Running head: ADEQUACY IN SCHOOLS

Adequacy in Schools
Stephen Richard
University of New England

EDU 709 School Finance

Dr. William Smith
July 21, 2013

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Adequacy in Schools

School adequacy is a wide ranged topic, from what the state expects to what individuals
presume is normal funding for a particular school event. Do our schools provide adequate
teachers, supplies, education and standards? The concept of adequacy is interesting because the
answer determines whether or not a school is prepared to properly educate a child (Odden &
Picus, 2008). Roza mentions that 30 years ago, even after inflation, the cost per pupil has
doubled with very little test score differences (Roza, 2010). Is double the money for each pupil
adequate compared to 30 years ago? Spending double the money per pupil should equate to more
than adequacy for our schools.
The authors from both texts, Odden and Picus, and Rosa view the financial side of school
adequacy in a few different ways. Roza believes that school systems in the past have been
flying in the dark when it comes to finances and that involves adequacy; is the school getting
what it needs to be successful. According to Roza, the No Child Left Behind Act was in effort to
equalize the adequacy of the nations schools and raise test scores. There is a negative tone from
Roza that the efforts by States to level the adequacy simply just dont work because not all
schools have the access to the same funding. Rozas undesirable view of the school systems
stems from mismanagement of fund allocation and finance all together. A private schools cost
per student is about 30,000 dollars (40,000 at the last school I taught at) compared to the national
average funding of about 9,000, gives an entirely new prospective of funding. I believe numbers
like these are why Roza believes adequacy is difficult to acquire (Roza, 2010).
Odden and Picus have a slightly different view of financial adequacy. The belief that
schools are in the process of categorizing spending and tracking money is in a step towards the
right direction of adequacy. Separating spending by elementary, middle and high school then by

Adequacy in Schools

staffing expenditures is the break down. Staffing by program includes regular instruction, special
education, administration staff development and instructional materials. Strategy staffing
involves professional development, class size, tutoring, and class type. Expenditures of spending
by content area is more obvious, though all calculations types may be difficult, in some states
they are mandated by court law. Thankfully staffing data has been collected and we now have
charts that are separated by area of the country and by education level, which show us what
adequacy in the schools should look like. Odden and Picus believe there is a shift happening
from equity to adequacy. Examination of money allocated to a school and the expenditure
structure for funds is a must for determining adequacy (Odden & Picus, 2008).
The student may possibly see adequacy or lack of adequacy in many ways at school.
Specifically, where I teach in down East Maine, adequacy may exist but is difficult to perceive. I
teach at four different schools within the same AOS system and I can easily see the inadequacies
between the schools because I live them on a daily basis. Some schools give me duties and others
dont, some schools give me a long prep period, some schools I get an incredibly short one. I was
able to take two schools on a rock climbing field trip, two did not get to go. My pay checks come
from four different towns all with differing amounts of pay but I work for the same school
system. Three of the schools I work for will pay for this masters class I am taking, one will not.
Some schools allowed me to purchase new equipment, others did not. Without question I can see
the inadequacies between schools even in the same school district. It may seem like what I just
explained is an issue of equity, though assuredly, they are all issues of adequacy. If the schools
had adequate staff I would be able to have an adequate prep period. If the schools had adequate
money, all of my schools would be able to pay for this EDU school finance class and would be
able to pay me an adequate teachers salary.

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Students, or at least their parents, can see the inadequacy in their school which is why
most of my students want to transfer from the school they are currently in to a larger school in
the same district. One of the more specific reasons students and parents want to transfer to the
larger school is because of inadequate teacher to pupil ratio. Mathematically the ratio of student
to teacher is close to the national average according to the charts in Odden and Picus (Odden &
Picus, 2008). The issue is that too many grades are combined into one class. For example, I teach
4th 8th grade physical education in one giant class, which is difficult simply because of the
maturation level differences. Parents want their students to be in a class of their own and the
students do as well. From the eyes of students and parents, adequacy equates to a school being
able to properly educate and give their son or daughter suitable extra-curricular activities.
Unfortunately I dont disagree with the student and or parents decision to transfer.
In addition to the examples I gave above, a clear example of financial adequacy is how
one of the schools I teach at did not allow any budget for needed equipment. This school system
is one that has had poor, inconsistent leadership for a number of years and always struggles
financially. It is my belief that this school closely relates to the way Roza negatively portrays
school finance. To give exact data would be impossible because I dont believe it exists. Again,
mathematically, the school is not far from the national average in percentages of adequacy but a
teaching principal who is a full time teacher is not adequate (Odden & Picus, 2008). The more I
learn about school finance the more I realize how difficult and complex it can be.

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References

Odden, A., & Picus, L. (2008). School finance a policy perspective. (4th ed.). New York, NY:
The McGraw-Hill Companies, INC.
Roza, M. (2010). Educational economics: Where do school funds go?. Washington, D.C.: The
Urban Institute Press.