Per Student School Spending Up 5.1% in 2008-09
WISTAX'S SchoolFacts09 Provides Comprehensive School Data

MADISON—Wisconsin public schools budgeted to spend $11,981 per student in 2008-09, or 5.1% more than the $11,399 per pupil spent in 2007-08. Since 1998-99, per student spending has risen an average of 4.0% per year. In 2008-09, total school spending topped $10 billion for the first time. These and other important facts about Wisconsin’s public schools are from the newly released SchoolFacts09, an annual publication of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX). SchoolFacts provides a wide range of information on spending, revenue, enrollment, staffing, and test scores for every school district in the state.

Spending increases varied by category, WISTAX noted. While total per pupil expenditures increased 5.1%, those on administration and on pupil services both rose 6.0% over the year. Expenditures for direct instruction were up 5.4%. Several areas rose less, including instructional support (4.6%), transportation (4.2%), and building and grounds (1.5%). Spending on capital improvements and debt service was up 2.6% in 2008-09.

School property taxes climbed 5.2% from the prior year, largely due to a small increase in state school aids. Under state-imposed revenue limits, school levies are tied to state general aids. Limited growth in state aid leads to above-average increases in school taxes. State general aids rose 1.7% in 2008-09, continuing a trend of slow-growing aids since 2003-04, WISTAX said. From 2003-04 through 2008-09, school general aids rose less than 2.5% in five of the six years. The exception was in 2005-06, when they were up 6.9%, resulting in a 0.5% drop in school taxes.

SchoolFaxts09 also finds that statewide school enrollments declined for the sixth consecutive year. At 861,100, full-time equivalent enrollments were down 1.5% from their 2002-03 peak of 874,042. Since 1998-99, statewide school enrollments are off 0.8%. According to WISTAX, of 420 school districts that had not combined or split since 1998-99, 64.6% had fewer students in 2008-09 than ten years earlier.

In addition to information on school finances and students counts, SchoolFacts09 provides figures on district demography, test scores, and staffing. WISTAX researchers noted that the percentage of students identified as disabled declined for the third consecutive year. A total of 14.3% of students were so identified, down 0.2 percentage points from the prior year and 0.5 points from 2005-06. More than one-third (35.1%) of students were eligible for free or reduced lunch (one indicator of poverty in a district) in 2008-09, up from 25.0% in 1999-2000.

SchoolFacts is the state’s most complete published collection of Wisconsin school district data. The 164-page book contains school district information on student characteristics, test scores, revenues, spending, staffing, and much more. SchoolFacts09 also contains summary data by cooperative educational service agency (CESA) and by district size. In addition, supplemental reports by athletic conference, or for a customized group of districts, can be ordered from WISTAX. Printing of SchoolFacts09 was underwritten by a grant from Sentry Insurance Foundation, Inc., the charitable arm of Sentry Insurance a Mutual Company, Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

SchoolFacts09 can be ordered by writing the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, 401 North Lawn Ave., Madison, WI 53704-5033, by calling 608.241.9789, or by visiting www.wistax.org. The price per copy is $29.95, plus tax. Discounts are available for WISTAX donors and members and for purchases of five or more copies. o