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Highest
Cost per Pupil
based on Texas Education Agency’s
Snapshots 1998
Ranked by
Operating Cost per pupil for districts with more than 25,000
No. |
District |
5 yr. %
Growth |
Op.
Cost |
Instr.
Cost |
1 |
Plano |
30.9 |
$6,198 |
$3,370 |
2 |
Brownsville |
3.5 |
$5,502 |
$3,244 |
3 |
San Antonio |
2.1 |
$5,502 |
$3,206 |
4 |
North East |
10.1 |
$5,295 |
$3,168 |
5 |
Houston |
6.6 |
$5,245 |
$3,005 |
6 |
Spring Branch |
12.7 |
$5,236 |
$3,023 |
7 |
Aldine |
13.8 |
$5,170 |
$3,062 |
8 |
Northside |
11.3 |
$5,133 |
$3,134 |
9 |
Richardson |
2.7 |
$5,127 |
$3,010 |
10 |
Dallas |
12.8 |
$5,079 |
$2,929 |
11 |
Killeen |
16.8 |
$5,024 |
$2,803 |
12 |
Conroe |
21.2 |
$4,979 |
$2,876 |
13 |
Fort Worth |
8.2 |
$4,947 |
$2,675 |
14 |
Klein |
10.5 |
$4,930 |
$2,950 |
15 |
Irving |
9.3 |
$4,881 |
$3,004 |
16 |
Ysleta |
- 3.4 |
$4,865 |
$2,869 |
17 |
Corpus Christi |
- 2.9 |
$4,821 |
$2,831 |
18 |
Lewisville |
41 |
$4,766 |
$2,930 |
19 |
Cypress-Fairb |
20 |
$4,757 |
$2,820 |
20 |
Austin |
9.7 |
$4,749 |
$2,761 |
21 |
El Paso |
- 0.5 |
$4,728 |
$2,678 |
22 |
Alief |
22.6 |
$4,726 |
$2,908 |
23 |
Lubbock |
- 2.5 |
$4,724 |
$2,642 |
24 |
Pasadena |
4.1 |
$4,698 |
$2,757 |
25 |
Round Rock |
24.7 |
$4,697 |
$2,880 |
26 |
Katy |
30.3 |
$4,652 |
$2,798 |
27 |
Fort Bend |
20.6 |
$4,623 |
$2,318 |
28 |
Ector County |
1.6 |
$4,585 |
$2,524 |
29 |
Amarillo |
2.5 |
$4,573 |
$2,810 |
30 |
Clear Creek |
19 |
$4,386 |
$2,687 |
31 |
Mesquite |
12.6 |
$4,357 |
$2,365 |
32 |
Arlington |
13.7 |
$4,317 |
$2,661 |
33 |
Garland |
15.3 |
$4,184 |
$2,626 |
Note: Shaded districts experienced high growth with more than 20%
growth in five years.
 | Plano spends the most in both operating and
instructional costs.
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| Average operating cost = $5,000 per pupil.
|
| PISD outspends average by ($6,198-$5,000) = $1,198 per pupil.
|
| With 45,000 kids in our districts, $1198 x
45,000 = $53.9 M
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| Average instructional cost = $2,900 per
pupil.
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| PISD outspends average by ($3,370-$2,900) = $470 per pupil.
|
| With 45,000 kids in our districts, $470 x
45,000 = $21.15 M
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| How much more will we outspend others without
Robin Hood?
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TEA’s Definition of Total Operating Expenditure:
"The sum of all expenditures budgeted for the operation of the
district. Operating expenses include payroll, professional and contracted services, and
supplies and materials. Operating expenditures are a subset of total expenditures; they do
not include debt service, capital outlay, or community services."
Spending
Comparison with Similar Wealth Districts
$325K to $465K per pupil
based on Snapshots 1998
| 55
districts in category
|
| 33 districts more than PISD in one or
both costs
|
| 24 out of these 33 districts have less
than 1000 kids;
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| 8 with 1,000-5,000 kids and one with
7,000 kids.
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| Ave. op. cost = $5,570/pupil (PISD’s
$6,198)
|
| Ave. instr. cost = $3,175/pupil
(PISD’s $3,370)
|
| PISD outspends average by
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| ($6,198-$5,570) = $628/pupil
in operating cost, and
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| ($3,370-$3,175) = $195/pupil
in instr. cost
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| Little benefit from economy of scale. |
Important Note:
At the school board meeting on June 1st, 1999, PISD's chief
financial officer, Jim Damm and other board members disputed the operating cost per pupil.
It is alleged that the $6,198 per pupil is a mistake - TEA's mistake as alleged in a Plano
Star Courier editorial later that week. The correct figure should be "around $500
less." That will still leave us at the top of the chart.
After confirmation with TEA, they claimed that the mistake was PISD.
"Plano incorrectly reported their recapture under
Function 92 which is supposed to be costs 'associated' with Chapter 41 transfers.
Had they reported this amount under Function 91, which is for all transfers (tuition and
wealth), we would have excluded their recapture; a large enough amount to decrease their
Central Administration Cost percentage, as well as their Operating Cost per Pupil.
Richardson ISD, on the other hand, correctly reported their recapture under Function 91,
thus allowing us to exclude it from their Administrative Cost and their per pupil
cost."
Who is speaking the truth here?
During that same meeting, board trustees Gary Base and Allan Bird
attempted to discredit me for not verifying the accuracy of the numbers. Base lambasted
the messenger for taking numbers of "any website" as if TEA's website should be
judged as one of ill-repute. At least, Jim Damm had the integrity to admit that the
mistake is not mine and spoke in my defense both before and after the trustees' tirade.
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