The percentage varies by state and local district. The entire matter involves numerous categorical aids from the state as well as Federal grants-in-aid. Though property tax is a common source of state income, it is not the only guideline for how much a school will get, at least in California and a couple of other states I have explored. Here is what happens in Calif, and other states. The first call goes to what is called the Local Wealth index. This is based on property values. This index sets up what is called Revenue Limit funding. Rev Limit funding comes from the state General Fund, of which property tax is only one component. This index is set up by information provided to the State Budget Office by the county. It is up to the county to make sure the info is accurate and up-to-date. This is the single biggest source of income and has nothing to do with anyone higher than the local school board, who provides info to the county, and the county officials themselves. This info can be updated annually, and, in a growing area, can substantially improve local funding if the board is sharp and stays on top of things. After that there is a complex mix of categorical aids based on social factors, ethnic makeup, test scores (yes, that again), special ed needs, second language needs, etc., etc. While there is a substantial amount of money available through these devices (as much as 20% of total funding from all levels), there is also a huge amount of bureaucracy necessary to track all the performance requirements tied to these programs. It is in this area that a lot of teachers get frustrated with all of the things the state requires them to do in order to get the money. This is where test scores come into the picture and it quickly becomes a catch-22 and a bureacratic nightmare. For example, in low achieving schools there is additional funding available to help bring students up to a higher level. However, once they get to that level, the school loses the funding for that category. ESL funds are done the same way. Other programs are similar. Consequently, one can make a legitimate argument that there is at least a mixed message being sent that on one hand gives the schools money if they bring up performance levels but takes away money when they do. Hence, one can make just about any case they want from the very contradictory data that results. But ultimately, it is NOT the governor that has much to do with school funding. The governor is only the most VISIBLE person at the state level. The same is true on the national level. Therefore, when you, or anyone else says, it is this guy's fault, or that, it is only a superficial view that does little more than support one's own political perspective or "agenda." On a scale of 1-10 in order of importance, local officials are a 9, the governor is a 2 and the President is a .5. I hope this gives you a little more insight into the process, deeply flawed though it is, that is constantly evolving behind the scenes that brings money to your school, and others like it, to provide what is still the best free education in the world. I applaud you for your interest into all of this. It is young people like you that will be the ones to decide how to fix and maintain a better system in the future. Good stuff!! BTW, what running events do you do?
Interesting. In Texas, our funding problems are directly related to problems with property taxes, and I'm having difficulty recalling the specific problem right now, but it had to do with a cap on the percentage of tax that a district could draw from the property within the district. As for running, my best event is a 10K, but for high-school cross-country, we run 5k's, and the longest event in track is 2 miles.
I wouldn't get ahead of yourself. Studies have shown that the biggest factor in the quality of the schools is..............money that comes from property taxes. Dump a lot of money on a school that don't come from property taxes and very little changes. There's a considerably more complicated explanation behind this, but its REALLY freaking late where I am, and I have more work to do.
I do agree that property taxes are the biggest dividing line between good and bad (re: rich and poor) schools.
I don't know what Texas does in terms of funding from property taxes but that is a big chunk of what comes back to the school. It differs somewhat from state to state, I know the formula for California but don't know anything about Texas. Reason I asked about running is that our agency sells running shoes, I'll leave the brand out of it for now. We sell a lot of shoes to both XC and track at HS level. I am a recreational runner myself. Training for a half marathon in August. Want to do a full marathon in December. I was a sprinter back in the day but now it is just staying in shape. Do you run any track events?