Overview of Public Schools

History of Public Education

The first schools in colonial America were private. Public schools per se came much later on in the 19th century. A History of Public Schools offers a comprehensive overview of the subject.

Funding and Budgeting

U.S. public schools are funded by local property taxes supplemented by funding from state and private sources. 92% of public school funding comes from non-federal sources. An Overview of the Funding of Public Schools explains how the system works. Here are two examples of school district budgets to illustrate the disparity regarding funding between a large urban school district and a small rural school district.

Large School District (Example):

Total Annual Budget: $1.2 billion

Sources of Funding:

• State Funding: $700 million
• Local Property Taxes: $300 million
• Federal Grants: $150 million
• Other Sources (e.g., donations, grants): $50 million

Expenditure Breakdown:

• Instructional Costs (teachers, textbooks, supplies): $600 million
• Administrative Costs (salaries, facilities, utilities): $200 million
• Student Support Services (counseling, special education): $150 million
• Transportation: $50 million
• Building Maintenance: $50 million
• Extracurricular Activities: $30 million
• Debt Service: $20 million
• Reserves and Contingencies: $50 million

Compare this hypothetical budget with the actual 2023-24 budget of the Houston ISD.

Small School District (Example):

Total Annual Budget: $10 million

Sources of Funding:

• State Funding: $5 million
• Local Property Taxes: $3 million
• Federal Grants: $1 million
• Other Sources (e.g., donations, grants): $1 million

Expenditure Breakdown:

• Instructional Costs (teachers, textbooks, supplies): $4 million
• Administrative Costs (salaries, facilities, utilities): $1 million
• Student Support Services (counseling, special education): $500,000
• Transportation: $150,000
• Building Maintenance: $200,000
• Extracurricular Activities: $50,000
• Debt

I was disappointed to read the story in the New York Times about abuse in an Army JROTC program. Why? Because I've always thought very highly of the program available in over 1700 public and private high schools. I will further disclaim that my eldest daughter was in the ROTC program in college. So, I know first-hand that it is well-run for the most part. The JROTC does an immense amount of good for young people at the high school level.

What is JROTC?

Congress established the JROTC or Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps in 1916. Each branch of the services has its own distinctive JROTC program. However, they all have the altruistic-sounding mission "To Motivate Young People to be Better Citizens."

The U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is one of the largest character development and citizenship programs for youth in the world. Source: JROTC

Some people think that JROTC is a recruiting program for the military. But it is not. Indeed, most JROTC participants do not join the military after graduating from high school. Nor are they required to do so. On the other hand, the college-level ROTC programs do require their participants to sign up for a tour of duty after graduating from college. Simply put, the JROTC aims to develop leadership skills in its participants while ROTC prepares its members for the military.

This video explains what JROTC is.

Ask the experts and they all agree— schools with robust foreign language programs can bring students to the next level.

Public schools that invest in teaching foreign languages, whether through a full-fledged program or just a few classes, are certain to see the benefit in their student body, extracurriculars, and overall reputation. Full language programs start at an early age, immersing children in language classes every year from K-12, with extracurricular clubs, field trips, and learning experiences to enhance their language education.

It’s clear there is currently a gap in language education. As of 2008, only 18.5% of K-12 students were enrolled in a foreign language class. From 1997 to 2008, public and private elementary schools offering foreign language instruction decreased from 31% to 25%. These numbers are simply not acceptable.

This video outlines the benefits of learning a foreign language.

There are many reasons why schools, even those at the most elementary levels, should institute a foreign language program into their core curriculum. Dr. Jennifer Austin, an associate language professor at Rutgers University, is an adamant believer in the benefits of language studies. “Researchers have found that there are lifelong cognitive and academic benefits to becoming bilingual.”

Robert Riger, Vice President and Director of Pimsleur Language Programs, believes foreign language is the gateway to the rest of the world. “At an age where students begin to form individual preferences, dreams, and set priorities,

Once children have graduated from diapers and baby food, the next big decision for parents becomes where to send their precious tots to school. There are many choices available to parents today, from the neighborhood school down the street to charter and private schools in the area. How does a parent know which school will be the best fit for his child? The choice is never easy, but it helps to weigh the pros and cons of each of these types of schools to see which might present the greatest benefit.

Cost

One of the first variables parents must weigh when comparing the various types of schools is cost. Public schools are “free” institutions by law, although they may charge fees and students may be required to provide their own supplies. Charter schools are also considered public schools, so there is no tuition cost assessed. However, private schools can – and do – charge tuition to students and their parents, and in some cases, those costs can be rather high.

According to a report at Fox News, the average tuition cost for private secondary schools during the 2007-2008 school year was around $10,500. Great Schools also cites statistics from the National Catholic Education Association that show while private parochial schools tend to charge lower tuition rates, the average tuition for these schools is still around $2,600 for elementary schools and nearly $7,000 for secondary schools.

Enrollment

Public schools are required to accept

Students in the public school system in the United States are eligible for a variety of services, depending on their needs. Under Title I, students in need are provided with additional assistance to promote their success in school and beyond. Title I funding is provided to more than 90 percent of the school systems across the country, with the money used in various ways to help low-income students break the cycle of poverty with the tools they need for academic success.

What is Title I?

Title I is one of the oldest public education programs in the United States and one of the largest. The program provides additional funding to school districts with a large population of low-income students to help students in this demographic meet the academic standards assigned by the state. The program was established as Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, and its purpose is to “ensure that all children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education,” according to the U.S. Department of Education website.

This brief video gives us an overview of Title I.

The Department of Education also lists strategies that local school districts should implement to achieve that purpose with the provided funding, which include:

• Meeting the educational needs of low-income and minority students
• Holding schools and governments accountable for the academic achievement of students
• Use of tools, assessments, and