Rhode Island Schools Spend $2 Billion-Only Half Goes to the Classroom

Stephen Beale:

School districts in Rhode Island spend more than $2 billion annually, but barely half that money has made it into the classroom, state data shows.
For fiscal year 2009--the most recent year for which detailed data is available--52.1 percent of the $2,135,367,785 spent on local education went towards instruction. The remaining 48 percent was for instructional support, operations, administrative costs, and expenses for other commitments, according to data available from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE). (See below charts.)

"Only 52 percent is going into the classroom," said Jim McGwin, the president of the North Kingstown Taxpayers Organization. "That seems small."

McGwin, who has 30 years of experience in the business world evaluating balance sheets and operations, said school districts on average should be spending a minimum of 60 percent of their funds on their core function: teaching children in the classroom.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at January 5, 2013 1:48 AM
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