Financing & Governing America’s Schools

1. Financing & Governing America’s Schools Ms. Tracy

2. Bell Ringer • Who is James Meredith?

3. Bell Ringer Answer • First black student to enroll in the University of Mississippi to put pressure on JKF ton enforce civil rights for African Americans.

4. Agenda • Bell Ringer / Attendance / Announcements • Revisit Property Taxes within JCPS • What was interesting? How would you pay for your property taxes if you owned a home? • Review JCPS’ budget proposal from August • Discuss Federal Funding • Read and discuss “The Tale of Two Kentucky Schools” • Reading reflection in notebook.

5. Table of Contents Topic Page # Pros and Cons of Becoming a Teacher 4 Pros and Cons of Becoming a Teacher 5 12 Characteristics of an Effective Teacher 6 Where Do I Stand? 7 Reforms in Education 8 - 12 History of American Education 13 – 14 Property Taxes in Louisville 15 The Tale of Two Kentucky Schools 16 1

6. Property Taxes in Louisville The Tale of Two Schools Property #1: 1234 East Main Street Louisville, KY 40000 Asking Price: $215,980 Estimated Property Tax: $1,533.46 How to pay: I would need to set aside approximately $130 each month to pay for my home’s property taxes. Talking Point: 3 Big Take-Aways /Interesting Facts: Question / Comment: 15 16

7. Motivational Video

8. The Property Tax “The method of financing public schools…can be fairly described as chaotic and unjust.” -Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

9. How Schools are Funded

10. The Property Tax • Unlike many other nations, which use a centralized funding system, we have a very decentralized system. • We have 3 levels of government (local, state, and federal) and raising and distributing funds. • THE LOCAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS SHARE THE BIGGEST BURGE OF FUNDING SCHOOLS. • FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS TYPEICALLY RESPONSBILE FOR 7 – 9% OF THE TOTAL.

11. The Property Tax • In colonial America, schools were the concern of local communities. • The Constitution did not designate a federal role in education, effectively leaving it the responsibility of the states. • In the colonial times, wealth was measured by the size of people’s farms. • Colonial towns and districts assessed a PROPERTY TAX. • Today’s property taxes are levied on real estate (homes and businesses) and sometime personal property (cars, boats, aircrafts, etc).

12. What’s the issue with this?!?

13. Property Tax Examples: • Jefferson County property tax rate book  http://revenue.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/6411A040-F3F9-47C5-8E24-18AE9C3E277D/0/Jefferson.pdf • Statewide Assessment Values  http://revenue.ky.gov/taxpro/CountyInformation/jeffersonco.htm

14. JCPS Property Tax Hike in the News • http://www.wlky.com/news/local-news/louisville-news/board-approves-increase-in-jefferson-county-property-taxes/21440780 • http://www.wdrb.com/story/26284758/jcps-considering-seventh-straight-property-tax-hike

15. Assignment • Using Zillow’s website, find three properties that you would be interested in purchasing in Louisville. • Record the properties’ addresses in your Interactive Notebook along with the asking price of the property and the estimated property taxes. • Estimated Property Taxes (Asking Price of the house * 0.0071) • Devise a plan of how much money needs to be set aside each month to pay for that property tax each month.

21. Kentucky Department of Education • Fact Sheet regarding Kentucky Public School Systems  http://education.ky.gov/comm/edfacts/Pages/default.aspx

22. SEEK Funding • SEEK Summary: http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/Board/Orientation/SEEK_Executive_Summary.pdf

23. JCPS • High School Data Book • http://www.jefferson.k12.ky.us/departments/acctresplan/Profiles/2013_2014_Profiles/HighProfile13_14.pdf

24. Federal Funding • The Supreme Court ruled that education is not a “fundamental right” under the US Constitution, and has left education to the states. • Categorical Grants  Funds directed at specific categories and targeted education needs. • Pre-school programs for poor children, library construction, acquisition of new technology, lunches for low-income youth. • Block Grants  Large sums of money given directly to the states with few strings attached.

25. Federal Funding • American Recovery and Revitalization Act (ARRA) was a huge stimulus package aimed to revive the nation’s economy. • One part of the ARRA doubled federal aid to schools and added new programs desiged to create log-lasting educational reform. • The federal government sent the states $80 billion to help maintain current school programs and avoid firing thousands of teachers.

26. Federal Funding • Race to the Top  Billions of dollars set aside for a competition between states. • States competed in four priority areas: • Boosting teacher effectiveness and moving better-trained teachers into high-poverty, high-minority areas. • Setting up new data systems to track student learning each year. • Improving academic standards and tests • Providing extra support to improve struggling students

27. The Tale of Two Schools The Tale of Two Kentucky Schools • http://www.kentucky.com/2014/01/04/3018252_tale-of-two-kentucky-schools-barbourville.html?rh=1 Kentucky School Report Cards • http://applications.education.ky.gov/SRC/

28. Where does the money go?

29. Commercializing childhood