This has led to wide disparities in the ability of school districts to maintain or replace facilities. In 1997, a new funding mechanism, the local option sales tax, was instituted which allowed some districts to generate local infrastructure funding. Until the 2000-2001 school year, there has been little, if any, state funding for school infrastructure. The need for school infrastructure funding is significant. Many school districts simply do not have the means to bring their aging facilities up to the standards needed to allow students to compete in the 21 st century.
Research suggests there is a connection between infrastructure and student achievement.
When students are focused on problems with the physical environment instead of classroom issues, learning is not maximized. In this public policy question, the alternative is not simply between good facilities and bad facilities, but between bad aging facilities and modern good facilities with the capacity for technological growth. The current system, including the recent local option sales tax, has highlighted the inequity of the current school infrastructure local funding mechanisms. School districts with higher property or sales tax capacity have an easier time getting a bond issue or local option tax passed because part of the tax is either paid by nonresidents of the school district or because each taxpayer pays proportionately less. While significant in terms of overall funding, it doesn't even begin to adequately address the infrastructure needs of those districts with little ability to locally finance infrastructure.