Kenneth Phelps, 2013
Of all the influences on educational achievement—e.g., teacher qualifications and motivation, administrative support, and parental and community involvement—among the least recognized is the condition and appropriateness of the school capital facility. Since the state constitution mandates that all students have an equal opportunity to attain a relevant education, a lack—or inequality—of any of those influences would seem to demand rectification. In probing the perceptions of superintendents and finance officers in North Carolina school districts, this research determined that the administrators (1) recognize the importance of capital facilities to educational success, (2) identify capital facility needs within their own district, and (3) attribute those needs to shortcomings of finances. However, a consensus regarding the appropriate process for ensuring greater equity of facilities was not found. In general, there was the perception that funding distribution based on horizontal equity (“headcount”) was not appropriate in many cases, current practice notwithstanding, and such distribution should be to some extent needs-based. This study concludes with a recommendation for increased state involvement in the funding process, with allocations to be made among selected districts each year, and aimed to redress specific extreme deficiencies in capital facilities. Funding is proposed to be derived from an increase in the state sales tax, and allocated primarily according to need.
