More Money Won't Help Schools
By David Pusey, Georgia Family Council's Center for an Educated Georgia
(This op-ed appeared in the July 22, 2010 edition of the Savannah Morning News
A new statewide poll indicates that Georgians are split on whether they would pay more taxes to "restore education funding" with 50 percent supporting higher taxes, 30 percent opposed and 11 percent unsure.
Instead of increasing taxes, lawmakers should focus on reforms that put children first, spur innovation in education and ensure that current funding is spent efficiently.
The results of last week's poll are not atypical. Voters will endorse funding for education when they believe it will improve student outcomes.
But here's what many in Georgia may not know: the number of administrators in our K-12 public schools increased 21 percent from 2004 to 2009, and the number of "support" personnel increased by 16 percent. Meanwhile, the number of students in Georgia only increased 9 percent during that time.
The fact is that more tax dollars are being allocated to an ever-growing bureaucracy than to directly impacting kids in the classroom.
Parents and taxpayers may also be surprised to learn that research by the Center for an Educated Georgia has shown that spending more taxpayer funds on education does not produce greater student achievement.
Per-student spending over the last generation (adjusted for inflation) more than doubled in Georgia, while at the same time public high school graduation rates fell. This dramatic increase in operational spending led to large decreases in class sizes, huge improvements in instructional technology and large increases in administration. But it absolutely did not increase graduation rates.
In 1990, Georgia students were 41st in national graduation rates. Billions of dollars later, we rank 46th. Our graduation rate still remains below where it was a generation ago.
Some believe there's no end to the amount of funding necessary in public education. By contrast, 29 states spend less than Georgia and have higher graduation rates, including three that are highly diverse like Georgia. For example:
-- Arizona spends $3,000 less per student, yet has a graduation rate that is higher than Georgia's.
-- California spends $3,500 less per student, yet has a graduation rate that is higher than Georgia.
-- Texas spends almost $1,400 less per student, yet has a graduation rate that is higher than Georgia.
We've been looking in the wrong places to improve student achievement. We must focus on reforming education to ensure current funding is spent efficiently, spur innovation and put children first.
School systems should consider following Gwinnett County and sign flexibility contracts with the state. That way they can spend their education dollars on programs they see producing the best results. Or school districts could convert to charter systems such as Decatur and Marietta to allow them to operate without many state rules and regulations. That would permit them to provide education programs more tailored to students in their communities.
Groups of parents should start charter schools. School boards should also make changes to provide competition and choice within the public education sector. And the state should allow parents to take the tax money that pays their child's education to the school of their choice - even if it is a private school.
Competition and parental choice are the ultimate in accountability and will lead schools to maximize the quality of the education they offer. All children are different and require different learning environments. Parental choice in education will increase productivity and student achievement.
Now taxpayers know the facts. It's time to make some changes. More money is not the answer.
David Pusey is Director of the Center for an Educated Georgia in Atlanta.
