The ability to pay teachers, buy classroom materials and maintain the school's property is always an essential requirement of any educational institution. Elementary schools are largely funded a combination of property taxes and funding the from state and federal governments. When economic times are good, money from the state and federal governments is reliable, but when economic downturns come around, educational budgets are usually cut back. In addition, schools in lower income areas collect less money from property taxes than do schools in more affluent areas, and so have less money with which to educate their charges.
The No Child Left Behind legislation, enacted under President George W. Bush, set new standards that schools receiving public money had to meet. Although many lauded the move to increase the requirements for student achievement in the public school system, the legislation also dictated that schools that failed to meet the necessary standards would lose funding. This creates a challenge for low-performing schools of trying to turn themselves around when money is already scarce.
Another challenge facing primary education is the conflict between teacher's unions and state and federal officials. Teacher's unions collectively bargain to protect teachers based on their tenure and seniority. Government officials want schools to start dealing with their teachers on the basis of the teacher's performance and effectiveness. This debate extends into issues of who is laid off in times of economic cuts, and, as of 2010, certain government educational funding programs would only give money to educational systems that used teacher evaluation systems.
As the American educational system increases its focus on math and science, these two disciplines are taught earlier. Consequently, the debate surrounding teachers covering the theory of evolution, along with what opponents refer to as alternative theories such as intelligent design, is a hot topic in primary education. However, teachers are sometimes challenged by parents to include other theories, such as intelligent design, in the curriculum.