Equal spending does not lead to equal performance.

This blog is over the new proposed idea to even out the amount of funding to all the schools in Texas. It is written by Robert Pratt, he seems to be level headed and is not bent on getting a person's blood boiling. Though having never paid real taxes I may not be his desired audience. The basic idea is everyone pays about the same taxes so all schools should get equal funding and therefore be equal. Simply writing the same check to each school though will not produce the same grades. That is where I agree with this blog. Forcing all public schools to revamp to equality would make the schools a muddled average closer to the poorer performing and less equipped schools than the top schools. I believe there is simply not enough money to go around to all the different school systems to make them equal with the higher funded schools. That seems to be the argument of the blog. Where I don't agree is the writer seems to feel that any form of equality should not even be considered. The problem that teachers don't have enough resources like books and pencils, the bare minimums, does exists and that should be combated. At a recent rally I saw many signs from different schools asking Gov. Perry not to let them get shutdown, highlighting the total lack of funding to certain schools. If students can't even have a chance to properly study material then they need help. The students have to be taught, that is obvious, but making every student taught the exact same way on the same level with the same classrooms, curriculum, and methods is too much. Though the proposed change in school funding does not list those things it does say schools need to shape to equity and you cannot claim fairness in equality when running even a few things differently. The blog makes a point that this could open a door for lawsuits filed from schools that feel they are not being treated the same as other districts. These lawsuits would be a waste of time and money. So I sit torn with this blog, I agree with him to a point. Where I disagree is the funding to schools is somewhat broken if these schools are closing and something does need to change. However a generic check to identical schools for indistinguishable classrooms is not the answer.