District Administration - September 2006 - (Page 56)

6TH ANNUAL REPORT ON SCHOOL SPENDING draws, or lays around in a not-so-private safe. It sounds minor but I can't tell you how many times International Comparison of in my superintendent career I had issues reconciling Expenditures per Student how much money was collected and how much was deposited. Schools are often lax in good, sound account- Wealthy nations spend more per student on education com- i ng practices, Osnato says. Cash handling, he adds, is an pared with nations with lower GDP per capita. They also spend area where school districts are consistently faulted for a larger share of their GDP per capita on education than less lousy management. wealthy nations. In 2002, expenditures per student for the Facilities' Sting member countries of the Organization for Economic Coop- Fr om the 10,000-foot overview, facilities spending eration and Development averaged $6,134. Expenditures per amounts to no more than 10 percent or 12 percent student varied widely across these countries, ranging from of a district's overall budget, says Paul Huddleston, $1,587 Mexico to $9,823 Switzerland at the combined founding principle of Magellan K-12, a specialty con- elementary and secondary level. s u lt i n g fi rm based in Charlottesville, Virg. That makes Elementary and Expenditures it a poor candidate to squeeze big savings, this fi nan- secondary expenditures as percentage GDP Country per student of GDP per capita per capita c i a l analyst contends. Fiscal irresponsibility here stems from ignorance on AVERAGE............ $6,134 ............ 3.8 ....... $25,315 how to handle a lack of dollars. I see a lack of foresight, AUSTRALIA .......... 6,192............. 4.1 ........ 27,713 planning and proper budgeting more than simple waste, Huddleston says. For example, when districts defer main- AUSTRIA ............. 8,230............. 3.8 ........ 30,100 tena nce to the point of an emergency, typically their only BELGIUM ............. 7,150............. 4.3 ........ 28,630 resource is to turn to bond money to fi x the problem. CZECH REPUBLIC... 3,050............. 2.9 ........ 16,585 They're using the long-term money for short-term main- tena nce like paint, he says. Sound familiar? It's the same DENMARK ........... 7,875............. 4.2 ........ 30,042 basic blueprint that sunk the federal government trillions FINLAND ............. 6,230............. 3.9 ........ 27,807 of dollars into debt. FRANCE .............. 7,108............. 4.2 ........ 27,467 Ot her districts attack maintenance problems piece- mea l, paying for what they can afford this year and hop- GREECE .............. 3,938............. 2.6 ........ 19,067 i ng for a better tomorrow. But if you don't appropriately HUNGARY ............ 3,128............. 3.1 ........ 14,365 group projects for example, fi xing ceiling tiles but not the leaky roof the end result is the same as tossing ICELAND ............. 6,972............. 5.5 ........ 28,368 money down the drain. IRELAND ............. 4,827............. 2.9 ........ 32,535 When it comes to new construction, occasionally a ITALY.................. 7,441............. 3.5 ........ 26,347 school board spends more than is necessary because it builds too big. They pick the same prototype as before, JAPAN ................ 6,561............. 3.0 ........ 27,207 but there was never enough storage, never enough KOREA ................ 4,645............. 4.1 ........ 18,443 common space, never enough whatever, Huddleston MEXICO .............. 1,587............. 4.1 ..........9,370 explains. They let the administration tell them what they need and it keeps growing. I can't tell any commu- NETHERLANDS ..... 6,212............. 3.4 ........ 29,939 n it y they shouldn't have the fi nest schools in the nation, NORWAY ............. 8,412............. 4.3 ........ 36,682 but the board needs to be aware of the standards and how their plans compare to their peers. POLAND .............. 2,670............. 4.0 ........ 11,194 Other times a district loses a bond issue and needs SLOVAK REPUBLIC . 1,980............. 2.8 ........ 12,576 space it can't produce, forcing it to look at public-private SPAIN ................. 5,362............. 3.2 ........ 23,196 partnerships. That solution, in Huddleston's assessment, is usually more expensive than a traditional ownership. SWEDEN ............. 7,277............. 4.6 ........ 28,152 They didn't want to be wasteful of taxpayer's dollars SWITZERLAND ...... 9,823............. 4.5 ........ 32,532 but they were caught in the switches, he notes. UNITED KINGDOM .. 5,996............. 4.3 ........ 28,906 Surprise! UNITED STATES ..... 8,556............. 4.1 ........ 36,202 Spea k i ng of trapped, Osnato feels for districts that see Source: NCES, The Condition of Education 2006 their special education populations jump. They often 56 September 2006 District Administration spending.w.indd 56 8/14/06 11:52:50 AM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - September 2006

Contents
Editor?s Letter
Snapshots
Update
Inside the Law
Curriculum Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Unveiling the School of the Future
Are wireless VoIP handsets worth the cost?
Smart ways to detect and manage cyberbullies
Scared Straight
Up for Debate
In the Spotlight
Growing Community Schools
Learning Styles
The Online Edge Odvard Egil Dyrli
Speaking Out Gary Stager
Problem/Solution
Research Corner
Computer Literature
Leadership Books
New Products
By the Numbers

District Administration - September 2006