Per pupil spending numbers make Stoneham School Department look good
Published on March 15th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - The Stoneham School System is doing better than Reading, but who's comparing?
Two weeks back the Stoneham selectmen were asking why Stoneham spent more per pupil than Reading, especially since MCAS scores were higher in Reading.
Superintendent Joe Connelly said the selectmen asked a good question, but an equally solid answer exists.
The answer: Stoneham actually spends less per pupil.
The problem: selectmen were not comparing apples to apples.
At the March 7 School Committee meeting member Stephen Gucciardi presented numbers he and Finance Committee member John Warren had crunched:
Reading does not include health insurance nor its business office on the school side of the school/municipal budget. Stoneham does. Therefore, it appears that Reading at $6,262 per pupil spends less than Stoneham at $6,695. But if adjustments are made, removing health insurance costs and the business office from the Stoneham school budget, Stoneham spends only $6,125 per pupil, $137 less than Reading.
Also, under Education Reform the state calculates per pupil spending based on all spending on education, even indirect costs such as the portion of the Public Works budget used for snow plowing.
Reading has 4,277 students to Stoneham's 2,786, but each town has seven schools.
Thus, indirect costs such as snow plowing, which the schools do not control, get spread out over more students and have less of an effect on per pupil costs in Reading.
"I think it is most important to note that the Stoneham budget is increasing only five percent this year," Warren said in a separate interview.
The watchdogs of the Finance Committee are satisfied with the fiscal 2001 increase, but for those who enjoy comparisons, Reading's school budget is increasing 8.76 percent in fiscal 2001.
In other budget news:
The School Committee shaved $12,406 to bring the fiscal 2001 school budget to $18,639,056.
Costs will be reduced $10,000 in the Special Education line item by handling occupational therapy in-house instead of contracting out placements.
Also, $2,406 was cut from the science department materials line item. There was overlap in the capital request, Connelly said.
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