Make Funding More Fair Y’all
The South is rapidly growing and Southerners want and deserve more adequate and fairer funded public schools in their communities, now more than ever. Today, more than 1/3rd of the nation’s public school students attend schools in the South. The region still educates more than half of the country’s Black student population and is also now educating a burgeoning Latino student population.
Yet, while the South–the people, its economy, its landscape–is changing for the better, Southerners know that there is still more work to be done to transform the region into a place where every student, and person for that matter, can thrive.
Southern students deserve fair funding
Data cited for the South by Southerners for Fair School Funding includes data from Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
To achieve fairer school funding in the South,
Fund students adequately
State leaders should ensure that funding is sufficient enough to cover the costs of providing a rigorous, high-quality education to all public school students that will enable them to succeed in school and thrive in life.
Fund specific student needs and fund those needs adequately and fairly
State funding formulas should allocate additional money, or “weights” for students who face unique barriers to learning, such as students living in poverty, students with disabilities, and students in rural communities.
Fund to address the impact of concentrated poverty
State funding formulas should provide additional funding to districts that serve a high percentage of students living in poverty.
Fund districts and schools transparently
States should have efficient state and local data systems to ensure districts spend dollars well and target additional dollars to students who need them the most.
Use public funds to fund public schools exclusively
Taxpayer funds should be used to maintain and support public schools exclusively.
