I don’t think there are many people who would disagree with the statement that school funding is important. Mostly, it’s because it is. It dictates how much paper the schools can give you, how many updated materials are available to the school, like new textbooks and computers. These things are vital for a school, and it is basic resources like those that should be given to everyone. Sadly, that isn’t the case. School funding is a mess, and every state is a little different. But one very common factor that plays into financial distribution is property tax. Yes, the pricing of the house that you live in.

So how does it work? Well, say your state decides, this year, schools will need at least $10000 thousand budget, but in your area already has $6000 of that from property tax. Your state will pay you $4000 to meet that budget. But somewhere else, they have $15000 in property tax. Now sure, they won’t be getting any more money from the state, but just because of the area they are living in, they are getting $5000 more than you. And it’s very important to take into consideration whether or not your state budget is even enough to begin with.

I do not think that your address should dictate how much more money your school gets. This puts low-income neighborhoods, where their houses aren’t as expensive and extravagant, at a disadvantage.

Now, there is a lot that goes into school funding. Programs like the PTA (Parent Teacher Association) are also important when it comes to school fundraising, and that parent interaction is extremely important for schools. Even so, it still plays into helping the richer neighborhoods. When you’re working multiple jobs to keep up with your bills, you don’t have time to attend meetings at school every Thursday. The education system has a lot of things in place that only help the already well-off kids. I don’t think it is too much when I say that it isn’t right.

But how could we go about fixing it? There are plenty of ways to help make it more balanced. For example, property taxes can help out everyone. It goes into one big bowl so that it helps those who need the help; a school that already has computers doesn’t need new ones when there is a school that doesn’t. There has to be a cap, and all the overflow should go to the schools that need it, instead of helping make another school’s football field prettier.

There are always going to be people who don’t like this, and if you are that person, I ask you, why? Don’t you want every kid to have an adequate education? Shouldn’t this system be balanced and help be given where it is needed and not to those who already have enough of it? Or do you think it is fair? Because I sure don’t think so, and it is time to fix these things that hinder instead of help.