FOCUS QUESTIONS

1. Why do teachers need to know about finance and governance?
2. How is the property tax connected to unequal educational funding?
3. What is the distinction between educational equity and educational adequacy?
4. What are the sources of state revenues?
5. How does the federal government influence education?
6. How does commercialization at home and in school affect children?
7. What current trends are shaping educational finance?
8. How do school boards and superintendents manage schools?
9. What is the “hidden” government of schools?
10. How does the business community influence school culture?
11. How are schools being made more responsive to teachers and the community?

CHAPTER PREVIEW

Do you know who pays for U.S. schools, and how? You might be surprised. In this chapter, we introduce you to the decentralized, politically charged systems of school funding and school governance in the United States. You will become familiar with the sources of financial inequity in schooling and, more important, learn how reformers are pursuing strategies to keep effective education within the reach of all, not just the very wealthy. Both the formal structure of power in school governance (school boards, school superintendents, and the like) and the informal, hidden government will affect your life in the classroom. The growing commercialization of children and schools is another subtle influence affecting the lives of students and teachers. By understanding the mechanics behind school finance and governance, you will be more empowered as a classroom teacher and better able to influence decisions that shape the education of our nation’s children.

Local and state governments have long grappled with the difficult proposition of raising enough public funds to adequately support education while dodging taxpayer ire over high taxes. Students in wealthy neighborhoods attend modern, well-equipped schools; poorer children make their way to decaying, ill-equipped school buildings in impoverished communities. Courts have forged solutions aimed at reducing these glaring disparities and bringing a measure of fairness to education. Many states are now focusing on guaranteeing that every student receives an adequate and appropriate education.

Day-to-day classroom life is influenced not only by economic issues but also by the ways in which schools are governed. In this chapter, you will learn how schools are managed, officially and unofficially. Your knowledge of educational decision making can be a powerful ally in shaping a successful teaching career.