The distribution of resources to education in school districts has been controversial over the decades. Normally, the distribution of resources would reflect what voters want; however, that is not always so since many different actors are involved in the process. Teacher unions or older citizens often have their own vision of how resources should be distributed and are influential enough to impact the process. School boards are formed to be representative, but practice shows that their decisions do not always align with public opinion.
The allocation of resources in schools often depends on what kind of voters there are in the district. Statistics show that Democratic voters tend to be more generous, while Republicans are more economical. However, these differences cannot be called significant since outside factors often become predominant in resource allocation. Today, school boards aim to include all population groups; however, this often leads to distortion in general representation. Thus, minority groups can get more votes on the board than the relative number of people they represent simply by being included. Powerful teacher unions lobby their interests at board meetings; local political institutions want to have their way in resource allocation.
In fact, establishing a school board system that includes different actors was initially launched to reduce the level of statutory control and increase the reflection of public opinion. However, today, with the inclusion of new actors, the school board system has become cumbersome and overloaded. Often private interests prevail over the common good, leading to underfinancing of many great schools and colleges. The problem has become especially acute as often these private interests run counter to the aims and values of school education. The reforms adopted throughout the years do not seem to work anymore, which is why it is imperative to find new ways of school governing reflecting what voters in particular districts want.