Introduction
There is a rising concern about the cost and value of college, given that college education is expensive to both students and the government. The scarce funding allocated for the education sector must be divided fairly to benefit the most deserving students. The officials of higher education budgetary allocation are under pressure to show accountability for the funds. As a result, some institutions have adopted performance and outcome-based funding (POBF) policies to help campuses focus on the issues that the voters and government perceive to be more crucial (Jones et al., 2017). Another important development is student-based budgeting (SBB), in which institutions get funding based on the number of enrolled learners (Education Resource Strategies, 2018). The Alief ISD campus can borrow from the recommendations to improve its budgetary allocations. Although there is limited funding for students, if budgetary allocations focus on assisting students based on academic performance, student vulnerability, and funding applicants, it will reach the most students and enhance equity.
Academic Performance
Academic performance is a significant factor to assess when considering the students who are more deserving than others. Notably, academics is not limited to the Grade Point Average but entails other factors such as discipline. For instance, reports indicate that the percentage of dropouts in 2019 and 2020 for African Americans, Hispanics, Whites, American Indians, and Asians is 0.8%, 1.4%, 1.1%, 0.0%, and 0.5%, respectively (“Annual performance relief,” 2022). Therefore, when disbursing money, American Indians should be given high consideration compared to Hispanics because the latter are likely to drop out of school. The school will be better able to account for the money of students who work hard to graduate than dropouts.
The SBB recommends that gifted students are given a higher preference when allocating money because they are likely to be more productive in society after graduation. For instance, the total operating revenue that Alief ISD had in the financial year 2021-2022 is $408,697,695, equivalent to 10,056 per student (“2021 – 2022 budgeted financial data totals for ALIEF ISD,” 2022). Instead of budgeting for all students to get the same amount of money, it is vital to consider high achievers and give them more funding. Genius students have a higher potential for being innovative in the industries compared to those who are poor academically.
Student Vulnerability
The education sector should be fair in offering opportunities to all students. Yet, institutions of higher learning are guilty of segregating students from low-income families. During the selection and placement of fresher students, most are chosen from well-off families. Moreover, federal and local government funding is still distributed equally to the students without money and those from wealthy families. The recommendation is for the budget to be done based on the needs of students. Noteworthy, there are racial implications regarding the affordability of education. Black and Latino Americans are more likely to drop out of school due to poverty-related factors (Jones et al., 2017). One factor that makes citizens of Hispanic and African descent perform poorly is that they go to under-funded public schools and lack most resources during their primary and high school education
It is fair that those who work hard to get to campus are given more financial sponsorship to focus on their studies. The strategy will ensure that many students enter the campus because many people from low-income families will be empowered to school. Those who can afford to pay their fee and campus sustenance will not be affected. The implication is that more students will get the chance to study and improve their future.
Restricting Funding to Applicant
Equity funding requires the budgetary committee of Alief ISD to develop guidelines for the neediest students to apply for the funding and provide justifiable evidence as to why they need the assistance. The suggestion is to ensure that funds are only provided to the most deserving students without considering other factors such as ethnicity. When students know that the process of applying for financial assistance is lengthy and the committee has a strict method of scrutinizing the documents, the learners who are not poor will shy away. The funds can then be given to students who have shown proof that they need support to complete their campus education. Moreover, the committee can ask the applicants to state if they need partial or full support. The implication is that more people will get help to join Alief ISD because there will be a group with full scholarships and a majority with enough backing to complement what they have.
Conclusion
It is difficult to achieve equity funding, but there are recommendations to help ensure that the neediest and worthy students get financed, whereas those with the capacity for self-sponsorship do their tasks alone. The first suggestion is to prioritize learners who depict academic excellence because they have higher chances of graduating and becoming responsible. It is also important to choose the needy students who have historically had marginalization issues to increase their representation on campus. Lastly, the budgetary committee should establish guidelines for worthy students to apply and receive the financial support they need. Following these suggestions will ensure that there are more people in Alief ISD.
References
2021 – 2022 budgeted financial data totals for ALIEF ISD (101903). Texas Education Agency 2022). Web.
Annual performance relief. (2022). Alief ISD. Web.
Education Resource Strategies. (2018). Transforming school funding for equity, transparency, and flexibility: An introduction to student based budgeting. Web.
Jones, T., Jones, S., Elliott, K. C., Owens, L. R., Assalone, A. E., & Gándara, D. (2017). Outcomes based funding and race in higher education: Can equity be bought? Springer.