Most people consider public education funding an investment in our future. However, little data is presented to show an increased investment in education is the appropriate outlay for education.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) recently released its eight annual “Report Card” study on American Schools. The results dispelled the belief that more money spent means better student performance.
The report, released in April, found that average spending per pupil has increased nationwide 22.8 percent in constant dollars since 1979. That’s $5,087 per child in 1979 compared to $6,251 in 1999. The standardized tests during that time frame remained the same.
The Report Card shows some interesting information education cost drivers in Vermont. Our pupil to teacher ratio is still the lowest in the nation and teacher percent of staff ratio is worst than the national average. The increased staff can be correlated with the number of schools per district, which shows the national average being 6.1 with 3,177 students compared to Vermont’s 1.3 schools and 348 students. Vermont ranks 6th in the country with the least number of students per school.
In Vermont, from 1979 to 1999, spending increased 42.84% from $4,753 to $6,775 and the SAT scores remained constant. Vermont’s per pupil spending ranks 17th in the country and the average teacher’s salary in Vermont is $37,081 which is 13% below the national average.
The only good data on measuring education outputs is the SAT scores which shows Vermont’s math and verbal numbers at par with the national average and our composite rank is 33 compared to other states. However, almost twice as many graduates take the test here compared to other states.
The data shows there’s no immediate correlation between measures of educational inputs, such as expenditures per pupil and teacher salaries, and educational outputs, such as average standardized test scores. However, Iowa was academically ranked #1 and they spend $5,725 per pupil. Minnesota spends $6,946 and they were ranked #2. Vermont was ranked #12 and 7 of those top academically ranked states spent less than our state.
The Report Card also contains an analysis of Charter Schools. As of the spring of 2000 there were 1,689 charter schools operating in 36 states and the District of Columbia. Their typically higher than average scores indicate that improving student achievement can be accomplished by innovative and challenging curricula and a streamlined bureaucracy not by dollars spent.
One analyst of the Report Card indicated that measuring in dollar figures instead of by how well students are doing is a bad idea. We should target investments that make a positive difference in student performance. The payoff is worth it.
Thank you for your calls
and notes. I can be reached at 658-3975 (home), 228-2228 (State House)
and via e-mail
Rep.
Frank Mazur
South Burlington