Week 5 Discussion Question 1 Due Tuesday May 26 2009 Subject line Your Name Week 5 DQ 1 Discussion Question 1 Determine which factors may explain that most of the higher per pupil expenditures are found in the Northeastern and upper Midwest states and the lower per pupil expenditures are found in the South and West In your opinion what needs to happen to create a balance in school funding across regions Pupil expenditures are largely from local and state resources There are more wealthy and well to do families in the Northeast and Upper midwest whereas more poverty in the south and west Each state funds public education by establishing a dollar amount per student for school operating expenses This system appears fair on the surface however rural schools usually support essential extensive and expensive transportation and facility maintenance costs When state per pupil investment is stretched over these comparatively higher costs there are fewer dollars to invest in salaries materials and equipment Local districts are permitted to tax themselves to supplement state funding but despite good intentions inequities can pile up here as well The amount of money available from local taxes depends on the local tax base and the level to which people vote to tax themselves Another factor is the assessment value of property Resort areas retirement communities and expensive second homes sit on land assessed at a higher value than agricultural land In the West much of the land is public and generates very small payments to support schools In much of the South the land is planted in timber and traditionally assessed at a trifling rate Insist that each child regardless of where she or he lives deserves a high quality education Community members opinion leaders and policymakers need to be educated about this seemingly simple idea Demonstrate through research testimony and example that small schools provide good returns on education investments For instance evaluations based on cost per graduate rather than cost per student demonstrate that small schools are remarkably economically efficient Publicize the fundamental cost of appropriate education adjusting for transportation facilities upkeep curriculum development and staff recruiting retraining and retention Point out the effects of unfair funding formulas and hold legislators publicly accountable for all of their students Honestly I don t feel a balance can be created in the school funding with the different regions Reason being is because each state brings in different money values and therefore the governor gets the freedom to decide how the money is expended The only way possible to have some sort of balance is to mandate that at certain times and certain items be taken care of prior to other expenditures States are based off of revenue and based off of how much they make so the governor has to spread out money based off of the need Response 2 Response 3 Property values are higher in the Northeastern and upper Midwest states Having higher property values allows those states to collect more in property taxes giving them more monet to spend on the students that attend their schools Because the household income and cost of living expenses across the country are so different I don t think that you can throw a dollar amount out and have it be fair Each individual school will have different needs and the dollar amount will not be the same in any two locations It would not make any difference how a decision was made there would be some people who would not be happy wit the decison Week 5 Discussion Question 2 Due Thursday March 26 2009 Subject line Your Name Week 5 DQ 2 Discussion Question 2 Many U S citizens believe that parents and students should have the right to school choice Others however believe school choice will create greater stratification and segregation among public schools For example strong schools will have better equipped students and weaker schools will have more challenging less prepared students Consult the roster posted in the below to determine the school choice viewpoint assigned to you After reviewing Ch 8 and Internet articles relating to school vouchers post an informed statement from a parent s point of view that is meant to persuade voters to support your position Respond respectfully to a classmate s post as if you are a teacher with the opposite point of view Explain why you are opposed to your classmate s statement Roster and Directions Find your assigned viewpoint in one of the clusters in the roster Cluster 1 Parents and students should have the right to school choice Cluster 2 School choice will create greater stratification and segregation among public schools You may begin posting your responses within this thread Your assigned viewpoint should be from the perspective of a parent and your respectful response to a classmate s post of the opposing viewpoint should be from the perspective of a teacher School choice means different things to different people It means educational freedom and letting parents choose the right schools for their children I believe that parents deserve a true portfolio of options when it comes to deciding where to send their children to school Shouldn t parents be able to decide whether to send their child to a great public school a charter school or a virtual academy Shouldn t parents be able to access private schools through school voucher or scholarship tax credit programs Every child rich or poor deserves the chance to achieve his or her unique American dream Only through bold and meaningful education reform can we make the achievement of these dreams a reality School choice supports all forms of quality school choice but focuses its efforts on promoting school voucher programs for low income families corporate and individual scholarship tax credit programs and voucher scholarship programs for students with disabilities or special needs The two most popular forms of private school choice are school vouchers and scholarship tax credit programs In school voucher programs the government provides support to low income families so that they can choose an eligible private school for their child Scholarship Tax Credit programs allow corporations and or individuals to receive tax credits for making donations to nonprofit organizations that provide scholarships for low income children to attend private schools School choice programs have led to higher graduation rates for student