"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"
Thomas Jefferson

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Back To School

E. J.  McMahon covers school spending on his blog NY Fiscal Watch and we're still number one!

Here are his highlights:
  • New York’s state government paid for 45.2 percent of school spending, slightly below the national state-funded average of 47.6 percent.  New York’s 48.4 percent locally funded share was above the national average of 44 percent.  But in absolute terms, New York ranked high in both categories — fifth among states in state-supported spending at $8,293 per pupil, and third in local spending at $8,875 per pupil.
  • The lion’s share of the $6,315 per-pupil difference between New York and the national average could be attributed to higher spending on salaries and benefits for instructional purposes, the new federal data indicate.   In fact, New York’s spending on instructional salaries and benefits alone–which came to $11,042 per pupil, 88 percent above average–exceeded the total per-pupil spending of 37 states.
  • Many assume that New York’s high school spending is in part a factor of its unusually large number of local school districts.  But if true, this is not reflected in spending on education administration. New York’s per-pupil administrative expenditures were just 18 percent above the national average.  If New York had reduced its administrative spending to the national average in 2006-07, the resulting savings would have come to $270 million — just 0.06 percent of the total that year.
  • New York’s schools were ranked among the nation’s best in Education Week’s recent annual “Quality Count” report.  But two higher-ranked states, Maryland and Massachusetts, spent $4,257 and $3,243 less per pupil, respectively.  If New York spent at the Maryland rate, it would have saved $11.7 billion; if it had spent Massachusetts rate, it would have saved $8.9 billion.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Were treading on scared ground,It's for the children.

Anonymous said...

As long as it's for the Children, it's ok with me.

And remember, as long as we are spending the most, many buy the argument that our schools are the best. This kind of kills two birds with one stone.

Danny M. Francis (Eyepublius) said...

Yepper, education can be expensive. That's why many try and tie it to fraud, waste and abuse (like in NYS where we do spend a lot ergo: "waste" is raised as the reason, e.g., ineffective and nasty Dept. of Ed).

Then I remember this:

"If you think education is expensive, consider the
alternative
."

— dmf

Anonymous said...

Did you get that, guys?

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Anonymous said...

Did you get that, guys?

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

Anonymous said...

Well Dan, on this one, you ARE repeating the drivel that must be repeated if you are to be considered a serious politician. So on that regard, congratulations.

By the way, have you spent all that money you won after your lawsuit against the Watertown Schools when your daughter fell off the swing set? That "nasty" dept of ed has been good to you.

I wonder if that expense is considered part of education or just another side expense the taxpayers of NY are dumb enough to pay for? Either way, I guess it keeps us Number One.

Danny M. Francis (Eyepublius) said...

Anonymous 2:39: I resent your lying personal attack and that post was.

... I NEVER sued the City, Board of Education, or anyone about my daughter's accident at Sherman school, period.

The insurance investigator who looked into the accident after my daughter fell and broke her arm on the playground equipment, which was clearly installed over a concrete slab, and the equipment was clearly labeled said, "Do not install over a concrete slab or other hard surface - use plenty of cushion," I raised a question with our military health care center and Samaritan (who treated her) about the bill.

My ONLY question was regarding who would pay the insurance bills for her treatment since Fort Drum raised the issue.

There was a question of and conflict of who would pay based on that simple question.

The school insurance, which all kids have, paid for it. And, I'm sure you, if you're a parent, are also happy that kids are insured at school as well as with family plans.

Samaritan handled it all - there was never, ever a lawsuit of any kind.

You are a mean little insect for even suggesting there was.

I would expect you to apologize and then you can slither back under the rock you came from.

~ Dan Francis

Anonymous said...

hardball politics at last!!!

Anonymous said...

It was my understanding that you won $25 thousand dollars in a lawsuit, Dan. The basis, according to you, was an "improperly installed swingset". The school paid because it makes no sense to defend such lawsuits.

Is that not the case?

And yes, or as you say, yepper, education can be expensive. Lawsuits are one reason for this expense.

If this isn't true, Dan. Set the record straight.

Danny M. Francis (Eyepublius) said...

