Guzman 1

Xitlali Guzman
Professor Kufs
English 114B
14 April 2015
Another Money Problem
Public schools are institutes that are funded by local, state and federal government but
they are not being founded equally. The money distribution or lack of is causing an affect on
academic achievement. The children are the ones to suffer at the end the story because they have
the most to lose. They miss out in the opportunity to have a quality education. The decline of test
scores, grade levels and graduation rates are the outcome of lack of monetary funds. Students in
high poverty public schools may have their academic achievement suffer. Schools funding has
an effect on academic achievement it shows in testing and grade levels, illustrates a divide in
economic classes, and changes quality of education.
Many believe that money and education do not have a correlation, that the government
does spend a gross amount on education. People argue that it is the students sole responsibility
for their education and they have no one to blame but them selves if they chose to fail or not
understand a subject. These arguments are fair, however every child deserves to have an equal
education in the public school system to not be afraid to be a statistic and not graduate, see that
ones socioeconomic statues can be ones downfall, or have the quality of e ones education be
deprived.
Students attending schools with insufficient funds have lower test scores but also do not
meet their grade level. In a study by increasing per-pupil spending it notably improved students
test scores (Baker 13). This is show that money does matter if it has the affect to improve how

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students are testing. Being what they are people still wanted to look away from the situation and
pretend it is not their problem? Public school education is everyones problem because once
these students leave the school system they become a part of society. Ignorance is not bliss not in
a society was education is at is fingertips. There should not be such a divide in funds that appear
on graduation rates.
Schools that are located around impoverished communities tend to be the ones that are
underfunded. These are the schools that need the most assistants but have drawn the short end of
the stick not only the schools but as well as the student. Local funding for schools does have a
negative out come when the school is located in poverty stricken community. New American
Foundations Federal Education Budget Project states how local funding is effected by wealth of
community:
Property taxes support most of the funding that local government provides for education.
Local governments collect taxes from residential and commercial properties as a direct
revenue source for the local school district. Wealthier, property-rich localities have the
ability to collect more in property taxes. Having more resources to draw from enables the
district to keep tax rates low while still providing adequate funding to their local school
districts. Poorer communities with less of a property tax base may have higher tax rates,
but still raise less funding to support the local school district. This can often mean that
children that live in low-income communities with the highest needs go to schools with
the least resources, the least qualified teachers, and substandard school facilities.
The student who may already be in a tough economic situation does not have the resources that
many other have. Their test scores shows that they are being affected in one-way or another.
Money may seem to be a non-existing factor but it is one that ids evident and maybe a pretty

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easy solution. They are limited in their education and do not get to enjoy simple electives such as
the arts to have a different aspect of learning that is not just a test book.
Insufficient funds change the quality of education that a student receives. From
instructors, to class sizes, materials used and educational environment are affected. Teachers
and school stuff are vital parts to allow a school to run properly. When educator are not paid
adequately and are being laid off due to budget cuts, students are inevitably the ones to suffer.
Students education takes a hit because they lose new eager teaches but also are put in to larger
class sizes and often due not get the attention they need. Not only are they thrown into bigger
class sizes they are given scholastic material that are often not up to par with educational
standards or are ineligible text. Bronx public high school teacher, Ilana Garon, writes in the
article The Cost of Education that these inadequate materials tell students [y]our education
isn't important enough to invest in. This message is being told to students that do not have
wealth on their side and they will be the adults of the future. This problem is one that concerns
society it has to due with near future but the success of the youth. As they are limited in
resources they are placed in an environment not adequate to be educated in. The U.S Department
of Education quotes the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan saying, "Educators across the
country understand that low-income students need extra support and resources to succeed
These students are already struggling in their personal life finically to be set up to fail
academically as well is not only unfair but also unjust.
In conclusion money plays a role in everything even the education of students. Public
schools but mostly those in low socioeconomic communities are not being underfunded for what
they need. It is a shame that many fell this is not their problem because they do not have children
or are not affiliated with public education. The truth is this issue is one that affects society in a

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whole and many communities; therefore this problem is everyones. The sayings children are
the future likes to be thrown around but I think few actually understand the repercussions of
uneducated youth because they will become adult of the future. The insufficient funds as a direct
impact on education it shows in testing and academic grade level, demonstrates a divide in
socioeconomic class, but most importantly it does not give a fair education to every child.

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Works Cited
Anderson, Judith. Poverty and Achievement: Re-examining the Relationship between School
Poverty and Student Achievement: An Examination of Eighth Grade Student
Achievement Using the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988. Rep. N.p.:
n.p., n.d. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED346207. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.
Baker, Bruce. Revisiting That Age-Old Question: Does Money Matter In Education? Rep. The
Albert Shanker Institute, n.d. Web.
"Federal, State, and Local K-12 School Finance Overview." Background & Analysis. N.p., 21
Apr. 2014. Web. 03 Apr. 2015.
Garon, Ilana. "The Cost of Education." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 10 Oct.
2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.
"More Than 40% of Low-Income Schools Don't Get a Fair Share of State and Local Funds,
Department of Education Research Finds." More Than 40% of Low-Income Schools
Don't Get a Fair Share of State and Local Funds, Department of Education Research
Finds. N.p., 30 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.