CONTACT:
Carolyn Phenicie, cphenicie@edtrust.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Funding for Success: The Urgent Need for Fair and Adequate School Resources
Students need more support as federal lawmakers turn their backs on them

WASHINGTON – Money matters to ensure that all students can thrive, but in too many places across the country, schools are not funded adequately or equitably, nor supported by states to direct resources in a way that supports all students. Today, EdTrust, a national advocacy organization working to improve educational opportunities for Black and Latino students and those from low-income backgrounds, released a series of five papers laying out policy positions for what an equitable school funding system looks like and how policymakers can craft school funding.

The report series, EdTrust’s Policy Positions on School Funding, comes amid a targeted federal attack against public education. A history of underfunding of public schools, plus national test results showing ongoing crises in math and literacy, particularly for Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds, are clear signals that students need more support, not less. At the same time, state lawmakers across the country are facing the headwinds of lower student enrollment, the end of federal pandemic aid, dramatic federal funding reductions in the Administration’s “skinny budget,” and the threat of new and expanded voucher and other private school choice measures at the state and federal levels.

As the federal government increasingly abdicates its role in ensuring educational opportunity for all students, it will be incumbent on states to ensure that schools are funded adequately and equitably.

EdTrust policy briefs show consistent and strategic investment in public education pays off, with national research showing that additional investment can lead to higher test scores, more completed years of schooling, and higher earning as adults. Equitable investments that provide additional funding to students who have long been inadequately served by public schools can make an even greater positive impact for Black students and those living in poverty.

Public schools remain heavily reliant on funding sourced from local property taxes, putting low-income student and under-resourced neighborhoods at a great disadvantage. To add insult to injury, inequitable state funding for schools only widens achievement gaps, as underfunded schools are forced to do more with less. Weak federal enforcement of education spending equity rules, and a failure to provide sufficient funding for the students who need it most, has allowed inequitable state funding systems to proliferate.

“An adequate, equitable, and transparent education funding system is the bedrock that underlies all other education priorities, from a diverse and excellent educator pool, to support for students’ social-emotional needs, to a challenging curriculum that sets students up for success after high school,” said Qubilah Huddleston, policy lead for equitable school funding at EdTrust and author of the reports.

“We hope these resources are useful for advocates working with state policymakers and school district leaders as they work to set sufficient school funding levels despite challenging fiscal conditions. Failing to provide adequate resources not only continues historic harms faced by too many groups of students — including Black and Latino students, those from low-income backgrounds, and more — but it holds back entire states’ economies and futures.”

Educators, advocates, and parents recognize the importance of an adequate, equitable, transparent funding system.

“These reports add to the rich body of evidence that confirms what teachers and families already know — that money matters if we want every public school to be a place parents want to send their children, educators want to work and our students can thrive,” said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. “Appropriate resources correlate to better performance and help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as the resilience and the relationship-building skills they need to thrive in a diverse and complex world. Rather than attacking and dismantling vital programs, it is well past time for politicians, at every level of government, to commit to investing in America’s future by investing in our public schools.”

The series of reports lays out five values that state lawmakers should meet to equitably fund public education:

• Fund schools adequately by ensuring that there is enough funding for enriching learning environments for all students.
• Reduce inequities between school districts caused by disparities in local property values.
• Fund schools equitably, by providing additional funding for students who are traditionally underserved in public schools, particularly students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, English learners, students with disabilities, and students from rural communities.
• Ensure transparency in how states provide funding to school districts, and in how school districts allocate funds to individual schools.
• Keep public funds in public schools by resisting vouchers and other programs that funnel public funds to private schools.

EdTrust has a long history of research on disparities in school funding and advocacy for more equitable formulas, including supporting recent changes Tennessee and Michigan, and ongoing work through Southerners for Fair School Funding, the Maryland Alliance for Racial Equity in Education, and other coalitions.

For more information, visit edtrust.org/fair-funding-policy-positions.

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About EdTrust

EdTrust is committed to advancing policies and practices to dismantle the racial and economic barriers embedded in the American education system. Through our research and advocacy, EdTrust improves equity in education from preschool through college, engages diverse communities dedicated to education equity and justice, and increases political and public will to build an education system where students will thrive.