I Don’t See Race: Why We Can’t Ignore Equity in Effective Government 

The same government services look very different for communities facing poverty, low density, population loss and colorblind policies.In 1963, more than 250,000 students boycotted the Chicago Public Schools to protest racial segregation. Specifically, they were calling for the resignation of Superintendent Benjamin Willis for discriminatory practices. In overcrowded segregated black schools, the Superintendent called for constructing trailers, or ‘Willis Wagons,’ on school grounds instead of allowing black students to enroll at white schools. The protests were not successful and segregation was maintained.

This was a part of de facto segregation policies of Mayor Richard J. Daley that made segregation normal in Chicago. This arrangement has remain largely unchanged to this day.This is more than a historical anecdote. White racial advantage in policy and resource distribution is the foundation of our urban history. From explicit racial school segregation, FHA loan practices and redlining, racially inequitable public policy has shaped our region’s urban landscape. While legal discrimination has largely been eliminated, historic effects of racism and present inequitable investment and law enforcement perpetuate disparities in education, housing, employment, income, wealth, and more as described in MPC’s Cost of Segregation. Not only do we pay costs of segregation, we also miss the opportunity for greater growth that results from more equitable outcomes.

There are several policies that invest for growth and narrow racial inequities in outcomes. A commonly cited example is Early Childhood education. As noted by the White House in 2014, the benefit increases cognitive and achievement scores by 0.35 standard deviations on average, or nearly half the black-white difference in the kindergarten achievement gap. Expanding access to early childhood education would go a long way to reducing the achievement gap. Reducing the achievement gap in education would have profound impact on reducing government costs and increasing economic productivity. This includes employment, income, child bearing, health, likelihood of receiving public assistance, and political participation.However, systemic inequities persist. In Chicagoland, there has been a history of structural funding disparities that impact the education system as a whole. In 2017, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) provided the Operating Expense Per Pupil (OEPP) that demonstrated the wide disparity in the state.

For elementary schools, Lake County’s Roundout SD 72 spent 34,306.51 per student compared to Bureau County’s Cherry SD 92, which spent 2,790.05 per student. For high school districts, Cook County’s Niles Twp HSD 219 spent $30,257.37 per student compared to Johnson County’s Vienna HSD 133 which spent $9,475.55 per student.The is a lack of equity between urban, suburban, and rural communities where some students get what they need while others are left behind.In the face of these inequities, the Illinois legislature passed SB1 which seeks to address some of the inequities in the state funding formula in August 2017. It uses what is described as ‘adequacy targets’ to devote state funds to areas that have low financial capacity to fund schools at a level described in legislation as adequate. Although this formula is more equitable than the previous formula, the use of ‘adequacy targets’ allows a structural inequity to persist based on a local district’s ability to pay for services.By ignoring equity in Illinois education, we provide significantly more public resources to wealthy areas and ignore the needs of our neediest children. Is there any wonder that we have disparities in achievement outcomes?

MPC’s Our Equitable Future suggests several systemic recommendations to increase equity in our region. Among its education recommendations, it advocates shifting school funding from local to state allocations in a more equitable way, prioritizing students experiencing poverty, English Language Learners and students with special education needs. There is only one other question that remains: How can we pursue effective government without considering equity?Ultimately, equity in policymaking is a foundational principle in effective government. As a region, leaders need to think equitably so we all can have a prosperous future.