Inequality of school funding should shame N.C. legislators

Casey Hurley is a professor of educational administration at Western Carolina University. He writes occasionally about leadership and regional issues.

By Casey Hurley

published: February 20, 2005 6:00 am

"It's North Carolina's dirty little secret - where a child lives can affect the quality of his/her education."

- Staff Writer Kerra Bolton Fisher, AC-T, Feb. 16, 2001

This dirty little secret has been the subject of a lawsuit since 1994 (Leandro v. State of North Carolina). The constitutional language and intention are clear. The General Assembly is expected to provide "a general and uniform system of free public schools ... wherein equal opportunities shall be provided for all students." (Article IX, Section 2).

Our state legislators should be ashamed of themselves for failing to fulfill their primary responsibility to the children of our state. They know our public school finance system disadvantages children in poor counties, some of which are in the mountains of Western North Carolina; but they ignore this issue and continue to legislate educational matters that are far less important to our children (e.g., when the school year starts, what should be taught and how teachers should be held accountable).

It's like they are erecting the walls of a house on a faulty foundation. For example, the 1996 ABCs legislation holds teachers accountable for student test scores (erecting the walls of a house), but the legislature has failed to provide equal educational opportunities for all students (on a faulty foundation).

Since 1994, instead of taking action to fund schools more equitably, the legislature and governors have waited for Judge HowardManning (the Leandro case) to rule on how the state should increase funding for the education of children living in poor counties. But Manning's rulings do not address the root cause of the problem. Only those who govern public education in North Carolina have the right and the responsibility to provide equitable funding across the state. This is their responsibility - and only theirs.

In 1989 I visited Robbinsville High School in Graham County. I was appalled at its facilities. The floors were uneven and in disrepair. The windows did not close all the way. It occurred to me that citizens in other states, and in wealthier parts of North Carolina would not tolerate such conditions. I also knew, however, that the tax base of Graham County could not afford better facilities.

In the mid-1990s Robbinsville had a new high school, built with money from North Carolina's Low Wealth School Supplemental Fund (LWSSF), created by legislation passed in 1991 - prior to the Leandro lawsuit. North Carolina legislators have long realized the inequality of our funding system. Establishing the LWSSF was their attempt to address this issue, but it was a feeble attempt for two reasons.

First, the reality of the LWSSF fell short of intentions. State Capital correspondent Paul O'Connor (AC-T, April, 2002) wrote, "The Low Wealth Schools Fund, which was designed to alleviate some of the disparities in resources available to poor and rich counties, has never been fully funded."

Second, this approach failed to address the cause of unequal funding. Property values differ widely across a state, so revenues generated from property vary widely. Approximately 25 percent of total school funding depends on local property taxes, and North Carolina does nothing to equalize this source of funds.

Therefore, the property wealth of a school district dramatically affects, either positively or negatively, the educational facilities and programming available to North Carolina children.

Consequently, when the Public School Forum released its 2004 Local School Finance Study, it reported that the "current spending gap between the top and bottom spending counties is the largest in the history of the study."

The report said, "The wealthiest counties have four times more property wealth than the poorest counties."

Every state has property wealth disparities. Many of them recognize this, however, and develop state funding formulas that equalize educational opportunities for their children.

Those states seem to recognize that a system of education is judged by how well it provides for the education of its poorest citizens, not just its wealthiest.

Recently the state lost its appeal of Judge Manning's rulings, which require it to provide more money to meet the needs of students who are at-risk of low academic achievement because they live in poor counties.

Jack Betts (Raleigh Observer, Oct. 10, 2004) points out, however, that this is a legislative issue, not a judicial one: "by constitutional law and tradition, it's the legislature's duty to appropriate money to run the state, not the other two branches of government." The Leandro decision does not address the cause of inequitable funding. Only the legislature can do that.

In his swearing-in speech Gov. Mike Easley said, "We must replace barriers with bridges built on a foundation of better education and development of talent so all can reach their full potential, not because it is the law, but because it is right," (AC-T, Jan. 16).

Is this just another political platitude? Or was the governor speaking to the legislature and offering his assistance in what would surely be a political slugfest?

The idea is simple - provide state funds so that schools in poor counties are funded similar to those in districts of average wealth.

Unfortunately, though, this simple idea requires legislative wisdom, generosity and courage - the wisdom to recognize that inequitable education funding affects all of us, the generosity to provide poor children with what we want for all children, and the courage to take action that will benefit all North Carolinians, not just regional constituents.

It's time the General Assembly of this great state demonstrates the wisdom, generosity and courage needed to provide our poorest children with what they need - an equal educational opportunity. The children deserve it. We all deserve it.

Casey Hurley is a professor of educational administration at Western Carolina University. He writes occasionally about leadership and regional issues for the Citizen-Times editorial page.