Where's the Clamor for School Funding?

Over the past decade, the formulas for school funding in Indiana have changed dramatically. Some would argue that this a a good thing, but most local school boards (and their constituencies) have not adapted to the new reality.

Former Gov. Mitch Daniels was straightforward in saying that if local jurisdictions wanted top-notch schools, they would have to pay for it themselves.

This recent report from FiveThirtyEight.com explains how school funding has suffered.

In May 2008, as the Great Recession was just beginning, U.S. school departments employed 8.4 million teachers and other workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This past May, they employed just 8.2 million — despite public-school enrollments that the Department of Education estimated have risen by more than 1 million students during the same period.

This is a year in which Floyd County voters are being asked to borrow $87 million for new school buildings. The cost to do this equals more than 20 cents per $100 in adjusted property tax valuation.

I have to ask - when this referendum is rejected by the voters, will its supporters join to ask voters to pay that much toward instruction for our children?

That is the real question - not whether we love our children and support our schools, but whether we should be increasing local school funding instead of building new buildings.