School Funding and Rural Districts

• In Event: 75.054 - Understanding Educational Opportunity in Rural School Districts: An Examination of Community, Demography, and Policy

Abstract

Viewed from 10,000 feet, all rural districts probably seem much the same to the casual observer. Indeed, from such a vantage point, in some ways rural school districts may even resemble urban school districts (Institute for Education Sciences [IES], 2007). For example, rural areas have higher poverty and lower budgetary revenue than their suburban counterparts — just like urban areas. Similar to urban schools, parents of rural school children tend to have lower levels of educational attainment than parents in suburban schools. In reality, though, there is considerable variability both among rural districts (Johnson, Showalter, Klein, & Lester, 2014) and between rural and non-rural districts (IES, 2007). When that variability is accounted for, what emerges (or should emerge to the careful observer) is the recognition that each rural district operates with its own set of strengths and challenges (cf. Hobbs, 1998). Federal and even state policy makers tend to treat urban, suburban, and rural schools the same, using a one-size-fits-all approach in addressing diverse issues that play out in diverse settings (Johnson & Howley, In Press); such an approach fails to address the specific needs of each educational setting, and can end up doing more harm than good. Understanding varied rural contexts — from the perspective of both strengths and challenges — and their effects on rural schools is an important step in crafting effective and responsive fiscal policy for these districts. This discussion of school funding as an important manifestation of the politics of educational opportunity in rural communities offers an opportunity for policy makers to leverage resident resources to create more effective policy. Following that discussion is consideration of fiscally-relevant demographic, geographic, and topographic characteristics of rural settings. We then draw on the previous two sections to frame and develop a discussion of how policies could better support rural education and help achieve desirable outcomes for rural schools and the communities they serve.

Authors

• Jerry Johnson, University of West Florida

• Brian P. Zoellner, University of North Florida