By Andrew Pillow
It’s hard enough to find your dream home in this economy. However, these days house shoppers are having to overcome another obstacle in their search. Bad schools.
New home buyers have always prioritized certain school districts over others. Most shoppers would tell you that they want the neighborhood they move into to have good schools. However, good schools are at a premium, ironically due in large part to the same economic conditions that led to the housing crisis.
“State and local governments spent $12.6 billion on elementary school construction in 2016, according to Census Bureau data—the highest amount in six years, but a 31 percent decrease compared with 2008, even before adjusting for inflation. Meanwhile, while construction spending has plummeted, enrollment has increased by four percent.
Most funding for school construction comes from local governments, said Alex Donahue, deputy director for policy and research at the 21st Century School Fund, a Washington-based nonprofit. With local finances continuing to suffer years after the collapse, there is less money for school funding in general, and facilities upgrades in particular.”
All of this comes at the worst possible time for government as raising taxes and taking on debt has become political poison.
Read more here. (Bloomberg)