A different take on the school funding question
Do property taxes and schools mix?
A different take on the school funding question
Miriam Hill
In my last post, I asked whether it is fair or wise that we spend so much less on children in Philadelphia district schools than we do on kids in most other districts.
That prompted a commenter named Ken Byers to ask: "Property tax revenues don't rival those of Haddonfield because people who live in Haddonfield pay extremely high taxes. Mine are 13k a year. What do you pay?"
It's a great point, so let me rephrase my original question. Is funding schools via local property taxes smart? To paraphrase Brett Mandel, an expert on Philadelphia property taxes and a former candidate for city controller, that lets a zip code determine the quality of a child's education.
The current system is arguably unfair to people in Haddonfield and to people like me. Ken's taxes are very high (though I would bet I pay more in wage taxes), but he gets good schools. My property taxes are low, but Philadelphia schools are generally poor.
Of course, lots of factors affect student performance. Money is only one. But wouldn't Philadelphia students have a better shot at success if the amount spent on them was closer to what is spent in most suburbs?
As a parent considering Philadelphia public schools, I can tell you that if my school offered a foreign language, it would be a lot more appealing to me and my husband.
A couple of readers also mentioned that my original post left them feeling as if I hate suburbanites. That's not true. I prefer to live in the city, but I may well move to Haddonfield and pay the higher taxes there because they are a bargain compared to the cost of private school in Philadelphia. Ken's $13K would still be far short of the $20K and up many city parents pay to send each child to a private school.
Isn’t there a better way for all of us? I’d love to hear reader ideas on whether our current system works and what might work better.
Finally, to the reader who noted that many Philadelphia teachers pay hundreds of their own money for supplies for their students, which subsidizes the district, a big "Thank You!" Teachers shouldn't have to do this, but they do, because they believe every child deserves a good education. Again, money matters.
This comment has been deleted.— towelie
Comment removed.- Golly Gee Darnel, you are my hero.
— Penny_Pingleton - Comment removed.
- Since Ultra-Republican Tom Corbett cut half a billion dollars in school funding, your case to blame democrats falls flat.
However, I would generally call this a bipartisan failure.— Devoted Teacher - AAAAAAAMEN!!!!!!!!!!!— Lyrra
- Miriam- the Philly public schools spend what $16K- $17K per student - isn't that enough? Rich school districts will always spend more - life ain't fair sometimes- did you know that?— justablogger
- This isn't really true, as most of the money never makes its way to the student or anything that supports learning.
As for life not being fair sometimes - if you were poor, you would not be so cavalier with that hackneyed expression. If your children aren't suffering, then let's just blow off the problems of less fortunate kids with a cliche.— Devoted Teacher - Comment removed.
- This comment has been deleted. — towelie
- Comment removed.
- do zip codes determine the quality of a child's education? they always have.— pointguard
- Having been a recent convert (moving to the burbs), I pay much more property tax than I did in Philly. My taxes out here are roughly three times the amount I paid in Philly, but I'm glad that the taxes go to the schools. If Philly wants good schools, citizens should pony up and start funding them. With some paying only $1,000 a year, and others paying nothing through tax abatements, is it really smart to short-change the children of Philly? If Philly wants to be a world-class city, its citizens need to invest in the schools. Without a locally-funded formula, the city will never reach its potential.— gtown_teach
- Comment removed.
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But only one topic has become a passion: the pleasures and challenges of raising a young child in the city.
Not too long after her son was born four years ago, she started hunting around for day care, which triggered her ongoing search for a good primary school. Public, private or charter? Stay in the city or move to the suburbs?
And then there are the more mundane questions, such as how many games can you play while sitting on a stoop?
Please join her in the conversation about raising children in Philadelphia and about making this city better for kids. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, but her only personal obsession is not football, but Bruce Springsteen. As he might have said, it’s hard to be a parent in the city.
You can also follow Miriam on Twitter here.
