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Sunday, October 18, 2009
Ind. Gov't. - "Restoring equity: Two-year budget misses mark on school funding"
Yesterday the ILB posted this South Bend Tribune story headed "Middlebury schools to sue over funding formula."
The ILB has had a number of entries headed "Apparently there are all sorts of surprises in the special session budget", including this one from August 30th and this one from Oct. 4th.
Today Karen Francisco, editorial writer at the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, has this "Sunday Centerpiece" headed "Restoring equity: Two-year budget misses mark on school funding." Here are just a few quotes from the article:
To a long list of last-minute legislative sleights-of-hand, add the mysterious “restoration grant.”This never-before-seen calculation emerged in the school-funding formula in the final hours of the General Assembly last June, enriching some Indiana school districts and ignoring others: * * *
As a legislative study committee begins a two-year effort to revise Indiana’s school-funding formula, the example of the restoration grant shouldn’t be overlooked. The goal of devising a formula that treats students equitably is a waste of time if legislators are allowed to nullify its intentions with last-minute maneuvering.
If the state is to continue demanding accountability for school dollars, as it must, lawmakers must also ensure those dollars are distributed equitably, without the last-minute gimmicks that make a mockery of any formula.
That’s what seemingly occurred with the restoration grant. It was devised to ensure school districts received, at minimum, the amount they received in 2009.
In the last hours of the special session, when figures were released detailing how the biennial budget would treat each school district, almost everyone was satisfied with the final figures, given the state’s dismal financial outlook. After the budget was approved, however, a closer look at the numbers showed that some districts were treated better than others. * * *
In spite of assertions that only a handful of people in the state understand the funding formula, it’s quite simple. It’s what happens beyond the base formula that’s baffling.
This year, it was the appearance of the restoration grant. It uses a complex, two-tiered calculation that steers $238 million to 73 percent of the state’s school districts. Indianapolis Public Schools receives an additional $381 per pupil outside the basic formula. Gary Public Schools nets an extra $14.6 million over two years. Hamilton Southeastern Schools, where former Southwest Allen County Superintendent Brian Smith’s new school board is preparing to sue the state for inequitable funding, is in line to receive an extra $6.1 million. * * *
The state has made progress in improving the imbalance left by the 1973 property tax legislation and, on whole, done a better job than many other states in ensuring equity across the board. But a General Assembly that has placed achievement demands on all schools, regardless of available resources, has an obligation to ensure state dollars are distributed fairly.
The study committee’s work on a new formula is a good first step, but it will be a worthless exercise if lawmakers nullify its effects with minimum guarantees, restoration grants and other measures to sway the results to their liking. All schools – and all students – must have a level playing field.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 18, 2009 11:11 AM
Posted to Indiana Government