Report: California schools spent less in the classroom as budgets increased

02-03-2011

By Theresa Harrington/Contra Costa Times

A new report that says California schools shortchanged classroom spending even as education budgets increased has sparked criticism from educational leaders who say the report paints a distorted picture of the financial challenges districts face.
The report released Monday by Pepperdine University shows K-12 expenditures rose 22 percent between 2003-04 and 2008-09, from $45.6 billion to $55.6 billion. During that period, classroom spending declined from 59 percent to 57.8 percent, according to the study. Researchers in the university's Davenport Institute of Public Policy calculated classroom spending based on salaries and benefits for teachers and classroom aides, books, materials, supplies and consulting related to instruction or special education. Researchers said many districts spent a large percentage of their budgets on non-classroom costs, such as administrators' salaries, travel, conferences and consulting unrelated to instruction. "We felt it was important to have an honest debate about the facts out there," said Joel Fox, president of the Small Business Action Committee, which funded the study along with the California Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation. (more...)

Personal tools

Sections

Report: California schools spent less in the classroom as budgets increased

Document Actions