Generally, the property tax is very limited in funding public schools properly. The typical town budget is not often able to adjust to growing populations or increased costs such as utilities and health insurance premiums. Funding is adequate, but no means a guarantee of a high-quality education. High quality education requires teachers to be paid at a living wage, and classroom sizes need to be smaller than they are now. The district and town determines if these are values they wish to support and fund.
There are some private education grant sources, DOE grants, USDOE grants and sources, including businesses which can provide additional financial resources for expanded opportunities in some creative areas. Some grants fund innovative teacher programs above and beyond the curriculum, some provide for after school programs, and some provide after school tutoring or enrichment opportunities.
Fundraisers can be targeted for specific programs. In one community, Asian American families do fundraising to bring in Chinese as a language in the schools. In another, a local education foundation provides a grant each year to a district to support a disability awareness program.
