Is school funding fair? What does equitable funding look like?

That is the question that starts of this Ed Week article looking at a state-by-state report card on school funding by Rutgers.

The conclusion of the article, and the survey is "no", of course. But, I think when considering policy the more interesting question that needs to be asked is, "What would be fair?"

Certainly the cost of living differs drastically from Idaho to Chicago, and even within states there is a wide disparity in the amount of funding required to deliver an education. So, to what should the level of necessary education funding be tied to, a certain percentage of state GDP? A number related to cost of living as gleaned from the prices of consumer goods?

Should the level of equitable funding be tied to individual schools or students or districts? Would we consider it equitable if the average spending on the west side of Chicago with significant poverty rates were $20,000 per child while the average public spending per child in affluent Winnetka would be $12,000?

What does an egalitarian society seek in an imperfect situation like this? Acknowledging the fact that each child who walks through the door on their first day of school does so with very different backgrounds and preparations depending on family structure, home life, nutrition, healthcare etc. What role does school funding play within that complex dance of working toward a more equitable society?

There are certainly policy questions to be asked about how funding streams reach schools - property taxes vs. vice taxes vs. sales taxes etc. But this question of what are we aiming for in terms of levels of funding deserves attention and debate.