plant 61% ©2005 by Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Funding Inequalities…Lead us to Because of differences in property taxes, wealthy districts spend more on education than poorer ones. Legal issues surrounding funding inequalities determined by state laws and courts Weighted student formula allocates funding to schools within a district based upon student and school needs. Which lead us to……

Site-based Decision Making Site-based decision making is a movement towards placing more responsibility for governance at the school level. Decisions are made by the people most affected by educational decisions- teachers, parents, and even students. Chapter 7 Information

Different Forms of School Choice Charter schools Vouchers Homeschooling School Zones: http://www.tfsd.k12.id.us/tfsd/schools/schools.html

Charter Schools Alternative schools that are independently operated but publicly funded Often target specific areas of the curriculum Arts Math and science Foreign language Uneven quality due to increased autonomy Research suggests that student achievement is no better than regular public schools and sometimes worse.

Vouchers Vouchers are checks parents use to purchase educational services. Use for private education, especially religious schools, is controversial. State tuition tax credits, a variation on vouchers, provide tax cuts for parents of children attending private schools.

Privatization Takes a variety of forms Arguments for Arguments against EMO (Education maintenance organization) runs and manages schools or entire district Industry-operated school lunches and buses Industry-related tech support Arguments for Business-like efficiency of corporations Competition makes publicly run schools more effective and efficient Arguments against (1) Selling to schools (vending); (2) selling in schools (books & computers); (3) Selling of school.

School Choice and Cultural Minorities Advocates claim that school choice provides cultural minority parents with alternatives to ineffective and unproductive local schools. May result in increased segregation of students. Education of parents about options and choices is crucial for future success.