Idea of the Day: Increase the Federal Role in School Finance
Nowhere is it written in the Constitution that the federal government must contribute only 9 percent of K-12 spending, and if we’re serious about fixing today’s resource gaps, that must change. Raising the federal role to 25 to 30 percent of national K-12 spending could help bring all states up to a certain guaranteed baseline of funding per pupil.
The federal government could also fund conditional grants to states enabling new “grand bargains” that boost school performance. For example, federal cash could be offered to lift teacher salaries substantially for high-poverty schools, provided that states or districts (1) allow big pay differentials for high-performing teachers or those in shortage specialties like math and science; and (2) defer or eliminate tenure, or condition it on proven student achievement gains.
For more on this topic, please see:
- Nationalize the Schools (...A Little!) by Matt Miller
To speak with our experts on this topic, please contact:
Print: Katie Peters (economy, education, and health care)
202.741.6285 or kpeters1@americanprogress.org
Print: Christina DiPasquale (foreign policy and security, energy)
202.481.8181 or cdipasquale@americanprogress.org
Print: Laura Pereyra (ethnic media, immigration)
202.741.6258 or lpereyra@americanprogress.org
Radio: Anne Shoup
202.481.7146 or ashoup@americanprogress.org
TV: Lindsay Hamilton
202.483.2675 or lhamilton@americanprogress.org
Web: Andrea Peterson
202.481.8119 or apeterson@americanprogress.org
