Many poor public schools do not pay teachers and educators as much as wealthier schools just a few miles away, according to a survey of 13,000 school districts the U.S. Department of Education released on Wednesday, Reuters reports. The department found that more than 40 percent of schools with low-income students spend less per pupil than other public schools in the same district.
“Many public schools serving low-income children aren’t getting their fair share of state and local education funding,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan on a conference call with reporters, adding that the survey encompassing the 2008-09 school year “confirmed an unfortunate reality.”