Most of the money/resources schools receive comes in the form of grants.
Could you provide a source for that?
This claim definitely conflicts with my understanding, although perhaps it’s true for that portion of resources that is actually up for grabs and not already committed through the normal funding (government) process.
This link is more in line with my understanding, that is, that most resources come from state and local government, and most of those resources are not awarded through “grants,” but rather that local resources generally stay with local schools and state resources are divided in other ways but not usually through award of a grant. But I’d be interested in hearing if my (not heavily researched/sourced) understanding is incorrect either generally or at least for some portion of schools.
Some quotes from the link:
States rely primarily on income and sales taxes to fund elementary and secondary education. State legislatures generally determine the level and distribution of funding, following different rules and procedures depending on the state.
State funding for elementary and secondary education is generally distributed by formula. Many states use funding formulas that provide funding based on the number of pupils in a district. Some formulas are weighted based on different factors such as the number of students with disabilities, the number of students living in poverty, or the number of students for whom English is a second language. The allocation for students with different types of needs can vary significantly depending on the funding formula. Additionally, in some states the formula is designed so that higher poverty school districts with less access to local funding receive additional assistance.
That link did imply that the 10% of funding that is federal is structured as grants, which surprised me. Though it’s not clear that it means exactly the same thing as in this post.
that portion of resources that is actually up for grabs [are grants]
That sounds close to a tautology to me. Aren’t grant applications the way that one grabs resources that are up for grabs? (OK, I can think of other examples, like specializing in disabled students, but...)
Yeah, I didn’t phrase that very clearly. My thinking was drawing a distinction between (1) what may be the smaller portion of resources that is always up for grabs (and that is perhaps mainly grants) and (2) the larger portion of resources that is not discretionary in the same way because it is awarded by the government without the competitive grant application process. Of course, there may still be opportunities to also influence how that larger portion of resources is distributed, e.g., lobbying or maybe gaming the system to affect the distribution in some way.
That link did imply that the 10% of funding that is federal is structured as grants, which surprised me.
Hm, I’m surprised you’re surprised. I thought it was widely understood that giving and withholding grants was the main way the federal government got around its lack of de jure authority over them and exerted pressure on state and local governments and school districts* - you can read coverage of the sequester’s effect on them and the funding comes as grants, and Obama’s “Race To The Top” program was purely about competing for federal grants.
* because they are in effect insolvent without federal money
There are several aspects. I knew that federal highway funds are grants for the purpose of making highways to the interstate standards (eg, landing strips), but also conditional on various things, most famously the 55 speed limit. I thought federal school funding was like that. I am fairly surprised to learn that RTTT was zero-sum, but since it was part of the stimulus, I’m not sure that’s very informative. I am still unclear on whether the states proposed things to spend the money on, or whether it was an unrestricted prize for winning the contest.
This claim definitely conflicts with my understanding, although perhaps it’s true for that portion of resources that is actually up for grabs and not already committed through the normal funding (government) process.
This link is more in line with my understanding, that is, that most resources come from state and local government, and most of those resources are not awarded through “grants,” but rather that local resources generally stay with local schools and state resources are divided in other ways but not usually through award of a grant. But I’d be interested in hearing if my (not heavily researched/sourced) understanding is incorrect either generally or at least for some portion of schools.
Some quotes from the link:
Thanks!
That link did imply that the 10% of funding that is federal is structured as grants, which surprised me. Though it’s not clear that it means exactly the same thing as in this post.
That sounds close to a tautology to me. Aren’t grant applications the way that one grabs resources that are up for grabs? (OK, I can think of other examples, like specializing in disabled students, but...)
Yeah, I didn’t phrase that very clearly. My thinking was drawing a distinction between (1) what may be the smaller portion of resources that is always up for grabs (and that is perhaps mainly grants) and (2) the larger portion of resources that is not discretionary in the same way because it is awarded by the government without the competitive grant application process. Of course, there may still be opportunities to also influence how that larger portion of resources is distributed, e.g., lobbying or maybe gaming the system to affect the distribution in some way.
Hm, I’m surprised you’re surprised. I thought it was widely understood that giving and withholding grants was the main way the federal government got around its lack of de jure authority over them and exerted pressure on state and local governments and school districts* - you can read coverage of the sequester’s effect on them and the funding comes as grants, and Obama’s “Race To The Top” program was purely about competing for federal grants.
* because they are in effect insolvent without federal money
There are several aspects. I knew that federal highway funds are grants for the purpose of making highways to the interstate standards (eg, landing strips), but also conditional on various things, most famously the 55 speed limit. I thought federal school funding was like that. I am fairly surprised to learn that RTTT was zero-sum, but since it was part of the stimulus, I’m not sure that’s very informative. I am still unclear on whether the states proposed things to spend the money on, or whether it was an unrestricted prize for winning the contest.