Three Reasons Why My School District (And Many Others) Overspent Its Budget

/ caffeinatedrage

Yep, WSFCS is in a budget crunch with the most inopportune timing and optics that could be imagined by a Hollywood filmmaker.

But, the fact that this latest audit could cripple a local school system in this short amount of time isn’t just a reflection of the local LEA.

It’s a reflection on North Carolina’s General Assembly – specifically in three different aspects, all of which have to do with state funding and the continuing avalanche of mandates on public schools without the proper financial backing.

1. LEANDRO HAS NEVER BEEN HONORED

    Remember the Leandro Report released by WestED in 2019?

    It’s 301 pages.

    It has 65 data exhibits in the actual report.

    It has 52 data exhibits in the appendices.

    And it has 12 basic findings listed below.

    • Finding #1: Funding in North Carolina has declined over the last decade.
    • Finding #2: The current distribution of education funding is inequitable.
    • Finding #3: Specific student populations need higher levels of funding.
    • Finding #4: Greater concentrations of higher-needs students increases funding needs.
    • Finding #5: Regional variations in costs impact funding needs.
    • Finding #6: The scale of district operations impacts costs.
    • Finding #7: Local funding and the Classroom Teacher allotments create additional funding inequities.
    • Finding #8: New constraints on local flexibility hinder district ability to align resources with student needs.
    • Finding #9: Restrictions on Classroom Teacher allotments reduce flexibility and funding levels.
    • Finding #10: Frequent changes in funding regulations hamper budget planning.
    • Finding #11: The state budget timeline and adjustments create instability.
    • Finding #12: There is inadequate funding to meet student needs.
    leandro

    As the Leandro Report by WestEd was released, it was no doubt that those who have been at the helm of budgetary control in North Carolina would try and deflect the report’s findings.

    It’s been over five years AND STILL NOT ANY ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM STATE LEADERSHIP IN THE NCGA ON HOW TO IMPLEMENT ITS FINDINGS.

    2. NORTH CAROLINA IS FUNDING THREE DIFFERENT SCHOOL “SYSTEMS“

    A smaller piece of the revenue pie is funding public schools because money is being siphoned off to other “initiatives” such as:

    • Charter Schools
    • Vouchers
    • Tax Breaks to Corporations
    • Sunshine Fund That Has Billions

    Go back a couple of decades.

    And about 57-62% of that budget would be directed toward public education in North Carolina.

    But in the last decade with “reforms” has caused a per-pupil expenditure that is lower than it was before the Great Recession when adjusted for inflation.

    And the money that is “allocated” for education is siphoned in different directions.

    And it is interesting to whom each of these school “systems” are really accountable to.

    And how transparent they really are.

    So, what we really have in North Carolina is this:

    3. A SURGICAL & CALCULATED ATTACK ON PUBLIC SCHOOLS OVER THE LAST DECADE-PLUS

    Imagine the state of public education in North Carolina right before the Great Recession.

    The “sides” are sound and strong. There is support from the state government on all sides.

    Look at those four sides as four different categories that need to be fairly monitored closely and supported adequately to keep public education going strong.

    1. Pay & Benefits
    2. Classroom Conditions
    3. Fully Funded Schools
    4. How Schools & Teachers Are Measured

    Since the Great Recession and a gerrymandered election of a certain majority party, each side of that once solid structure has been attacked by acts of intentional sabotage.

    Educators are working with more students with fewer teacher assistants in more buildings that need updating.

    A secret algorithm is being used to measure teacher effectiveness in a state that has a school performance grading system which uses achievement more than growth.

    And now NC is playing with a performance based merit system in how it will pay teachers.

    Deliberate measures to curb teacher income are causing the overall profession to get younger and less invested in making teaching a career.

    And money that should be going into fully funding the public school system is being schematically siphoned off to unregulated “reforms” and an ignorance of a court order.

    And there is that dwindling corporate tax rate as well.

    So that strong system seen pre-2008?

    That has now become this: