Are public schools really underfunded?

The United States is underfunding its K-12 public schools by nearly $150 billion annually, robbing more than 30 million school children of the resources they need to succeed in the classroom, according to a new, first-of-its-kind study released today by The Century Foundation (TCF).

Why do urban schools receive less funding?

High-poverty districts obviously have a lot less in the way of local funding, since the majority is taken from property taxes and properties in higher-income districts generate more, both because the people in them have higher-value properties and are willing and able to pay more taxes toward school funding.

Is K-12 education underfunded in every state?

The comprehensive report offers a deep dive into the long-term austerity agendas and historic disinvestment that sparked the wave of nationwide walkouts this spring. Among the findings: K-12 education is drastically underfunded in every single state in the United States.

Why are low-income Title I schools losing funding?

Funding to low-income Title I schools has decreased since 2010 and a number of states have cut pre-K educational per student funding in recent years and many have had to reduce enrollment numbers. In practical terms, these findings make sense. Property taxes pay much of public education costs and that revenue source is still low.

Are states spending less on K-12 education due to austerity?

When you control for inflation, there are 25 states that spent less on K-12 education in 2016 than they did prior to the recession. But there are signs of the negative impact of austerity even in states with relatively stronger investment in schools.

What happens when school funding is diminishing?

The conundrum is furthered when school funding is diminishing—removing one more source of hope for ending the cycle. Children living in poverty often come to school without having had enough sleep, and without having had breakfast. They often experience family violence, abuse, secondhand smoke, neglect, poor clothing and shoes.