SPECIAL REPORT: School district funding disparity in Monterey County

It is not uncommon to hear that Montery County is a collection of cities separated by minutes, but are full worlds apart.

This was thrust into the national spotlight after a recent study from EdBuild highlighted what they call “divisive” borders, neighboring school districts separated by large gaps in student funding and racial makeup. On their national list – they compare Carmel Unified School District to bordering Monterey Peninsula Unified School District (MPUSD), Gonzales Unified School District, and Soledad Unified School District. The same designation was given to Pacific Grove Unified School District and MPUSD. The numbers from EdBuild’s study show that Carmel received roughly double the revenue per student compared with the other three. Their “nonwhite” student percentage is 38 percent. MPUSD is 80 percent nonwhite. Soledad and Gonzales are both 98 percent.

KION spoke with EdBuild’s Policy Director, Zahava Stadler, who says this situation comes from historical issues.

“The way we segregated our communities is built on years and years that made it easier for white families to build off wealth in their homes,” Stadler said.

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) works towards “educational attainment of the Hispanic population.” Andrew Sandoval, the Head of the Education Committee for their Salinas location, says that they provide scholarships and on-the-ground resources to provide help outside of government funding.

“[We do this] When services aren’t provided equally to students. We come across situations where we feel that a certain student, maybe because his parents aren’t able to communicate or be as present, needs more representation. That’s where we show up,” Sandoval said.

The disparity lies with how school are funded in California.

“You don’t receive funding because of the race of our students. The funding is received because of your district’s needs and because of the state’s formulas,” Dr. Deneen Guss, the Monterey County Office of Education Superintendent of Schools, said.

While their role has been diminished, property taxes are still king. If a district’s haul is below “base funding,” the state will provide aid until that point through the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). However, a select few districts, called “Basic Aid” districts, receive enough property tax revenue to go above the mark and the cash stays with them.

2017-2018 district budget documents show Carmel Unified School District listed with an estimated 49 million dollars in property taxes. Gonzales only saw six million.

KION and Telemundo 23 reached out to Carmel, Gonzales, MPUSD and Soledad for comment. Only Gonzales agreed to speak with us. Superintendent Yvette Irving says comparing them to Carmel is apples and oranges because their funding sources are so different.

“It is not a matter of what we see in neighboring districts as much of what we see that are growing areas of need,” Irving said.

As in many cases nationwide, teachers often still have to buy many of their own supplies. Gonzales has a wish-list of programs they would implement if extra cash comes in.

“Additional mental health services. Expanded parenting and family support services,” Irving said. Adding, “we would love to be able to upgrade and expand our computer science programs” to partner with local businesses.

There are efforts to level the playing field. Districts receive state money for enrolled foster youth, students from low-income households, and “English language learners.” And if their “average daily attendance” exceeds 55 percent of students from that list, they receive additional “concentration” funding. These supplemental funding sources are estimated to give MPUSD, Soledad, and Gonzales districts between 18-hundred and 31-hundred dollars extra per student for the 2019-2020 school year – a combined 28 million dollars.

However, even with that number, total revenue per student is still only half that of Carmel. But numbers from the state show Carmel is really an outlier. Our “dismissed” districts’ funding is similar to what is seen in many California districts because they are all under the same “base funding” formula through LCFF.

“But it is moving towards equity. The intent is trying to meet the needs of the schools that serve students with greater needs. The problem here is the base funding is still not enough,” Guss said.

And the English Language Learner program isn’t without its issues. Sandoval says answering the accompanying survey a certain way, which asks about your first language and the language spoken at home, lands some students in the program that are better served outside of it.

“They (would) have more access to elective classes. A higher change of getting into AP (Advanced Placement) classes – being able to choose their path rather than being directed,” Sandoval said.