Last month the state of California settled a major lawsuit filed on behalf of students attending low performing schools who couldn’t read well enough to pass the state exam. The suit argues first, that literacy is a right under the state constitution, second, that low test scores prove that right is not being provided, and third, that California lacks a plan to fix the problem. The $53 million settlement has been met with tempered fanfare, and hopes that it might mark a larger change in education programs and funding. Unfortunately, those hopes are unfounded, and this big settlement will provide little in terms of payouts, payoffs, or precedent.
The settlement agreement requires state officials to introduce legislation to establish a $50 million block grant program. That money would fund improvements over three years to the 75 public elementary schools with the poorest third-grade reading scores in California. It also includes an additional $3 million to install a statewide literacy leader.
Fifty-three million dollars sounds like a lot of money, until you put it in perspective. According to our back of the envelope calculations, $50 million divided among 75 California schools with an average of 560 students over 3 years would work out to about $400 per child per year —maybe up to $800 if the money is strictly targeted to the K-3 students within those schools, as intended.
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