Anon 5:33 - Are you dumb or just acting that way?

* Education is expensive. Like paying tuition and other rising college costs.

* The alternative? Stupidity and lack of critical thinking skills or knowledge about anything, or remaining "low-tech" beyond HS for example ... surely you know what I mean?

* And, no - there was no $25K lawsuit or any other lawsuit of any kind as I stated.

FYI - my daughter's arm was broken in 3-4 places and she needed extensive care and observation to make sure no long term damage prevailed. The MD's were concerned about damange to her army "growth plates." She still cannot do a pull up or push up very well.

I dislike explaining myself over and over to the likes of you, but you keep raising points that are flat out false.

I have said and I will, defend myself and my family against all personal attacks, lies, or any kind of misinformation or disinformation.

Yours falls into the category of
the latter: misinformation and disinformation.

— dan francis

Anonymous said...

Move NYC to Maryland or to Massachusetts and recalculate and you will see the primary reason for your statistics.

Anonymous said...

There are a whole host of reasons that the education system is expensive. TOO expensive. One reason is staffing costs. The salaries ARE high in comparison with similar jobs. Doubt that you will get a teacher or admin to agree with that, but they are on the inside, without a point of reference.

A bigger problem is the Regulation issue, which precipitates the exhorbitant staffing required to follow the regs. How did they manage to educate all those boomers, 30, 40 years ago? Certainly managed to do the job w/o all the layers of redundant 'rules' and 'procedures'that they have today! The Teachers have become robots, mimicking the volumes of regs and canned responses. There are NO independent thinkers or doers, anymore. Stepford Teachers and Admins. For this they need high pay?

Shrink the volumes of regulations,and you shrink the size of the Bureaucracy.

woodchucksage said...

Oh yeah, it's all NYC's fault!! More teacher union crap! In most North Country Schools we spend more per pupil per year to send a kid to K-12 than it costs to send the same kid for a year to a four-year SUNY college, including tuition, all fees, ROOM AND BOARD, and the better portion of their Books!!!! For crying out loud!

And then these kids can't passed a dumbed down Regent's exam that only requires 55-percent for a passing grade. But we have mandatory pre-K that would more accurately be called socialized daycare provided for lazy-ass parents. The SED has actually said they want kids in school by the age of 3, like we don't have enough social problems already from absentee parents!!!

Our education system is a sad joke that has been created by NYSUT, the Board of Regents and the do-nothing, know-nothing local school boards and administrators.

And we're all paying the price for it, literally and socially speaking.

Anonymous said...

Well I got an idea. Let's keep pouring money into a system that both sides are beginning to admit is broken and failing. Let's just dismiss criticism with "yepper, education is expensive" kind of bs.

And Dan. "Mean Little Insect?" If you didn't sue the school district that's all you had to say. That was back in the early 90's. I'm sure it is part of the public record. As far as the medical conditions/problems faced by your daughter, that isn't our business. The costs of lawsuits is our business. If the situation was as cut and dried as you state I can't imagine why the school resisted paying for your daughter's treatment.

Anonymous said...

It is my understanding that the Carthage school system paid a BOCES special Ed evaluator over $300 per day for each day of the school year last year. I asked about this, and was told that the school "only" paid about $50 of the $300+, so it was OK. My comment at the time was that if the special ed teacher needed that much evaluating, something was wrong- but the real reason is that comeone figured out how to siphon off good money into a disappearing account. You Carthaginians dhould be outraged. And this had nothing to do with the teacher's union.

Anonymous said...

when we were kids and got hurt at school we just sucked it up and got through the day. we never made it out to be an issue. all this wasted time while serious matters are languishing, waiting for attention.

Anonymous said...

2009 7:57 PM
Finally a statement worth stateing.Ever think of running for office? NYS could sure use the help. Hell the top twenty states could use some help.But what help? some common sense or more $$$ we already know the answer to this one being #1.

Anonymous said...

These numbers are skewed by big spending districts in long island and westchester.

Earthbob said...

Cents is no longer common.

Anonymous said...

On a brighter side Addie inroduced the Bill to extend the sales tax. Yipee more money for govt.

Live Blogging