School Beat: School Governance and Funding Across the State and in Our District

School Beat takes a look at the IREPP study Getting Down to Facts and provides an excellent overview of the in: School Governance and Funding Across the State and in Our District:

There is a lot to absorb here, even in the overview paper. Some of the main findings however, are that even though increased funding is required (yes, California is still below the national average just about any way you look at it), the dysfunction in the funding and governance is so extensive that simply increasing resources, will likely not result in widespread, systemic positive outcomes. This is sobering news indeed.

The discussion about the tangled mess of school financing and governance provides a fitting backdrop for the ugly wrangling over Prop H funds that is unfolding now. Prop H's infamous "third third" could be a poster child for all that is wrong about California school financing and SFUSD financing in particular. Too many pols wrestling over the funds. Too many strings. And for what? Money that may not be there years from now. Money that flows without regard to how effectively it is spent. Money that is not flowing into the WSF site budgets, but has to pass through the BOS, the BOE, BOE committees, Prop H committees, etc. Once again interested parties are drawing their knives, ready to fight for the money. Wouldn't it be better if the money came from a stable, equitable source and flowed down to the site level where it could be most effectively applied to programs that make a real difference to the real people -- families and educators -- who know what is needed?

There has to be a better way to fund and run our schools. The Prop H band aid approach is symptomatic of the larger problem.