The Education They Deserve United We Learn September 16, 2010

The Achievement Gap can be tied, in part, to a significant disparity in opportunities and access. While the Gap may be shrinking in early grades, it is still extensive in upper grades (35 points in Grade 11). While individual schools have been successful in closing the Gap, it remains a statewide policy issue of the greatest importance.

Last year just 2% of low income students exceeded 11th grade math standards compared to 13% of their more affluent peers. Read on …

4 Clotfelter, Ladd, and Vigdor (2006) found that the achievement gap between low achievers shrank in most cases, while the gap between high achievers tended to increase. It’s not just about meeting standards any more …

7 There are far fewer lower-income students achieving at the highest levels than there should be, they disproportionately fall out of the high-achieving group during elementary and high school, they rarely rise into the ranks of high achievers during those periods, and, perhaps most disturbingly, far too few ever graduate from college or go on to graduate school. Unless something is done, many more of America’s brightest lower-income students will meet this same educational fate, robbing them of opportunity and our nation of a valuable resource. The Achievement Trap:

Where does the money come from?

Where does the money go to?

Who Makes Decisions on School Spending? Administration recommends budget Consultation with stakeholders in budget development District may (or not) provide some autonomous budgeting and spending authority to principals or teachers Board approves budget Board approves monthly expenditures

What Drives Those Budgeting and Spending Decisions? Statutory requirements Short and long term debt repayment Collective bargaining contracts Strategic plan School improvement goals Access to revenue

Revenue is determined by EAV per student and local tax rate EAV/student ranges from $4100 to $2.2 million in Illinois schools 494 schools have EAV/student greater than $350, schools have EAV/student less than $50, schools have EAV/student of over $1 million and 1174 schools have EAV/student of less than $100,000

Illinois schools have enormous variation in the per student amount they spend on instruction 200 spend $7,600 or more and 29 spend $10,000 or more 2600 spend $3800 or less Instructional expenses per student range from $13,000 to $3,150

Can’t districts just raise their property taxes? Enrolled% lowEAV ppTax Rate% Pr TxInst pp Evanston289539%867 K$ %$11,542 Thornton Fractional %285 K$ %$6,340 Quincy136236%106 K$ %$5,789

Can’t districts just raise their property taxes? To make up the difference in instructional dollars per pupil, T-F would need to raise the local tax rate 61% to $ To make up the difference in instructional dollars per pupil, Quincy would need to raise the local tax rate 129% to $9.63.

The short answer is … A. No B. Not a chance C. When pigs fly D. You have to be joking E. All of the above

Those are the statistics, let’s hear the stories.