At least the United States has 51 funding systems for providing education. They all vary in the degree of spending and type of spending students receive in the United States. School underfunding especially affects the poorest members of society, has been a major problem in American politics for three decades, and has led to the decline of public education. While underfunding of schools threatens education and American society, there are ways to alter the course of a failing education system. To begin with, the problem with the American school funding system is the variations that exist between different districts or states. Underfunding exists because the U.S. federal government allows it to go out by allowing state and local governments to decide what their contribution to education will be. This variation is exemplified by the state of Hawaii, “the entire state is a single school district and only 2% of funding comes from local sources” (Connell) and the state of New Hampshire, “the state shares only 8% of public education costs, so schools are almost entirely dependent on local property taxes” (Connell). Each state has its own funding policy, and even among districts there are wide variations in spending. Urban and suburban schools with large student populations that qualify for free or reduced admission typically receive less school funding than their counterparts due to differences in each district's local property taxes. Variations of this kind and degree hinder American education. Furthermore, the importance of school funding has been one of the most important issues facing America for three decades. Since the 1980s, both American citizens and government officials have been interested in spending... that paper... can spend. It is embarrassing when a nation claims to be a developed nation when the majority of its people receive a substandard education that would not be tolerated in most nations. Communities like those in and around Chicago must stand up and demand changes to government funding so we can once again assert that the United States is a developed country capable of competing with the rest of the world. Works Cited Biddle, Bruce J. and David C. Berliner. "Belonging". Educational leadership: Beyond instructional leadership: Unequal school funding in the United States. Np, May 2002. Web. 26 February 2014. Connell, Noreen. “Underfunded Schools.” Dollars and Sense: Real World Economics. Np, 1998. Web. February 28, 2014."Quick Facts." Quick facts. Np, nd Web. February 26, 2014."Who pays for education?" Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. February 27. 2014.