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What are the goals of First Class Education? |
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In a global, information-age economy, young Americans will not enjoy a first class economic future without a first class education in their immediate present. Regardless of the state, county or school district students live within, we need every student in America to have the opportunity of a first class education. A first class education can only be achieved if we change our priorities to first, class education.
Our goal is simple, intuitive and reasonable. By the end of 2008, our goal is to change the law in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia to require that at least 65% of what taxpayers spend on K-12 education actually makes its way into the classroom.
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What are the specifics of the proposal? |
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There are five basic components to the First Class Education proposal:
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The goal is for each school district in a state to spend at least 65% of its operating budget on classroom instruction as defined by the National Center for Educational Statistics. |
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If a school district is currently spending less than 65% on classroom instruction, it would need to increase that amount by 2% or more per year until the 65% goal is reached.
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If a school district felt special circumstances prevented it from reaching either the 2% annual increase or the 65% goal, it could ask the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (or the state's highest-ranking elected education official) for a renewable one-year waiver.
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The State Superintendent would have the sole authority to grant-in-full, grant-in-part or reject the school district's one-year waiver request. |
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The State Legislatures will be specifically left the task to set penalties to encourage compliance to the measure. |
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Why 65%? |
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Business schools throughout America teach management techniques called “best practices” and “benchmarking” – determine what the most efficient companies in a given field are doing and apply similar goals for your firm. In the business of K-12 public school education, First Class Education proposes the benchmark of placing 65% of operational budgets in the classroom. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), just four years ago seven states across America -- from Utah to Maine, Tennessee to New York -- placed at least 65% of their operational budgets in the classroom. Now only two states do. The states that have recently reached 65% have divergent cultural, demographic and economic make-ups. They're simply about as different as states could be – but all place classroom education as a priority. The diversity of these states shows that a goal of 65% for classroom instruction can be met throughout the nation. In fact, nearly every state has school districts – big, small, rural, urban and suburban – that are performing at and above the 65% goal. Every school district in America may not be able to reach 65%, but every school district should be encouraged to be as efficient as possible and place its classrooms, its teachers and its students as their first funding priorities. |
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What does “in the classroom” mean? |
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The National Center for Educational Statistics definition of “in the classroom spending” appears below. Generally, if the expenditure has to do with direct instruction of students in any form, from learning to read a book, read music, read Braille, to learning to read a football pass protection pattern, the expenditure is counted as being an “in the classroom” expense. |
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| “In the Classroom” |
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“Outside the Classroom” |
| Classroom Teachers, Personnel |
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Administration |
| General Instruction Supplies |
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Plant Operations & Maintenance |
| Instructional Aides |
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Food Services |
| Activities -- Field Trips, Athletics, Music, Arts |
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Transportation
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| Tuition Paid to Out-of State Districts & |
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Instructional Support Including Librarians |
| Private Institutions for Special Needs Students |
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Teacher Training & Curriculum |
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Student Support -- Nurses, Counselors
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How much more money in the classroom will this mean? |
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If all 50 states and the District of Columbia had spent 65% in the classroom during the 2002-2003 school year, an additional $14 BILLION would have been available for teachers and kids. That's enough to buy every K-12 student in America a desktop computer or hire 300,000 more teachers at $40,000 a year or double spending on classroom supplies. Think of it…maybe teachers wouldn’t have to pay for classroom supplies out of their own limited pockets anymore. Most states would add hundreds of millions of dollars each year to the classroom. All without a tax increase! |
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How will the extra classroom funds be spent?
