How important is school funding in determining the quality of a school?

Community and parent involvement really do make the biggest difference in schools . That I agree with 100% .
I also must say that money can be a big help . I live in rural WV and yes some of our schools are under funded and some that get the money do not put it to good use or as well of a use as what they could.

Our school has been getting new computers for three years now and we have yet to get them . We have now had a fourth grade teaching job done away with all together. Our school is under funded and they blame it on every financial thing under the sun from the price of gas to teachers pay. Even thought our Superintendent was able to spend twenty thousand dollars to redo her office that was just redone a few years back .

We do our best to fund what we can with PTO money but that can be very hard to do at times . We have other schools who sell and peddal the same as we do and it is hard for people to buy from every kid who hits the door step. This is an unrelated fact but we have thirtytwo thousand people unemployed in this state and that dose not count older people on a fixed income so money is tight . We are looking into donations from large companies who need the tax break to get us through the year.

I will admit we have a few parents who are in PTO power who like to waste alot of money that we make . Or are unable to comprehend that we need to make x amount off of a fund raiser to get this or that to help the kids .

So I see the waist and I have also seen parents pull kids from our school and move them to schools with the things we do not get and can not afford on our own .

I feel education is not as big a priority as it should be in this country and we as parents need to change that . We talk a good talk about no child left behind but a large amount of kids are left behind or fall through the cracks .
We as parents need to see that our kids schools are top notch with parent support, the proper use of money ,demanding our kids get all they need for a great education .

I agree, funding is not all answers to the quality schools, but "very" important.

Money helps and very effective in all districts that need quality teachers and administrators, science lab., music, Arts, or foreign language program and have a massive special education/ gifted students.

The fact is, money drives high income earners to pick and choose from many options the best school for their children and pay for expensive extra curriculum activities . Also, money influences a school district to pick and choose the best teachers and programs for their students and community.

I worked at low income and affluent school districts and I saw the power of almighty money in one school and devastation of inadequate money in another school.

Money gives schools, families, communities, and nations power of many choices. I think proper school funding should be a common sense policy for all schools in this super rich nation.

Parents and community make the bigger difference in our public schools. That's why it's important for parents to become involved in their kids' schools, join the Leadership Council at school, and help direct where the money gets spent - where it's needed, in the classrooms.

Theoretically the amount of money isn't the problem, because private and charter schools can do it with less. It's the getting it from warchests to the classroom that seems the biggest issue.

Teacher unions complain about bureaucracy, and certainly in a district with decreasing enrollment, we shouldn't need MORE layers of districts and offices. On the other hand, the teacher's union is often the number one reason that districts can't change.

The bottom line is this all has to start in the home with expectations and responsibility.