Trend away from local control Like other judges in such cases, he was asked in a lawsuit to put the burden of reform at the state level, reducing the responsibility of local communities. That's a worrisome trend among reformers who neglect what drives education to begin with. But that's become less certain as low-income parents persuade state judges that one town or city should not have to educate its children with substantially fewer dollars than another. That demand for equity in school funding assumes more dollars will lead automatically to better education. That's not always the case.
Parental guidance has far more influence than school budgets.
The New York judge found that state aid was being distributed according to a formula that left New York City shortchanged in educating the bulk of its students, who are poor and minorities. That's often been a political upheaval. And states will be perplexed if highly motivated communities raise private funds for public schools, further creating disparities. Finding new ways to pay for public schools requires innovation. But any court mandate for equal funding per pupil or specific reforms is not practical if local decisionmaking, a pillar of American education, is to be preserved.