{"id":18682,"date":"2013-05-23T12:58:21","date_gmt":"2013-05-23T16:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/?p=18682"},"modified":"2013-05-23T16:33:27","modified_gmt":"2013-05-23T20:33:27","slug":"why-floridas-per-student-spending-isnt-as-bad-as-it-looks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateimpact.npr.org\/florida\/2013\/05\/23\/why-floridas-per-student-spending-isnt-as-bad-as-it-looks\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Florida’s Per-Student Spending Isn’t As Bad As It Looks"},"content":{"rendered":"
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James Madison Institute<\/p>

JMI's Bob Sanchez says the report released by the U.S. Census Bureau wasn't exactly an apples-to-apples comparison of per-student funding among the states.<\/p><\/div>\n

As the school year is winding down, Florida school districts are looking ahead to next year and the additional funding coming their way.<\/p>\n

Almost half a billion dollars is available to boost the salaries of teachers and other personnel. Plus, spending is going up by more than $400 per student.<\/p>\n

Legislative leaders have repeatedly said\u00a0\u201ceducation is the big winner\u201d<\/a> in the state budget that goes into effect July 1.<\/p>\n

But, the U.S. Census Bureau released a report this week that may have taken the wind out of some sails.<\/p>\n

The report, Public Education Finances: 2011<\/a>, found Florida ranks 42nd among the states and the District of Columbia for per-pupil spending.<\/p>\n

A couple of problems with the report:<\/p>\n

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  1. It’s outdated. A lot has happened with Florida’s budget since mid-2011.<\/li>\n
  2. It doesn’t explain where the money goes. How the money is spent is good to know.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \u201cEvaluating schools, school districts, or states based solely on their spending per pupil can be very misleading unless you can bore down to determine what the money is being spent on,\u201d said Bob Sanchez, policy director at the James Madison Institute<\/a>, a research and educational organization based in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWhile funding levels can\u2019t be ignored, school systems should be judged more by their output \u2013 principally by what their pupils learn \u2013 rather than by their \u201cinput\u201d as measured in the dollars they spend,\u201d Sanchez said.<\/p>\n

    Considering results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress \u2013 known as the Nation’s Report Card<\/a> \u2013 Florida is doing pretty well for the money.<\/p>\n

    In a study that compares spending trends with test results, Florida ranks 2nd<\/a> among the states and D.C.<\/p>\n

    Sanchez says there are mitigating factors that help explain Florida\u2019s low position on national rankings that focus only on spending.<\/p>\n