In Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?

Commenters focused first on the article’s factual claims about resource inequality. One commentator challenged the headline $23 billion gap, arguing the EdBuild methodology omitted federal dollars (citing federal education and Title I budgets) and used PPP-adjustments that reward sparsely populated, predominantly white regions with lower costs. They pointed to research they said shows Black and Latinx per‑pupil spending can exceed White spending once those factors are accounted for, and noted the U.S. ranks high in per‑pupil spending internationally; that commenter concluded funding alone cannot explain school outcomes and accused the piece of relying on misleading data.

Others turned to the moral question raised by the author’s decision to prioritize community-wide advocacy over her own child’s immediate interests. One commenter acknowledged the generational impulse to choose the collective good but argued the author should have favored her child’s welfare, calling “betray” perhaps too strong but saying parental duty matters. The split, as reflected in the discussion, was between skepticism that funding disparities are the primary problem and debate over whether parents should sacrifice individual advantage for broader racial or communal aims.