It matters specifically because there is a coordinated effort to prevent minority communities from building wealth and achieving equality. And the results suggest it remains effective. Look how quickly southern states disenfranchised black communities of equal voting rights when the Supreme Court gutted the voting rights act.

You’re also assuming I wouldn’t agree that low income families deserve support in a similar fashion. I do. I think it’s important social policy to balance the scales across different issues that cause inequality. I think affirmative action can and should factor in geography and income levels regardless of race.

That brooking paper doesn’t support your thesis or undermine mine. Here is a quote: “ We also find that low-poverty and predominantly white districts were more protected from spending cuts during the Great Recession, and high-poverty or predominantly non-white districts were the least protected.”. So when society is cutting budgets they cut minority education first.

Here is another: “ differences in average spending between states remain a major driver of spending inequality overall, even though policy conversations often focus on within-state differences.”. That means the more money spend the more equal outcomes tend to become.

Now this quote supports your thesis that property taxes are less of a determining factor in overall spending and I am open to revising my opinion: “ School finance systems are complex, and local taxes are salient to the public. By contrast, funding from the state or federal government, which disproportionately benefits more disadvantaged districts, is less visible.” But later the authors state that “ We agree with the authors of those reports—and the broader consensus—that high-poverty schools need more funding than their low-poverty counterparts to fulfill their mission; equal is not equitable.” Which think, read fairly means that it may take more spending in low income underperforming communities to achieve equal outcomes. So it may mean than minority communities need 3x the spending to white communities to achieve balance. The reason makes sense when you stop to think of the world outside of the classroom and the effects of poverty and racism. If a child doesn’t have enough to eat, is surrounded by instability, is mistreated in most social interactions their performance in school will suffer. If a high school student is the first in their family to apply to college they may need to figure it out on their own as opposed to a family that guides a student to their legacy Alma Mater, helps them write their admissions essays, connects them with references for letters of recommendation etc all for free. Those support systems cost money for communities that don’t have them built into the fabric of their communities.