School budgets difficult to compare

By Alice Felts

 Compared to neighboring school systems, Fauquier County is very mainstream in terms of its allocation of educational resources.

We spend about the same as most other systems for classroom instruction, and while our transportation expenses are understandably higher, we save on facility operation and maintenance.

Comparing school budgets is a challenge.

The figures seem to change daily as nearby school systems try to find ways to trim their proposed budgets for FY 2009. Although each school superintendent presents a proposed budget to the school board for approval and each school board holds a public hearing before presenting the budget to the board of supervisors, each timeline in neighboring counties is different. Patty Sullivan, budget and grants director for Stafford County Public Schools, stressed that everyone was now in a different place in the process.

While Fauquier, Loudoun and Clarke County Public Schools have already presented their proposals to their boards of supervisors, Prince William will hold its public hearing next week. Rappahannock, Culpeper and Stafford presented their budgets on Tuesday evening.

And even while budgets are being proposed, none of them are exact. To make the process even more tentative for budget managers, the General Assembly will soon release its revised allocations for county schools, probably resulting in further cuts in state aid to education.

Comparing budgets of various counties involves trying to separate the proverbial apples from oranges.

At last week's joint meeting between the Fauquier County Board of Supervisors and the Fauquier County Public School Board, supervisor Ray Graham asked for a comparison of “cost per pupil” among nearby counties. School board member Sally Murray explained that comparisons were difficult as some school districts include their debt service into the calculations, while others do not.

Comparisons for entire proposed school budgets compounds the problem.

Quick summary fact sheets provided by most superintendents often stress the point of emphasis in their county, such as teacher compensation, instruction or new facilities. As Superintendent Dr. Jonathan Lewis points out, not all districts are doing the same thing, and budget comparison is difficult..

He told the board of supervisors that Fauquier should ask 'what are we doing?' and 'why are we doing it?' He added that counties differ on such things as programs and class sizes and the “costs are relative to what we want to do for the kids.”

Most school budgets, however, can be reasonably compared in the following categories: instruction; facilities, operation and maintenance; pupil transportation; and administration, attendance and health.

Almost all of the figures listed in the accompanying table have been confirmed by the seven school districts surveyed. Some superintendents or their staff were unavailable to substantiate budgetary reports or calculations due to their budget preparations or to spring break schedules.

Salaries are included in the appropriate category in this review.

Fauquier spends the least, in terms of percentage, of all seven counties for administration, attendance and health and is lower than most in operating and maintaining facilities. We spend considerably more than most for transportation, which is reflective of our 660-square-mile size.

While most neighboring schools surveyed are looking closely at their budget proposals, the Clare Booth Luce Policy Institute found in a new study that Virginia “does not currently assess the cost-efficiency of its public school districts.”

With public education being the largest and most costly state budget item, fewer than half of the school districts used the public funds efficiently, according to the Institute's researchers.

In a downturn of economy, public schools may not have a choice. Cost-efficiency may rule.


E-mail the reporter: afelts@timespapers.com

Proposed School Budgets by County

(all budgets subject to change)

 

 

County Schools

Total Proposed Budget

Instruction

Facilities, Operating, Maintenance

Pupil Transportation

Admin, Attendance & Health

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fauquier

$142,401,084

$105,000,082

 

75 %

$12,015,296

 

8%

$8,825,093

 

6 %

$1,619,033

 

1%

Culpeper

$75,686,307

$56,518,737

 

75%

$8,776,705

 

12%

$3,837,595

 

5%

$4,045,273

 

5%

Rappahannock

$12,096,934

$8,709,792

 

72%

$967,754

 

8%

$846,785

 

7%

$725,816

 

6%

Prince William

$836,240,518

$669,828,654

 

80.1%

$85,296,532

 

10.2 %

$45,156,987

 

5.4%

$25,087,215

 

3.0%

Loudoun

$794,338,813

$632,081,921

 

79.6%

$72,445,431

 

9%

$54,702,745

 

6.9%

$35,108,716

 

4.4%

Stafford

$262,343,515

$202,164,738

 

77%

$25,271,107

 

9.6%

$15,949,154

 

6%

$17,619,939

 

6.7%

Clarke

$26,009,530

$16,076,441

 

62%

$2,063,160

 

8%

$1,090,977

 

4%

$1,348,795

 

5%