EDLD 5342

Week 1 5342 Wiki Assignment for my Group 4.

Part 1: Important Educational Events in Texas History

 Public education was formed by many events in Texas history.  Three important ones include the establishment of free public schools in the constitution of 1845, because Texas declared independence in 1836 from Mexico.  In the 1873 constitution a permanent and available school fund was established. The next event was the Gilmer-Aiken Laws that provided an organized approach to fund education adequately by supplementing local taxes with state legislation.

1^st Event

The Constitution of 1845
Texas joined the United States in 1845. The constitution provided for the establishment of free public schools. This event is important for education because it called for state taxes to support education.  From this point forward, Texas would have a free public education system, providing for the future of education in the state.
2^nd Event

The Constitution of 1873
The Texas Constitution of 1873 changed the laws in the state related to education. It established by name the Permanent and Available School Funds. It has provided the basis for adequacy, equity, and efficiency concerning all of the school finance lawsuits that would occur in the state for years to come.

3^rd Event

The Gilmer-Aiken Laws
State Representative Claude Gilmer and Senator A.M. Aiken, Jr. wanted to make education in Texas run more efficiently. The legislation that was passed, known as the Gilmer-Aiken Laws changed how schools operated and how they were funded. The laws increased salaries, formalized the school year, created the structure of the State Board of Education, and established how the Commissioner of Education was to be selected. The law also established an organized approach to how the state supplemented local taxes in order to adequately fund public education.

Part 2: Most important issues that impact the state formula:

There are several issues that impact the funding of public schools in Texas. The formula is designed to level the “playing field” for all students across the state.

1.  Property values and tax collection: this varies from district to district.

2.  Average daily attendance and weighted average daily attendance (ADA). This is called the “Basic Allotment.

3.  Special instructional program adjustments: Districts with higher numbers of at risk, special education, bilingual, CATE, GT, and Compensatory education students benefit from increased funding (WADA).

Part 3: Equality, Equity, & Adequacy

Three important factors to always consider in school finance are equality, equity, and adequacy.Equality
Equality refers to the standard that all students have access to the same type of basic educational program.  All schools are funded at a level in order to provide the same basic education.
Equity
Equity refers to the system being fair and responding to the needs of the individual. It refers to the fair or equal distribution of resources after taking into account school characteristics and student differences. Equity funding refers to funds that are provided for special programs such as special education, advanced career and technology education, bilingual, gifted and talented, compensatory education, and public education grants. Special funding is provided in order to meet the needs of students with these special educational needs.
Adequacy
Adequacy refers to the funding needed for schools to meet the state accreditation standards. Schools are adequately funded when they are able to meet the state standards for accreditation.  Equity in funding does not assure equal results.


Part 4: Compare the Austin I.S.D. District Improvement Plan with the Rice I.S.D. District Improvement Plan

There are many differences between the Austin I.S.D. plan and the Rice I.S.D. plan.  They follow the same basic rules of giving information to stakeholders for continuously improving education. In comparison they are both used to help guide educators in the always changing process called public education.

The Austin I.S.D. plan is much more complicated than the Rice I.S.D. plan.  Austin I.S.D. provides information on the process for school improvement, how plans are aligned, minutes and attendance from meetings. A.I.S.D. gives information on how they are doing the “business” of the district by showing all of the people and meetings concerning each specific need. To me it is how they justify the funds for each and every aspect of the DIP. The Austin I.S.D. plan seems to include more information on how the strategic planning process takes place. The size of Rice I.S.D. causes our DIP to look at the curriculum and how we need funds to adequately teach our students so that they receive the best education possible for being American citizens.

I know that the information in the Austin I.S.D. plan opened my eyes up to what is available in funding for kids. Rice I.S.D. uses our DIP to guide us in what each campus will need to improve student performance each year as the legislature decides to change some policy.  We just do not have the size needed to get so complicated. Our entire teaching staff is included in our DIP committee.  We really save paper on printing our DIP.