© 2025 | Jefferson Public Radio
Southern Oregon University
1250 Siskiyou Blvd.
Ashland, OR 97520
541.552.6301 | 800.782.6191
Listen | Discover | Engage a service of Southern Oregon University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

School Choice May Work for Some, But Can Lead to Underfunded and Segregated Schools

The exterior of Kelly Middle School in the Eugene 4J School District.
Denise Silfee
The exterior of Kelly Middle School in the Eugene 4J School District.

Applications to transfer schools in the Eugene 4J and Springfield School Districts are open. But the process of school choice can lead to segregated and underfunded schools.

Not all schools have the same resources. So if your child has a disability and you don’t think they’re receiving enough assistance, you might consider using the school choice system. But problems can occur when students leave a school because it’s quote, ‘bad’ or ‘low performing.’

JerryRosiek is a professor at the University of Oregon who studiesschool segregation and institutional racism in schools. Since school funding is partially based on the number of students, he said resources typically end up followingkids who come from more privileged households.

"The reason you need to have mixed population schools is so that you don't effectively end up with a maldistribution of the material and curricular resources necessary for high levels of achievement,” saidRosiek.

Rosiek said parents should invest their time or political lobbying into their children’s current schools to get additional resources.
Copyright 2021 KLCC.

Elizabeth Gabriel
Elizabeth Gabriel is KLCC Public Radio Foundation Reporting Fellow. She does stories on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Recent threats to federal funding are challenging the way stations like JPR provide service to small communities in rural parts of the country.
Your one-time or sustaining monthly gift is more important than ever.