The city of Brockton is considering suing the state of Massachusetts in hopes of pushing Beacon Hill toward reforming funding inequalities in public schools.
As reported by The Boston Globe, the funding difference between schools in low-income communities and those in affluent communities in the state is becoming more and more extreme. In 2016 and 2017, for example, Brockton was able to spend $1.28 per student on classroom supplies, compared to $275 per student in the affluent community of Weston.
A Supreme Judicial Court ruling in 1993 mandated that the state has a constitutional duty to educate all students equally, regardless of their district’s wealth. The ruling led to a landmark piece of education reform legislation, the Education Reform Act of 1993.
But Paul Reville, professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and former state education secretary under Gov. Deval Patrick, said the 1993 reform has failed to keep pace with current demands.
“We undercalculated in the budget that was part of the '93 bill the rapidly spiraling cost of special education or the rapidly spiraling cost of health care for employees,” Reville explained. “We are now out of whack with actual costs.”
Schools in wealthier districts are able to plug funding holes with revenue from real estate taxes, but for low-income communities, this isn’t always an option. Reville says it may be time for low-income school districts to revisit the matter by filing a lawsuit.
“If I were in their shoes, I’d be recommending them to reopen that lawsuit as plaintiffs,” Reville said.