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Each local school board will be able to decide for itself how to spend the additional funds for the classroom. Some may raise teacher pay, reduce class sizes, purchase computers or add additional instructional opportunities like music, the arts, physical education or foreign languages. We keep local control, but demand statewide accountability. |
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Will this improve student achievement? |
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As sound as placing more of our education money in the classroom is for teachers and taxpayers, it’s equally important for students. Rank all 50 states by standardized test scores and you’ll find the top five states place the highest percentage in the classroom – averaging 64.12%. The bottom five states for test scores place the lowest percentage in the classroom – averaging 59.46%. Research by Colorado’s Independence Institute shows the percentage of dollars reaching the classroom has five times greater correlation (49% correlation) with increased test scores than simply spending more money (10% correlation). The Independence Institute’s research also found increased spending outside the classroom actually had a negative correlation with test scores (-14%). |
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What's the national average being spent in the classroom? |
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The National Center for Education Statistics has reported dramatic recent increases in K-12 education funding – four times the rate of inflation – while for four straight years the percentage of dollars reaching America’s classrooms has declined. Just 61.3% is now reaching our classrooms as a national average. We can and must do better. |
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What about libraries and librarians? |
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We think libraries and librarians are important and have a direct impact on classroom instruction. The NCES classifies librarians and libraries as outside the classroom and we would urge NCES to reconsider this classification. In states where First Class Education is pushing ballot measures and we have controlled the specific language, we have added libraries and librarians as an inside the classroom expense. In states where legislative enactment is being considered, First Class Education suggests keeping the NCES definition in tact -- otherwise opening the definition for Legislative amendment risks watering down the classroom instruction definition to the point of being meaningless. If a school district has reached its maximum efficiency and is still below 65%, First Class Education would encourage that a waiver be granted to such a district, as our proposal provides, rather than cutting libraries and librarians. |
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What about things outside the classroom? Aren’t they important? |
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Items outside the classroom such as transportation, school lunches, energy costs as well as efficient, cost-consious administration are all important to effectively educating our students – and 35% of the budget remains for these expenses. But none of these are “fixed” costs. Being more efficient in administration expenses, competitively bidding transportation, food services, maintenance and completing an “energy audit” have provided millions in saving for many school districts. And every state that has reached the 65% goal has bus service, counselors and heat in the classrooms. |
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What will non-performing school districts need to do to accomplish the 65% goal? |
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Through a combination of placing their annual budget increases toward classroom instruction and better management of funds already allocated, school districts will need to spend a minimum of 65% of their budgets on the reason they exist – to instruct students in a classroom setting. Proper management is already taking place in many school districts throughout the country where the 65% goal is being met and exceeded. Others will need to examine their levels of administration, their spending on perks like car allowances and out-of-state travel and seek savings through common business practices such as outsourcing of certain services and competitive bidding. But more than anything else, an attitude change must take place to simply correct priorities to a first class education. |
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What if a school district simply can't make the increase?
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The First Class Education proposal provides school districts an opportunity to ask for a renewable one-year waiver from either the annual 2% improvement or the 65% goal if it can demonstrate a unique circumstance to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction (or highest elected education official in the state). |
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What about rural and small districts? Are they adversely affected? |
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While one would think economies of scale would mean smaller or rural school districts would spend more on overhead, such a conclusion cannot be reached. Many small and rural school districts around the country are able to spend 65%, 68% even well over 70% in the classroom, while the largest school districts in many states fall well short. Big or small, rural, urban or suburban, what dictates the amount of money spent in the classroom simply comes down to having priorities in line.
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Doesn't this violate local control of schools? |
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School boards are free to spend on anything they wish – so long as the priority of spending 65% on classroom instruction is met. Local control is very important, especially when matched with statewide taxpayer accountability.
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What about school construction costs? |
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The First Class Education 65% goal is for K-12 educational operating budgets. Construction, major repairs and renovation costs are not impacted.
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What penalties will be imposed on school districts that don't comply? |
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The State Legislatures will be specifically left the task to set penalties to encourage compliance to the measure.
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Where is the 65% Solution being tried?
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In just a year’s time great progress has been made. Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) was the first to call for 65% in the classroom under the NCES definition. The Louisiana Legislature unanimously passed legislation calling for the state’s school board to adopt the 65% Solution. Governor Sebilious (D-KS) was the first governor to sign 65% legislation making it a public policy goal of Kansas. Governor Rick Perry (R-TX) has issued a 65% executive order. Governor Sonny Perdue (R-GA) has successfully pushed 65% legislation. Nearly a dozen other states will see legislative enactment, legislative referral to the ballot or citizen initiatives in 2006.
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