The Truth About Per Pupil Spending

One of the arguments the "Public School Status Quo" folks continue to make is that public schools educate children for far less.  Recently, Round Rock ISD trustee Glenn Colby claimed that public schools are educating children for "$7,000 to $8,000 a student."  I don't know if Mr. Colby is intentionally misleading the public or is just ignorant, but public schools spend far more than $8,000 per student.

The reason folks think that public schools spend so much less is because of the way the spending is reported.  For some enigmatic reason, reported public school per pupil spending does not include 1) capital expenditures (building & construction,) debt service, or employee benefits.  When we include these costs, Round Rock ISD's reported per pupil expenditure of $7,995 rises to $12,339 and in some districts may be more than $18,000.  (To view the Texas Education Agency's AEIS Reports for your district, click here.)

Any private corporation that failed to account for ALL of the costs of doing business would soon be bankrupt, but for some reason public schools are allowed to operate in a fantasy world and grossly underreport costs.  However, if we compare 'apples to apples,' the real cost of a public school education is the same or much more than private schools.  In fact, a recent Cato Institute study showed that public schools spend 93% more than the median private school. 

Perhaps someone ought to explain to Mr. Colby that private schools determine fees based on all expenses required to operate in the real world.  If he could understand that, then he might realize that his education monopoly isn't such a great bargain after all.  

Hutto Independent School District Reports

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Hutto ISD Staff Salary Summary 0001

Education Reporting: Obscurity Security?

As expected, I have thoroughly riled some folks with my reports on education spending. The name-calling is amusing and I'm thinking of starting a new blog called, "Ugly & Mother Dresses Me Funny." Amusement aside, I do want to point out the sources of information I have used to compile these reports.

One important resource is an in-depth report compiled by the non-profit,non-partisan Texas Public Policy Foundation entitled Examining Decades of Growth in K-12 Education: A Close Look at Spending and Achievement Trends.  The report was compiled by three education policy analysts and published in June of 2010, so the numbers are very current.  There are two-and-half pages of endnotes with resources. 

The second source of information is the Texas Education Agency website.  Supposedly in an effort to make education spending and results more accountable, the TEA puts reports for each district and school on-line.  I'll be the first to admit that there are conflicting numbers for the exact same reporting period in some cases, but supposedly this is where we are supposed to look for transparency on our school districts.  How convenient for districts to turn around and refer to statistics taken verbatim from those reports as lies. 

Perhaps we should refer to the education system's public reporting system as 'obscurity security.'  Make the reports varied and obscure, and keep them slightly out of date.  Throw in bizarre accounting measures for finance and test results (eg., The Texas Projection Measure) and presto!  No-one will know what's really going on; if anyone starts to figure it out, just call them 'registered nut jobs' and/or liars.

Perhaps we ought to rename the Texas Education Agency "The Office of Circumlocution."  Dickens would have loved it.

America in the Theater of the Absurd

In the mid-20th century, European playwrights developed the 'Theatre of the Absurd,' a dramatic literary style that portrayed the world as a godless, meaningless place, and where logical process and communication are irrelevant.   While many of the plays from this movement are quite entertaining, (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead is one of my favorites,) recent political developments leave me wondering if we are living in the midst of an absurdist drama; a prospect I find more disturbing than amusing.

One example from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, a 'theater of the absurd' in and of itself,  is the recent ruling that it is perfectly okay to lie about receiving a military medal.   If we can all lie about it, why have any criteria for receiving one at all?  Why not just hand each soldier a Medal of Honor upon graduating from boot camp? After all, we certainly wouldn't want anyone to feel bad for not having a medal.

Unfortunately, the Lone Star State is not immune to applied absurdity in government, and in 2009 the Texas Education Agency contributed the Texas Projection Measure. Under TPM, even a student who failed to answer a single question correctly could be considered 'passing' the TAKS, if the school predicts the student will pass within a few years.

Seriously.

According to the TEA:

A student who has failed TAKS/TAKS (Accommodated) in the current year, but is projected to be at or above proficiency in the projection grade, is counted as proficient in the AYP calculation in addition to those students who achieved proficiency in the current year.

While TEA Commissioner Robert Scott defends TPM, since many school principals and superintendents really, really like the way it boosts ratings, even some Democrats have pointed out the logical absurdity of the Texas Projection Measure. 

The result?  With the watered-down standards, every school is great!  Only 1.5% of Texas schools are rated 'Academically Unacceptable,'  and 68% are above average.  I had no idea Texas Public Schools were such an academic success story.  While I have no doubt there are some very good public schools in Texas, how does one know?  Even without the TPM, schools can employ a number of other exemptions to boost ratings.  While some districts have been honest about application of TPM, most simply sent out the annual press release touting the fantastically awesome job they are doing educating your children (even though they do need more money. )  

We can add to list of the absurd  "adopting the effective tax rate," "jobs created or saved," "The Fairness Doctrine," etc., ad naseum.  From a logical standpoint, these terms are misleading at best, and intentionally deceptive at worst.

I like to believe that America has not completely yielded to the 'truth is relative' mantra, that we still attribute value to concepts of right and wrong, fact and fiction.  Hopefully the audience of voters will reject these forays into the Theater of the Absurd, and demand clarity and simplicity in government.

Seriously.

Just for fun:
"A man talking sense to himself is no madder than a man talking nonsense not to himself..."