January 31, 2008

WaPo is Confused or Maybe I am

Update: It's Wapo, not me.

Theola Labbé of the Washington Post reports on the $53 Million increase sought by the the DC school system.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty said he will seek a 5 percent increase in per-pupil funding for the more than 70,000 students enrolled in the D.C. system and charter schools, a $52.9 million effort to improve city education.

Doing the math (52 mill/5%/70,000), I get per pupil expenditures of $14,857 which probably represents operating expenses since school matters reports that the DC school system spent $13,187 per pupil on operating expenses and $16,595 per pupil for total expenditures back in 2002. Perhaps my back of he envelope calculation is off, but get a load of Wapo's.

The recommendation to spend $8,770 a child when the school year begins in August came from State Superintendent Deborah A. Gist. Now, $8,322 is spent for each student.

Thee DC school system hasn't spent that little since Watergate. What gives?

You can bet when the military spends $600 for a toilet seat, it'll be reported in all its glory. But, when it comes to reporting to the public how much is spent on public education, obfuscation is the order of the day. Now why do you suppose that is so?

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