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The ABCs of school funding
BY JON HOORNSTRA
When I write about the Cupertino Union School District, my first obligation to readers is to disclose that I am married to one of its teachers. That said, let's consider the district and its funding.
It's not at all unusual to hear people comment that we have some of the best schools in the area. That is often cited to explain why so many people want to live here, which in turn explains why we see so many bulldozers razing older houses and leveled sites that are often subdivided to hold two, three or four houses. Then people move in so their kids can go to school here. All very flattering.
To understand the story of bulldozers and property subdivision is to understand a major source of pressure on local schools. The CUSD, for example, has more than 15,300 children enrolled this year on 24 campuses in kindergarten through eighth grade. The district will spend close to $80 million during the current fiscal year. That's a lot of money, right? Yes. And no. We need to talk about this.
One would think that Cupertino's schools are as well-heeled as the people who live here. But it's not so. There are 33 public school districts in Santa Clara County, but CUSD occupies the absolute bottom slot in funding. We are 33rd of 33 districts. It gets worse.
There are 988 public school districts statewide. Our elementary and middle school students are supported by a budget that ranks 984, four notches up from the bottom of the money barrel.
In some respects, it's not reasonable to ask the public to understand how schools are financed. It's hard enough to find anyone who can explain it. Further complicating the issue is a long and tortured history of Sacramento politics. The rudimentary fact is that the formula used to calculate how much money each district gets today is keyed to spending levels in 1973. Factor in some tinkering, repackaging and a layer of protective fog from political spin, and you have a funding mechanism as screwy as a Rube Goldberg contraption.
Fortunately, local school officials want us to understand the funding processes. School board trustee Roberta Pabst is part of a committee that hopes will help school officials persuade state legislators to improve the funding process.
Just about anything can be understood if presented in small bites and plain language. Let's start with some points made by Dr. William Bragg, superintendent of the district, when he spoke to district staff and faculty on Aug. 30.
Our children are funded at a tad over $4,000 per student per year. If our funding were increased just a little, enough to bring us up to the middle or average position, we would receive an additional $6.8 million. That could fund an art and music program.
Even though the the state has cut recent budgets by as much as 14 percent, a conscious effort has been made to remain competitive in teacher compensation. The district ranks 18th in this category. To maintain current levels and allocations, the district has increased its reliance on parent and community groups and has deferred or reduced maintenance when possible.
Still, Bragg noted, "Many teachers leave because they cannot afford to live here."
We are going to hear more about school financing as district officials seek to inform us and ask for support, as well as new legislation. Our task is to pay attention and inform ourselves. It probably won't be any fun, but it sure is important.
Above all, remember this: As long as the school funding process remains arcane, murky and complex, the financial cognoscenti will be able to mess with us at will--and we may never know they did it.
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Cupertino, California Since 1947
