[Winona Online Democracy]
I've inserted my responses below.
Glen Schumann
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Paul Double
Subject: [Winona] Educational Spending
[Winona Online Democracy]
I disagree with Kathleen Fischer Giebel comment on educational funding.
I think we do a good job in supporting education in Winona and in
Minnesota. This is how we stack up against the rest of the country.
Minnesota is ranked 17th in teacher salaries.
Yes, but according to the source provided our teachers are still paid less
than the national average.
Minnesota is ranked 20th in the cost of living index
Again, Minnesota is below average (but only very slightly).
Minnesota is ranked 16th in expenditures per pupil
One of the problems with comparing these figures across states is the
question of whether they are really "comparable" numbers.
I don't know which chart Paul is using, but I found one on the NCES site
(Table 171)(the correct URL is www.nces.ed.gov ). It shows Minnesota
spending $6,371 per pupil in 1996-97. Just about average as the national
figure was $6,392 for that year. Michigan, where I lived for twelve years
is at $7,561. The Ann Arbor, Michigan school district (an excellent one)
was spending about $7,000 per pupil when I returned to Wisconsin in 1988.
At a 3% rate of inflation that district would now be spending about $10,000
per pupil. Wisconsin's figure for 1996-97 is $7,398. The Tomah school
district where my children attended public and private schools from 1988
until 1993 was in the bottom 10% of Wisconsin school districts when I moved
to Winona. Tomah was spending about $4,500 per pupil then. My youngest
daughter now attends high school in one of the best school districts in the
nation, Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland. Maryland is spending
$7,543 per pupil in '96-'97. I am sure that MCPS is much higher.
It would be more relevant to compare Winona's spending to that of the levels
of the best districts in the country rather than the average. In my
opinion, slightly below average is hardly an indicator of excellence. It
would also be helpful to know how we compare to the median spending level.
How much is Winona spending per pupil?
State spending as a percentage of local educational spending we are 20th
I'm not sure I place much weight on this figure. Although, I would prefer
to take education off the property tax and have it funded either 100% from
state income taxes (if we can retain local control) or have a local income
tax. I do not know if that is even possible in Minnesota.
Minnesota spends 62.8 % of education dollars on instruction 15th in the
country.
I have not bothered to track this one down. If the trend above were to hold
true, being at or just below average does not impress me.
There is however, one area we do get short changed.
Minnesota is 46th in the amount of money the Federal government provides
our state as a percentage of our total educational expense.
Perhaps it would be better if less money were sent to Washington so that
more would be available for state and local spending. This may require
reducing spending levels and taxes at the national level or perhaps at least
slowing the rate of growth of spending.
http:/nces.ed.gov
http://www.specialedcareers.org/salary.htm
http://aft.org/research/reports/col/coltest3.htm
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