Community Assessment Data
A Guide to Understanding the Well-Being of Children & Families in Erie County, Pennsylvania

Public School Spending

CHARTS

Public School Spending by District 2000 to 2001


MEASUREMENT

Operating expenditures information is reported by School Evaluation Services of Standard and Poor's.,¹ Standard and Poor's analyzed data provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Operating expenditures per student are operating expenditures (total expenditures minus debt payments and construction costs) divided by the headcount enrollment in the school district for the school year. The percentage of students in special education is the total number of students in special education (including gifted programs) divided by the headcount enrollment and multiplied by 100.

DESCRIPTION

Providing access to education for all students has been part of American culture for over 200 years. Public education funded by tax dollars insures that every child can receive this education and provides an educated workforce. A balance must be found between the cost of providing a quality education while preventing taxpayers from being overburdened.

School expenditures are influenced not only by the operating expenditures incurred in providing education to the current students but also by debt payments and construction costs. To most appropriately compare spending, only operating expenditures are compared herein.

Special programs such as those for children needing individualized education programs or those in gifted programs are much more expensive than normal classroom education.

DATA ANALYSIS

• In Erie County, only Fairview School District has higher operating expenditures per student than the state average while the City of Erie, General McLane, Iroquois and Millcreek have higher percentages of students in special education than the state average.
• The City of Erie has the lowest operating expendistures per student of all the Urban Third Class cities.

FOOTNOTE

¹ School Evaluation Services (n.d.). Retrieved February 5, 2003, from http://www.ses.standardandpoors.com