Recently I saw the musical, Mamma Mia. One of the songs reminded me of the responses to the recent Leandro court decision. The song begins, “Money, money, money, must be sunny in a rich man’s world.” Like these fictional characters, the education establishment and media must believe money cures all problems, and lack of money brings all woes. Right? We all know money fixes what ails you, or do we?
How many more studies, reports, historical examples, and plain common sense is needed to realize that while money is important, the way you spend money is more important?
In the lawsuit, five poor school systems sued North Carolina and the State Board of Education for not providing what is needed to gain a “sound basic education.” Six other urban systems decided to join the lawsuit. No government system wants to be left out when “resources” are being discussed.
I am not surprised the state and the State Board of Education lost. Gov. Mike Easley applauded the ruling and quickly found an additional $12 million more for these systems. State Superintendent Mike Ward said, “This is a case where I personally think we win by losing, because it’s good for the kids.” Did the taxpayers have a lawyer representing them in the courtroom? I don’t think so!
Is more money the answer? Will it be good for kids? Does the decision even mandate a solution as mere money? The same day the court released its findings, an article about education spending appeared in the Wall Street Journal. The article, “What Money Can’t Buy,” focused on a study recently published by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, “K-12 Education: Still Growing.” The major point emphasized in the report is state and local governments are willing to throw money at K-12 education. In fact, between 1997 and 2002 education spending increased by 39 percent. The article went a step further than the report and linked reading test scores with increased spending. Interesting, but not surprising, they “found virtually no link between spending and performance.”
Here are a few examples of education spending going haywire without focusing on student achievement:
Remember the Kansas City boondoggle? The courts ruled that Missouri tried to flood the system with money. This case cost the taxpayers more than $2 billion, and the Kansas City schools became so bad that they lost their state’s accreditation.
Want to get closer to home? Let’s take the Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology High School in Mecklenburg County. This school opened in 2002 with a price tag of more than $45 million. Money was pumped into this highly technical, vocational school. The Chamber of Commerce and businesses rallied around the new school. As of Aug. 5 this was the only low-performing traditional school in the state. Meanwhile, Gaston College Preparatory, a charter school in rural North Carolina that squeezes every nickel to build a modest school in a peanut field, is an “honor school of excellence.” Gaston College Preparatory has plenty of poor minority students, but the students excel despite the odds, and the lack of money.
Back to the musical, the second line of the song from Mamma Mia says, “Money, money, money, must be funny.” I don’t think the situation is funny at all! Every county commissioner, and General Assembly member will face unbelievable pressure next year. They will be asked to fully fund education with no questions asked, because of court rulings. The question is whether the court decision requires more money. I believe the mandate is for effective education, which has little to do with more money.