Are public schools moving away from public funding? It’s starting to look like that could one day be a possibility.

It’s no secret that schools have faced years of sharp budget cuts. If you read the Center’s report, “Cutting to the Bone,” you’ll see that the recession has caused such a drop in school funding that schools have not only been forced to cut extra services, but some essential ones as well.

Two metro DC districts have started to look to private funding in order to make up some of that difference. Most publicly, former D.C. school chancellor Michelle Rhee turned to private grants for money for teacher raises and bonuses last year.

Now Fairfax County Public Schools (widely regarded as one of the country’s wealthiest districts) is creating its second foundation in order to raise money for projects “such as reducing or eliminating the fees for Advanced Placement tests, helping seniors through the college admissions process and supporting a host of programs for under-represented students.”

Those are great projects. And the money raised last year from the foundation is a miniscule fraction of the Fairfax overall budget — $330,000 out of a $2.2 billion dollar budget.

But what about this line from the article: “Donors also will be able to propose their own projects in conjunction with the school system”?

I’m concerned that this might signal the beginning of a trend that will just widen the gaps between the haves and the have-nots. Will the best education go to the districts that can attract the most grant money? Will big donors control what is taught in schools, rather than the local community?

Those who wish to donate to schools should be applauded and thanked. But public schools should stay public — and that means continuing to run off of public funds. If public schools find that they can’t do their basic jobs on public money, perhaps we need to take another look at the funding system. – Rebecca St. Andrie