The largest initiative to combat poverty by funding public schools has occurred in Camden, New Jersey, the poorest small city in America. New Jersey spends about 60 percent more on education per pupil than the national average according to 2012 census figures, or about $19,000 in 2013. In Camden, per pupil spending was more than $25,000 in 2013, making it one of the highest spending districts in the nation.
But as Reason.com notes, all that extra money hasn’t changed the fact that Camden’s public schools are among in the worst in the nation, notorious for their abysmal test scores, the frequent occurrence of in-school violence, dilapidated buildings, and an on-time graduation rate of just 61 percent.
As Bridget Cusato-Rosa, Principal of Freedom Prep Charter School, says in the mini-documentary about the effort,
A lack of resources is not our problem. I actually despise that argument. I think it’s a scapegoat. ‘We need more money. If we had more money, we could do this, or do this.’ It’s just a Band-Aid for the problem. Why not address the real issue, which is what’s broken right in front of you?
