Introduction

Within the education system in Colorado, I believe there are

many inequities that exist. The major one I have found that
exists as a common theme at all levels and settings, is the
inequity around financial resources. This inequity impacts the
most important entity within the educational system; the
student.
The Past
When I first entered the education field, I taught in a school in
which 97% of the students were received free and reduced
lunch. As you can imagine, classroom materials were hard to
come by. I recall that my grade was implementing a new
phonics program. Some of the first activities required magnetic
letters for the students to sort. For a class of 28 students, I
REFLECTION
Renee Martinez
Financial Resource Inequities in Education
November 3, 2013
received 5 letter kits. After checking with the other teacher, I
found out that the 5 kits were not only for my classroom of 28
students, but we were to share them! Contrast this with my
experience in a school in an affluent neighborhood. I remember
being amazed at the abundance of materials available. Not
only did the students have access to all the things necessary for
lessons, the level of donations that the school received was
astounding.
After my time as a teacher in a brick and mortar classroom, I
went on to teach in an online setting. Instead of a student
demographic that came only from one area, I now had students
in my class from all over the state. Initially, I was unaware of
the inequities around technological resources, which can be
due to a lack of financial resources. The school I worked for
provided the students with a computer to use for the duration of
the time that they were enrolled in the school. I soon noticed an
issue for some larger families. The loaner computer was given
out on a per family basis. For families who had students in
multiple grade levels, this was a problem. Of course, as you
can imagine in families with multiple children, financial
resources may not be as readily available. Some of the
concerns that I had with the policy was that I felt it hindered
student success. For example, the student in my class would
not be able to attend the live session because a sibling in a
higher grade would be using the loaned computer at that time.
Other issues that I had seen in the online setting had to do with
broadband and bandwidth. Often, even though students had a
loaned computer, the slow speed of the internet connection
would hinder their participation in live sessions. Even though
the school provided a small stipend for internet service, some
families could not afford to upgrade their service.
.
The Present
Currently, I am still in the education field. However, it is
not in the teacher capacity. My position requires me to
consider issues at a state level. Many of the issues that
have come to my attention are again around financial
resources. I have observed how districts are funded.
Some smaller rural districts have been hit harder by
budget cuts and with the onslaught of online schools
managed by for-profit corporations appearing in the
community. Often, the for-profit managed schools have
the resources to recruit students away from district run
schools, resulting in the smaller districts losing financial
resources. In addition, many of the students quickly
become disenchanted with the online schools and seek
to return to the district run school. The small district run
school is now educating the student but is without the
financial resources to do so.
The Future
What are the implications of the inequities of financial
resources in education? Unfortunately, too many to
ignore. How can we expect all students, regardless of
background, social economic status, or location receive
an equal education when such inequities exist? What
does this mean for the future of society?
It appears that some steps are being taken to ensure
that students have access to the same educational
opportunities. For example, in Denver Public School
District, the school choice initiative has been publicized
more and offered to families of the district. Opponents

of this initiative claim that if the inequities didnt exist in
the first place, school choice would not be needed. The
other argument is that the families, who reside where
the lower income schools and inequities exist, may not
have the resources to provide transportation to the
school of choice. The district currently does not provide
transportation for students who choose a school of
choice.
It appears also, that the educational funding bill cur-
rently on the ballot, will seek to address some of the
current funding inequities for school districts and stu-
dents. While it is not known if the initiative will receive
voter approval, it is a small step in the right direction.
Hopefully, the increased funding will be allocated based
on need and will alleviate some inequities that exist.
Conclusion
In my time in the education field, I have seen both the
haves and have-nots. The thing that I find so puz-
zling is that public education is purported to be for all
students and in an equal manner. Sadly, in my observa-
tions, this is not always the case. Why should
someones outcome in life be predicted by where they
went to school? Even though a student in a low income
area should theoretically receive the same education as
a student in an affluent neighborhood, this is not so.
The lack of financial resources creates a barrier for stu-
dents in the classroom. While I do not have the solution
to the issue, I hope that I see it resolved within my life-
time.