School Facility Funding Needed, Says UC Berkeley

11 Oct School Facility Funding Needed, Says UC Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Cities and Schools released a study in 2015 that juxtaposed school funding and achievement in California, concluding that more funding is necessary for California school facilities. Their findings and not only eye-opening, but a stern call for proper funding and modernization of California schools.

According to the study, analysis of spending on K-12 public school facilities in California finds that, compared to industry standards, there is an ongoing, structural pattern of inadequate and inequitable spending in many school districts. This trend signals costly long-term consequences as accumulated facility needs risk becoming health and safety crises.

THE MAJORITY OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS UNDERSPEND ON FACILITIES

Almost 80% of students attend districts failing to meet minimum industry standard benchmarks for facilities maintenance and operations spending, capital renewal spending, or both.

WEALTHY DISTRICTS SPEND MORE ON FACILITIES, ESPECIALLY ON THE CAPITAL SIDE

Districts with more taxable property value (assessed value) per student raise, on average, more capital funds for facility needs than districts with less taxable property value per student.

DISTRICTS SERVING LOW-INCOME STUDENTS DISPROPORTIONATELY SPEND MORE PER STUDENT ON M&O FROM THEIR OPERATING BUDGETS TO FUND FACILITIES

Facility needs place higher budget burdens on school districts serving low income students. A policy shift in the state-local partnership for public school facility funding that increases reliance on local funds, without addressing disparities in local ability to pay relative to local needs, will exacerbate inequalities across California and is inconsistent with the policy priorities of the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS ACCORDING TO THE STUDY:

Given the ongoing underinvestment in school facilities that is occurring and the tremendous differences in local taxable property values per student across the state, California must bolster—not recede from—its role in the state-local funding partnership for K-12 school facilities. A policy shift in the state-local partnership for public school facility funding that increases reliance on local funds, without addressing disparities in local ability to pay relative to local needs, will exacerbate inequalities in facility conditions and facility spending across California and is inconsistent with the equity priorities of the new Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).

To reverse the pattern of inadequate and inequitable investment in K-12 public school facilities, four strategic policy reforms should be cornerstones to the approach:

• Establish stable, dedicated state funds for K-12 school facilities. Our findings suggests that few, if any, California school districts can go it alone and adequately fund their facilities across the spectrum from routine maintenance to major capital improvements like building replacement or new construction. Moving forward, the state’s K-12 school facilities funding approach should ensure that all school districts can reasonably meet their facilities needs across both their operating and the capital budgets through an appropriate combination of local and state resources.

• Distribute K-12 school facility funds equitably, adjusting for local wealth. To promote adequacy and equity in spending on K-12 school facilities across all districts, the State’s role, at minimum, should be to equalize the ability of all local districts to raise adequate capital dollars for their school facilities. Moving forward, California’s formula(s) for providing school facility funds to local school districts should be weighted in favor of districts with limited local tax base and high percentages of low income students.

• Improve standards for school facility planning and budgeting. Following the LCFF’s local control and accountability approach, school districts should have board-approved district-wide facility master plans that assess facility conditions and identify facility spending priorities to best support the education and health of their students and protect the facility assets.

• Establish a California School Facility Database to guide spending. The lack of a basic statewide inventory of all K-12 public school facilities, conditions assessments of those facilities, and full information on local school district facility spending is a major obstacle to fully understanding—and addressing—school facility needs in California. To uphold public accountability and realize adequate and equitable spending in all schools, consistent information sharing of public school facility data is essential.

* Courtesy of Jeff Vincent, PhD UC- Berkeley