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State Board of Education chairman Bill Harrison recently commented that the Depression-era state legislature "stepped forward and supported public education," while recent legislatures have "chosen to turn [their] backs on our children." Let’s take a trip back in time, shall we?
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CommenTerry
In a recent interview with one of the many new employees of the NC Justice Center, State Board of Education (SBE) chairman Bill Harrison gave North Carolinians a novel historical comparison,
During the depression, which was the toughest fiscal time we ever had in this nation, the general assembly stepped forward and supported public education. We restructured our funding program in 1933 to ensure kids had access to something of quality across the state. In the second most difficult fiscal time we’ve had, we’ve chosen to turn our backs on our children.
Yes, you read that right. If given a choice between the Great Depression legislature and the Great Recession legislature, Harrison would take the Great Depression legislature because they "stepped forward and supported public education." The Great Recession legislature, which includes both Democrats and Republicans, just didn’t care about "the children." How depressing!
Before you blame Harrison, however, you should know that it is not entirely his fault. I suspect that he simply misinterpreted a section from the essay that formed the basis of the SBE’s vision statement. (If you are unfamiliar with "Vision of Public Education in North Carolina: A Great Public Education System for a Great State," see my October 16 newsletter.) Essay authors Edward B. Fiske and Helen F. Ladd wrote,
The challenge of raising tax revenue for public education is nothing new to this state, especially at times when the economy has been weak. With some notable exceptions, state policymakers have historically been reluctant to raise taxes for education, and the greatest gains to the education system have come during periods when the state’s economy was growing, such as during the 1920’s. When the Great Depression seriously threatened the prevailing system of local funding for education at the end of that decade, however, the General Assembly in 1931 took the courageous step of assuming responsibility for funding a free and uniform education for all children in North Carolina. This step paved the way for considerable educational progress in the following years.
Notice that Fiske and Ladd do not make an explicit comparison between Great Depression and Great Recession legislatures. That would be silly. Rather, they argue that reforms initiated in the 1920s set the stage for "progress" in subsequent years. Although I disagree with their argument, at least it is defensible.
Indeed, the Depression-era General Assembly did what liberals dream about — they centralized funding (and control) of public schooling, redistributed tax revenue, and raised taxes. As Fiske and Ladd point out, the state assumed nearly all responsibility for funding public schools in North Carolina. The shift was dramatic. In 1930, the state allotted $6.6 million for public schools, but increased their contribution to $17 million a year later. Localities contributed $25.8 million in 1930 but only $8.7 million in 1931.
In 1931, the legislature created an "equalization fund," supervised by the State Board of Equalization (naturally), under the guise of ensuring an equitable distribution of educational funding across the state. In the same year, the General Assembly levied a "temporary" 3 percent retail sales tax (that, of course, became permanent in 1939) and imposed a 15-cent state property tax.
Liberals may not be so pleased by the other "courageous" reforms initiated by the Depression-era state legislature. These measures included,
- Creating a new salary schedule for superintendents that, in most cases, reduced their salaries;
- Reducing state allotments for teachers and principals;
- Increasing the teaching load of high school teachers by one pupil for each 30 students enrolled;
- Increasing the teaching load of elementary school teachers by one pupil for each 35 students enrolled;
- Reducing teacher salaries between 15 and 25 percent, depending on the size of the school;
- Eliminating two years or "steps" from the salary schedule;
- Permitting the State Board of Equalization to make further reductions to the salary schedule of up to 10 percent; and
- Authorizing the State Board of Equalization to withhold funds from a school in close proximity to another school "of the same type."
And despite equalization efforts and tax increases, total education funding decreased. Between 1929 and 1934, total education spending fell from $33.4 million to $19.2 million. Per pupil expenditures also dropped (see Facts and Stats below).
So, how does all of this compare to today’s public schools?
In 1930, the average per-pupil expenditure was approximately $37 or around $508 in 2012 dollars. During the 2011-12 school year, the state spent a mere $8,436 per student.
The average high school teacher salary in 1930 was around $1,180 or $16,345 in current dollars. That is slightly less than the estimated $45,947 (not including benefits) earned by the average teacher last year. Sorry, let’s back up for a minute. The average white high school teacher salary in 1930 was $1,180. The average salary of an African-American high school teacher was only $819 during that year. In today’s dollars, the typical African-American high school teacher earned $5,000 less than her white counterparts thanks to a legislature that stepped forward and supported segregated systems of public education.
That pay differential does not mean that the typical African-American teacher had an easier go at it. There were an average of 28 pupils per white high school teacher during the 1930-31 school year. African-American teachers encountered nearly 33 students in the typical high school classroom. According to state statistics for the 2011-12 school year, the average high school English I class had 18 students. Algebra I classes had an average of 20 students.
Of course there is much more to the story than these facts reveal. But the above statistics do raise interesting questions about the idea of "educational progress" and what it means to "support" public education.
Random Thought
Have a happy Thanksgiving, folks.
Facts and Stats
Per Pupil Expenditure: Current expense and capital funds
1929-30 school years: $49.68
1931-32 school years: $35.27
1933-34 school years: $24.43
1935-36 school years: $36.78
1937-38 school years: $46.01
1939-40 school years: $45.38
1941-42 school years: $52.30
(Source: NC State Superintendent of Public Instruction, "Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of North Carolina: Part I Summary and Recommendations, 1942-1944," Publication No. 251, November 1, 1944.)
Education Acronym of the Week
SBE — State Board of Education
Quote of the Week
"During the depression, which was the toughest fiscal time we ever had in this nation, the general assembly stepped forward and supported public education. We restructured our funding program in 1933 to ensure kids had access to something of quality across the state. In the second most difficult fiscal time we’ve had, we’ve chosen to turn our backs on our children."
– "A veritable graveyard of education budget cuts" by Lucy Hood, NC Policy Watch, November 15, 2012
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