When a high-need district is next-door to a much better-off school system, it is clear that the area has the capacity to do better by its neediest children-but is isolating them instead. Often, shortfalls in state support mean that in order to keep schools going, needy communities must pay increasingly high taxes out of ever-declining incomes. The people within those borders-rich or poor-are asked to support their schools with local property taxes. Tightly drawn school district borders determine not only where children attend school, but also, to a large extent, how well resourced those schools will be. They could double down on their investment in learning, so those who have lost jobs or have not yet entered the workforce can compete in a shifting economy. They might change transportation systems and local boundaries to open up opportunities that would otherwise be just out of reach. Governments seeking to cushion against risk might choose to provide social services on a regional basis, drawing funding from a broad area and a variety of revenue streams. Still, there are steps that can be taken to protect communities against such shocks-steps that, unfortunately, are the very opposite of our approach to public education. The school districts serving those neighborhoods see poverty rates climb and dwindling resources must stretch to support more high-need students.ĭisruptions are a natural element of a market economy. Sometimes, the impacts are local: when there is a fundamental shift in the industries that power particular communities, jobs disappear and housing prices fall. As markets evolve, so does the workforce, creating constant churn. Thousands of new offices and work sites open each year, and thousands close. A dynamic economy is constantly changing.
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