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Traditionally, local school districts have shouldered the burden of funding school infrastructure in the name of local control, relying upon local property tax revenues and the willingness of local voters to approve bond issues. Given vast disparities in school districts' property wealth, gross inequities in school facilities will remain without new state or federal funding. With emerging research establishing the critical role of the physical environment of schools in student success, adequate and equitable funding of infrastructure takes on new urgency.
Although much has been written over the past 30 years on school finance equity, the majority of publications have focused on achieving equity in schools' day-to-day operating expenditures rather than their investment in infrastructure. This article addresses the forgotten side of education funding equity-the funding of the physical environment of schools in which students learn. To establish the role of school infrastructure in student success, an overview of recent research is first provided. The second section describes state and local funding options for school infrastructure along with the extent of unmet funding needs school districts face. In the third section, the role courts have come to play in addressing inequities in school infrastructure funding is explored. The article concludes with strategies to address the crisis in school infrastructure funding.
Recent Research: Does School Infrastructure Matter?
The relationship between school infrastructure and student success has remained an enduring research issue for over 70 years (Crampton, 2003). To begin, it is important to define what is meant by "school infrastructure." Thompson and Wood (2001) distinguish it from older terms, as follows:
Different language has been used over the years to describe the physical environment of education. School plant and facilities have been the common terms of describing school buildings, and capital outlay usually has referred to all aspects of paying for the permanent facility and equipment needs of schools. In a broader and more recent context, the term "infrastructure" has been used more frequently as it captures the whole range of capital needs in a single word. (pp. 254-255)
This definition assists in fleshing out the precise components of school infrastructure that create the physical environment of schools. Based on a synthesis of the research literature, Crampton, Thompson, and Hagey (2001) developed a comprehensive definition...