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3/26/2007
Do they perform well with the money they have?
Neenah school district’s education spending is currently higher than any of its neighbors, as discussed in this space yesterday.
Voters residing in the Neenah School District will be voting on a referendum question November 7 to allow the District to exceed revenue limits by a total of $6M over three years.
Advocates say Neenah is a great place to go to school. The numbers might bear them out on that argument. Access and print off this analysis for your reference.
The analysis is taken from SchoolFacts06, the newly published Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (WISTAX) compilation of data for the state’s 425 public school districts. Copies of the full report can be ordered by calling 608-241-9789 or visiting www.wistax.org.
SchoolFacts06 looks at test scores as one measure of a school district’s performance. Neenah ranks moderately well in the 4th , 8th and 10th grade Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exams (WKCE), not definitively soaring above surrounding districts. It stands out more clearly from its regional peers in high school ACT score comparisons, leading the way with an average score of 24.2, compared to next highest Appleton, at 22.8.
Opposition to the referendum centers around taxes that are high enough already and suggestions that staff should help to pay for health care and some co-curriculars and field trips may not be essentials.
Staffing ratios may support the argument that current dollars could be redirected to lower class sizes. Neenah, already with the highest per-student costs in the region, nevertheless has almost the highest “average class size” – or, as WISTAX displays, the most students per teacher, coming in at 15.8. Only Kaukauna is slightly higher at 15.9. Oshkosh ranks best in this area with a ratio of 14.8 students per teacher.
One more helpful set of numbers to look at are fund balances for each of the school districts, budgeted for the end of the 2005-06 school year. Per SchoolFacts, “A fund balance represents revenues not currently being used by a school district. This could be money reserved for an upcoming capital expenditure, or it could provide needed cash until state aid and property tax money are received…Bond rating agencies use fund balances to help determine school-district credit ratings.”
The analysis, referenced above, shows Appleton, the area’s largest district, with a budgeted fund balance of $11M. Oshkosh, Menasha and Neenah follow closely with balances of more than $8M each. So looking solely at the numbers, Neenah is not in a bad position relative to its neighbors. Looking statewide, average district enrollment is 2,008, with fund balances averaging $3M. Neenah’s enrollment, ‘05-06 was 6,448, with an ending fund balance budgeted at $8,276,000. It’s important to note that the fund balance was tapped extensively in ’05-06, falling from almost $12M year-ending ’04-05.
In SchoolFacts, WISTAX presents a highly regarded, very credible, straightforward set of facts. If school finance and/or performance is something you’re interested in, it’s a tool you’ll want to have for your reference library. The Neenah referendum is truly a case where numbers are available to help determine your vote on the issue.
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